Aged care news highlights from the week ending 01 September 2019.

The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the aged care sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace and Critical Success Solutions.

Aged care sanctions in South Australia spike in 2018-19 financial year

According to The Advertiser, unannounced aged care audits are resulting in a huge increase in South Australian aged care facilities being sanctioned by the federal Department of Health. Analysis by The Advertiser shows that of the 37 sanctions handed down since data was recorded in 2000, 12 were in the 2018-19 financial year. The federal Department of Health said the increase “primarily relate” to the start of unannounced visits, while aged care advocates say the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety also prompted a crackdown. Federal data shows seven aged care homes have been sanctioned in the first eight months of 2019, more than in any year since 2000.

Calls for across the board dementia training for hospital staff

According to Community Care Review, Australia’s peak dementia advocacy body is calling for mandatory dementia training for all hospital staff including those in catering and cleaning roles after government statistics showed almost 95,000 hospitalisations of people with dementia in a year. One in five of those admissions ended up in residential care. Dementia Australia says previous research shows people living with dementia are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital and up to three times more likely to have an adverse event in hospital. In a report released on the back of new figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Dementia Australia says despite the introduction of cognition and delirium standards, dementia training for hospital staff remains inconsistent and there there’s still poor awareness around patient support and enabling environments.

Gout under-recognised in residential aged care

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, more than 10 per cent of aged care residents have gout, Macquarie University researchers have found. The study undertaken by Macquarie University’s Australian Institute of Health and Innovation and published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing this month investigated the prevalence of gout and other medical conditions among aged care residents. The research involved analysing the 2014 -2017 health record data of 11,548 aged care residents aged 65 years from 68 aged care facilities in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory. The research found that 10.7 per cent of aged care residents have gout, which is a chronic form of inflammatory arthritis that can cause permanent joint damage if left untreated.

Pain-killer poisoning on the rise: Experts want access to paracetamol restricted

According to The New Daily, researchers are calling for access to Australia’s most commonly used painkiller, paracetamol, to be restricted – because of a serious spike in numbers of people being hospitalised with paracetamol poisoning. Between 2007 and 2017, nearly 100,000 Australians were treated in hospital after overdosing on the over-the-counter medicine that is available in supermarkets and convenience stores. The number of tablets being consumed by Australians has increased by a third from 2004 to 2017. Paracetamol is the substance most frequently involved in overdoses in Australia.

Technology an important enabler for aged care, says Colbeck

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the utilisation of technology and data are soon going to play a huge role in managing and monitoring aged care, the sector’s minister has told an industry conference. Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck gave the welcoming address at the Health Metrics 2019 World Conference in Melbourne yesterday. He said innovation and the use of technology were going to be extremely important enablers in the aged care industry over the next few years.

New app ‘a game changer’ in fight against falls

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, an aged care provider in Sydney has teamed up with Australia’s leading experts to trial an Australian invention that can predict falls among older people with 75 per cent accuracy. The trial is part of a new partnership between Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and Mark Moran Group (MMG) to develop ground-breaking health and wellness innovations to support the aged care sector and older Australians. The partnership includes the rollout of new app-based wellbeing assessment tool FallScreen+, which builds on more than 30 years of NeuRA’s studies at the Falls Balance and Injury Research Centre.

Measuring quality of life in aged care

According to Hospital and Healthcare, understanding what good quality of life means to aged-care consumers could assist economic evaluation of services, researchers say. Their work, titled A Good Life: Developing a New Quality of Life Instrument with Older People For Economic Evaluation in Aged Care, is a three-year project based at Flinders University’s Caring Futures Institute, a dedicated research centre for the study of self-care and caring solutions. Researchers are working with older people receiving aged-care services to find out what is important for them to have a good quality of life. The quality of life measure will also quantify older people’s preferences, which can then be used in the economic evaluation of aged-care services.

One-in-six older Australians at risk of frailty

According to Community Care Review, around one in six community-dwelling older Australians may be living with clinical frailty, an Australian analysis of global data suggests. The study found that 4.3 per cent of older people living in the community become frail every year and another 15 per cent become prefrail, says Richard Ofori-Asenso from Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. It’s the first time frailty has been assessed on a global population level, despite it being a condition commonly affecting older people and an increase in frailty-related research over the last ten years.

New resources aim to attract health students to aged care

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, Central Queensland University researchers have developed a short course and two workbooks to encourage students to complete a work placement in aged care settings. The Story-care project, which was funded by the Australian Collaborative Education Network, has developed a creative writing based interdisciplinary learning experience to encourage students to take up a work placement at an aged care facility. The project also aims to show aged care providers that students can add value to the organisation.

The Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds: take a peek behind the scenes

Aged Care Insite reports on the new ABC TV program ‘The Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’.

The idea is simple – a group of ten 4-year olds are paired with aged care residents for seven weeks, working and playing together, to see if the physical and mental wellbeing of the residents improves. The show highlighted the reality of aged care living for some residents and can be shocking, even for seasoned aged care observers. But as the first episode progresses we can see the enjoyment residents get from their new young friends, their energy and laughter was infectious.

Legislation

Nothing in the news this week.

Resources and Upcoming Conferences

New Aged Care Means Assessment Forms

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has released the new Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care (SA486) digital form. Your clients can fill it in online, print and sign it and send it to DHS with their supporting documents. The digital form uses dynamic questions tailored to the customers’ individual circumstances.

Uploading Data Collection Template: Quick Reference Guide for CHSP providers

The My Aged Care Provider Portal will open from 22 July until 11.59pm AEST 23 October 2019 for Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providers to upload the grandfathered client data collection template. The Department of Health has released a Quick Reference Guide that explains how to upload the data collection template into the My Aged Care Provider Portal and select the services each client receives.

Provider Survey – Future Design of CHSP – open 14 August 2019 to 2 September 2019

The Department of Health is seeking information from Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providers regarding aspects of their current and planned service delivery. This information will be used to inform the design and development of the CHSP over the 2020 - 2022 extension period and beyond. A link to the survey will be sent via email to all CHSP service providers from 14 August 2019. The survey will close on 2 September 2019. The department encourages all providers to complete the survey to ensure your views are represented in the future CHSP design process.

Quality in Aged Care National Conference – 26-29 August 2019, Sydney

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Quality in Aged Care Conference running in Sydney from the 26th – 29th August is once again brought to you in partnership with COTA Australia and ACSA. Following a gathering of over 200 leaders at the previous in March 2019, this next conference offers insights into the next chapter of aged care reform. It is a critical opportunity for all providers of aged care services to learn from industry leaders, peak bodies and legislators and prepare their organisations for some of the biggest challenges facing the industry, including the Royal Commission and the new standards.

Crossing the Chasm - From Compliance to Innovative Dining Solutions – Webinar – 29 August 2019

According to Winc, a poor meal and dining experience can not only have a detrimental impact on a resident’s emotional well-being but it can also lead to malnutrition resulting in increased risk of falls, illness, injury, reduced quality of life and premature death. In this webinar, Jo Cleary will discuss her solutions of how we can address this issue and better utilise food and labour resources. She’ll include novel and practical solutions that you can implement immediately.

Health Metrics 2019 World Conference – 29-30 August, Melbourne

According to Health Metrics, the 2019 conference entitled “Adapt and Align to New Thinking”, will inform and engage providers of aged care, retirement living, primary health care, home and disability care. Industry leaders and service-providers are invited to hear the latest on Technology & Innovation, Leadership & Management, Quality & Standards, Analytics & Reporting, Government, Policy and the Royal Commission.

Navigating the Aged Care System Webinar Series – Webinar 4: Aged care support and service options – Friday 30 August 11.00am – 12.30pm

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) is holding a webinar on:

• Basic help at home: overview of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme
• How to begin services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme

Embolden 2019 – 1-3 September 2019, St Kilda Town Hall, Melbourne

According to the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), Embolden is an annual Festival created by Celebrate Ageing and aimed at challenging ageism and building respect for Elders. It provides unique opportunities for service providers, community members and Elders to learn from each other about making cultural change happen. It recognises the capacity of Elders to co-design, co-produce and co-lead innovations.

Living and Ageing Well Conference – 17 September 2019, Grand Hyatt Melbourne

According to Pearson Clinical Assessment, the overarching goal of clinical intervention when working with older people, regardless of diagnosis, is to improve the person’s quality of life. Whether you work with older adults in their own home and community, in a hospital, outpatient setting or in a residential aged care facility, there are strategies you could be using in your interventions to further enhance your clients’ quality of life. At this conference, we’ll share valuable insights and strategies from industry experts. And we’ll workshop tools designed to help you apply holistic care to older adults with a range of diagnoses, across many settings, with a goal of improving the quality of life for older adults.

Aged Care System Navigator Measure – Discussion Paper Open for Feedback Until 16 September 2019

The Australian Healthcare Associates (AHA) has been engaged by the department to evaluate the Aged Care System Navigator Measure (the Measure). AHA has developed a discussion paper informed by stakeholder consultations and existing system navigator models. The paper outlines proposed design principles, components and considerations for implementation of aged care system navigator models in Australia. Feedback on the discussion paper will be used in the evaluation of the Measure and contribute to the aged care system navigation policy direction.

Standard 8 Organisational Governance Masterclass – various locations across NSW, ACT and QLD in September and October 2019

Australian Ageing Agenda invites you to join your fellow directors, chief executive officers, executives & mangers to enhance your understanding of the Consumer Outcome, Organisation Statement and Requirements of Standard 8 and the practical steps and activities you should take.

Managing Dignity of Risk Challenges in Residential Aged Care WORKSHOP – various locations across Vic and NSW in October and November 2019

According to The Communiques, this essential workshop is designed for executives, senior managers, clinicians and relevant personnel to provide a systematic approach to examining the issues of how to manage risks for older residents living in residential aged care facilities. Balancing staff and organizational responsibilities of duty of care with the residents’ rights and choice in Dignity of Risk. For more information, including times and locations of workshops, follow the link above and download the full program.

ACSA National Summit – 8-10 October 2019, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) is hosting the 2019 ACSA National Summit, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), 8–10 October 2019. The 2019 ACSA National Summit will bring together thought leaders and innovators – both local and international – to discuss hot topics, challenges and opportunities, workshopping together to uncover solutions to some of the aged care industry’s biggest challenges.

LASA National Congress – 27-29 October 2019, Adelaide

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the LASA National Congress will offer global perspectives, best-practice keynotes, and interactive, thought-provoking discussions, designed to empower our industry to actively embrace future opportunities and become the change we want to see. This year’s theme is: Better Ageing Futures for All Australians.

National Conference on the Future of Aged Care: Beyond the Interim Report of the Royal Commission – 19-21 November 2019, Melbourne

According to Criterion Conferences, this national conference will be the first opportunity to critically unpack and explore the Royal Commission’s Interim Report, with strategic insights from key industry leaders and experts.