Aged care news highlights from the week ending 03 May 2020.

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.

Coronavirus / COVID-19 News

Aged care code of practice to allow controlled visits by family members

According to WA Today, families with loved ones dying in nursing homes will be allowed controlled visits where safe to do so under a draft voluntary coronavirus code of practice for aged care to be unveiled on Friday. Advocates for elderly Australians are pushing for the code to be made mandatory with statutory enforcement powers to force aged care providers to lift blanket lockdowns, which Prime Minister Scott Morrison has condemned. However, the Health Services Union secretary Gerard Hayes said aged care centres had "nowhere near enough staff" or personal protective equipment and that lifting restrictions would be "reckless" without additional funding.

Aged Care Visitor Access Code Consultation

According to COTA, a Visitor Access Code is being developed to ensure a nationally consistent visitation policy to residential aged care homes during the COVID-19 crisis. The Code aims to apply a compassionate and consistent visitor policy that continues to minimise the risk of COVID-19 while providing innovative on-site visiting solutions to maintain the mental health of residents. The draft Code has been released for public consultation.

The drafters are seeking views on the draft code from aged care residents, families, families of choice, friends, along with aged care providers and staff, by 3pm on Thursday 7 May.

Providers appeal for support over aged care visits

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care providers are pushing back against the Prime Minister’s direction to follow national government recommendations regarding visitors to residential aged care. Providers question why the advice is softer than for people living in the community, and not what many residents and family members want. Seven national provider representative organisations united on Monday to call on the government to work with the sector to agree on nationally consistent guidelines that balance the need for strong infection control with strong social, mental health and spiritual wellness support.

Two weeks inside an aged care facility during an active COVID-19 lockdown

According to Aged Care Guide, there have been a lot of stories from the Department of Health and Federal Government about how the aged care sector has coped with the current coronavirus pandemic and related visitor restrictions, but some affected aged cares haven't had the opportunity to tell real-life accounts of what a COVID-19 outbreak is like.

Willingness to work questioned amid PPE shortage

According to Hospital and Healthcare, difficulty accessing personal protective equipment (PPE) is forcing healthcare workers on the front line to question their willingness to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ongoing research conducted by Edith Cowan University (ECU). More than 350 doctors, nurses and paramedics have completed the survey, with around half of all participants reporting a lack of access to the PPE needed to do their jobs safely.

Royal commission to look at pandemic’s impact on sector

According to Aged Care Insite, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will zero in on the impact of the novel coronavirus on the aged care sector as it continues operations outside of public settings. The commissioners called for submissions from the general public and organisations on the pandemic’s impact on care. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on all aspects of Australia’s economy and society, including the delivery of aged care services,” the royal commission said in a statement on Tuesday. “In order to understand that impact fully, the commissioners are seeking the views of those people directly affected.”

Advice on effectively screening staff, visitors against COVID

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care facilities should have a single point of entry that is continuously monitoring by someone who screens all staff and visitors, the sector’s chief clinician advises. Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission chief clinical advisor Melanie Wroth has written to residential care organisations with advice on strategies to minimise the risk of coronavirus transmission through staff and visitor screening.

New COVID-19 payment for residential aged care

According to the Prime Minister’s media release, the Prime Minister jointly announced with Minister Colbeck, that the Australian Government is making a special COVID-19 payment, totalling $205 million, to all residential aged care providers to further support their response to the coronavirus pandemic. The payment will be linked to the number of residents being cared for by the facility. Facilities outside major metropolitan areas will receive a 50 per cent loading to cover the additional costs of providing care in these areas. The amount will equate to $900 per resident in major metropolitan areas and around $1350 per resident in all other areas.

Consultation on aged care skills review opens

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the group reviewing national aged care skills and competency standards is seeking input on a series of discussion papers with the first launched this month. The Aged Services Industry Reference Committee, which was established in October 2019 to deliver on certain elements of the Aged Care Workforce Strategy, launched its first of four discussion papers on 17 April. An Evidence Based Discussion Paper on the Issue of Student Work Placement aims to build a picture of the experience individual workers gain during placements. The IRC’s second paper ‘Re-imagined’ Age Care Workforce to be launched in the coming weeks aims to define the skills and knowledge an aged care worker needs to have based on current and predicted consumer needs to provide quality care now and in the future. Responses are required by Friday 15th May for the first paper.

CDNA guidance for symptom monitoring in health and aged care workers during the COVID-19 outbreak

According to The Department of Health, this document is for health and residential aged care settings considering monitoring for symptoms. Health screening for health and aged care workers for symptoms of COVID-19 in these settings may be used as one of the measures to detect and prevent outbreaks.

Flu Vaccination Poster

According to The Department of Health, States and Territories have established directions giving effect to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee’s recommendation that visitors and staff (including visiting workers) should not be permitted to enter a residential aged care facility, if they have not been vaccinated against influenza (after 1st May 2020). Residential aged care facilities may wish to display the attached poster at entrances, to alert anyone entering the facility of these flu vaccination requirements.

Investigation into how staff member acquired COVID underway

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the state health authority is investigating the cause of a new case of coronavirus among a staff member at a western Sydney facility dealing with an outbreak. The quality regulator has also stepped in to help improve communication between the provider and the families of residents. There have been 13 deaths as at Friday morning among residents who tested positive for the virus at Anglicare Sydney’s Newmarch House in Caddens including seven this week.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for workers in residential aged care facilities

The Department of Health has issued a Fact Sheet to help aged care workers who work at more than one aged care service. Where this occurs, workers must follow the guidance on when they can and cannot work as well as good hygiene and PPE practices to manage the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Aged care coronavirus cluster under investigation in Victoria

According to Aged Care Insite, Victoria has recorded seven new cases of coronavirus, with more expected to emerge after authorities revealed a cluster in an aged care facility. Chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton told 3AW Radio today a cluster at the Hawthorn Grange aged care facility in Melbourne was under investigation, with extensive testing being conducted. “I think we’ll get on top of that. We’ve identified those additional cases and tested across the board for residents and staff,” Sutton said. “[Aged care facilities] are places where you absolutely need to act down on it immediately and that really means extensive testing, including individuals with no symptoms.” It was not known how many people at the centre have the virus, or whether people will need to be moved out of the facility.

Aged care assistant program seeking providers

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a recently launched training and redeployment program is calling on aged care providers to register their staff requirements. The Aged Care Assistant (ACA) program announced in mid-April targets people from the hospitality, retail, tourism and airline sectors who are unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Student nurses and individuals completing their Cert III or IV in Individual Support are also encouraged to apply for the program, which involves suitability screening and 10 hours of online training and job placement for successful candidates.

New service supports staff health

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a workplace health service provider has launched an online program to help employers support staff wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic. The provider, Rehab Management, reports a 10 per cent increase in mental health claims across their Workers’ Compensation, CTP and Government agency clients as a primary or secondary condition since mid-Jan when coronavirus started to emerge. Their new online program CheckInToday aims to help businesses support their employees’ physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other News

The way we approach senior living has ‘stagnated’, experts come together to innovate

According to Aged Care Insite, as Australia’s population grows and inevitably ages, we are increasingly asking ourselves how we can continue to live with respect, comfort and most of all the freedoms we want as we grow old. Salutogenic is a favourite buzzword in the aged care sector and architecture in aged care and retirement communities is something constantly discussed, but often with few fresh ideas. But a group of design professionals, innovators, planners and seniors have come together to tackle the issue of senior living with a slightly different view. Rather than design just for comfort, or looks, the group aims to design to aid longevity. Hosted by The University of Queensland and DMA Engineers, the 120 assembled experts took part in a charrette – a fancy word for a workshop devoted to a concerted effort to solve a problem, or plan the design of something – and this was a rare opportunity for teams of people from different fields to work together and do some blue sky thinking.

New evidence-based guidance for older persons at the end of life suffering from mental illness

palliAGED has developed new online resources on understanding and caring for older persons suffering from mental illness and approaching the end of their life. The new resources include the Mental Illness Practice page which guides aged care staff who are providing care. The page lists evidence-based tools, links, and other information. It also provides learning options and information for aged care organisations. The Mental Illness Evidence pages summarise research on caring for older persons suffering from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and suicidality. These pages may be of particular interest to aged care policy development staff.

Tool measures quality of life in patients with dementia

According to Hospital and Healthcare, researchers from the University of Queensland have devised a new tool to measure quality of life in people with dementia — assessing five key domains: physical health, mood, memory, living situation and ability to do fun activities. Importantly, the tool takes into account the views of people with dementia and is hoped to result in better targeted care for those living with the condition.

Legislation

Public Trustee (Public Trustee and Guardian) Amendment Bill 2020 (SA) – passed Assembly and introduced to Council 30.04.20

The Bill aims to amend various Acts to merge the offices of the Public Trustee and the Public Advocate. Under the reform reflected in the Bill, all the statutory functions of the Public Trustee and the Public Advocate are to be maintained. The Public Trustee will be named the 'public trustee and guardian', and all statutory functions currently held by the Public Trustee and the Public Advocate will become functions of the public trustee and guardian. The office of the public trustee and guardian will replace the offices of the Public Trustee and Public Advocate. The bringing together of the functions of guardianship and administration within the one statutory office of public trustee and guardian substantially mirrors reform undertaken in the Australian Capital Territory in 2016.

Resources and Upcoming Events

Webinar on Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Outbreak Preparedness and Management – Friday May 8 from 4.00pm – 5.00pm AEST

According to The Department of Health, the webinar will cover what residential aged care facilities should be doing in preparation for a potential COVID-19 outbreak, what to do if there is an outbreak, as well as the support available to services in the event of a COVID-19 case.

2^nd Governance in Aged Care Conference – 20-21 May 2020, Doltone House Hyde Park Sydney (Live Stream Online)

According to Criterion Conferences, the 2nd Governance in Aged Care conference has been developed in partnership with COTA Australia and ACSA to support you to effectively lead and govern your aged care service into the future. You will walk away with a deeper understanding of what good governance structures and culture looks like in practice, and how you could apply this to your own organisation.

Older Person’s COVID-19 Support Line

According to The Department of Health, a new Older Person’s COVID-19 Support Line has been set up to provide information, support and check on older Australians during the period of social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COTA Australia, National Seniors, Dementia Australia and the Older Person’s Advocacy Network have banded together to deliver this service with support from the Australian Government.

Senior Australians, their families and carers can freecall 1800 171 866 if they:

• would like to talk with someone about what COVID-19 means for them or a loved one
• are feeling lonely or distressed
• are caring for a someone and need some information or a listening ear about what COVID-19 means for your circumstances
• are worried about COVID-19 means for their usual aged care service
• are worried about a friend or family member living with dementia.
• are unable to access information on the internet and would like up-to-date advice.

Home care services providers can also use the number and dial option 1 to refer home care clients who would like a call from an independent organisation to check on their wellbeing.

The service will include outbound and inbound calls to provide contact, reassurance and practical advice on connecting to services to maximise social engagement and wellbeing whilst at home.

Resources on diverse population groups are now available for aged care staff

According to The Department of Health, The End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) website helps you to care for older Australians at the end of life. Our new diversity resources can help health workers and aged care staff to care for:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Care leavers
• Carers
• Culturally and linguistically diverse people
• Financially or socially disadvantaged people
• People experiencing homelessness
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people
• People living in rural and remote areas
• People with spirituality and faith beliefs
• Veterans

How people think about death, dying and end of life is different for each person. Learning about these differences can help you to provide good palliative care. Access these resources on the Diverse Population Groups page of the ELDAC website.

Calculating residential accommodation payments in a leap year

This year is a leap year, with 366 days instead of 365. The Department of Health has received queries from approved providers of residential care seeking advice on how to calculate a daily accommodation payment (DAP) in a leap year. The calculators specified in the Fees and Payments Principles 2014 (No. 2) (the Principles) refer to 365 days for working out:

• the DAP (or contribution) equivalent to a refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) (or contribution)
• the amount of interest on a RAD (or contribution) balance or accommodation bond balance.

Even though 2020 is a leap year, residential care providers should continue to use 365 days when calculating DAP amounts and the interest payable on refunds of lump sum deposits. But please be aware that daily payments and daily contributions are payable for 366 days in 2020.

What Matters Most – New person centred care resources

According to The Department of Health, Palliative Care Australia, through a Dementia and Aged Care Services Fund grant, has launched a suite of resources to encourage early conversations about What Matters Most to older people, their care and their end of life preferences.

Quality Indicators (QIs) pilot – specific service types invited to participate

The Department of Health has engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to assist in the development and pilot to trial the new QIs relating to:

• medication management
• falls and fractures.

To ensure the pilot captures the views and experiences of residential aged care services nationally, the department would like to strongly encourage the following services to take part:

• Services operating in Queensland or remote areas
• Smaller services (less than 50 residential aged care places)
• Previous QI Program pilot participants
• Private (for profit) or State Government services.

Participation in the pilot is an opportunity for your service to trial and provide feedback on these indicators ahead of the implementation of the additional QIs from 1 July 2021. The pilot will commence in February 2020, please register your interest by 27 January 2020.

6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care

Issued by the Department of Health, this infographic outlines the 6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care.

Aged care video alert: Dignity of risk

According to Lexology, the concept of dignity of risk is not entirely new, however it now has a position of prominence in aged care with the Aged Care Quality Standards. In this video update, senior associate Dr Melanie Tan explains:

• What does dignity of risk mean?
• Where and when does dignity of risk apply?
• What is the duty of care within dignity of risk?