Major Aged Care Reforms in 2024: What to expect
Subscribe

Weekly Wrap 13 April 2021

13/04/21
Resources

Aged care news highlights from the week ending 13 April 2021, aggregated by CompliSpace.

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.


Coronavirus/COVID-19 News

Aged care vaccine rollout ‘far too slow’

The Department of Health should collaborate with aged care stakeholders to create an efficient COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan for residential homes, the CEO of an aged care peak body tells Australian Ageing Agenda. The call comes as less than half of aged care homes nationally have received the COVID-19 vaccine in the first six weeks of the mass vaccination scheme.

 

‘No link’ between vaccine and aged care death

According to Aged Care Insite, Australia’s chief medical officer has said there is no apparent causal link between the death of an elderly Queensland woman and the COVID-19 vaccination she received hours earlier. The 82-year-old, who had been living at the Blue Care Yurana aged care facility in Springwood, south of Brisbane, received her jab about 10am on Wednesday. Police were called to the home about 1.30pm. Her death has been classed as non-suspicious and police will prepare a report for the coroner. The chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly, said while the death would be investigated, there did not appear to be a link between her death and the vaccine.

 

Staff missing out on COVID jab

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, most residential aged care workers want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at their place of work but many are being told to source it from a general practitioner due to delays, aged care stakeholders have told Australian Ageing Agenda. Delays in the government’s rollout of the vaccine have left most aged care facility staff unimmunised despite them being prioritised and included in the first phase of the program along with aged care residents

 

Other News

My Aged Care Provider Portal - SIRS access issue

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

The Department of Health would like to alert providers to an access issue with the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) tile on the My Aged Care Provider Portal. When providers access the SIRS tile they will have two browser tabs open: the Provider Portal and the SIRS portal.

Providers may notice that after they close the SIRS portal or the My Aged Care tab (without logging out), they can re-open the SIRS portal browser and continue making changes. On shared computers this may result in another user entering data using the previous user’s details.

Providers should ensure they ‘Log out’ of the Provider Portal rather than just closing the tab for either portal. Providers can see each incident reported in their SIRS tile and will easily be able to identify if reports have been made in error.

A fix will be installed this week to address the issue, including a ‘Log out’ button on the SIRS portal.

 

Physical restraints, weight loss increasing

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, there have been over 2,000 more instances of intentional physical restraint of residents in the most recent reporting period compared to the previous quarter, the latest data on aged care quality indicators shows. The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program data shows 24,476 occasions of intentional physical restraint of residents across Australia in the October-December 2020 quarter, up from 22,364 during the July-September period, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare announced last week. However, the data collected from 2,608 residential aged care services shows the number of physical restraint devices is use fell to 54,264 devices in the December quarter from 56,671 in the previous period.

 

Shining a light on coercive control of older people

According to The Senior, domestic violence is again in the spotlight, this time with the NSW parliamentary inquiry into whether to criminalise coercive control - patterns of non-physical abusive behaviour designed to exercise domination and control over another person in a relationship. Seniors Rights Service wants to ensure that older people, particularly older women, are covered in any changes or additions to current domestic and family violence (DFV) laws, and that, unlike in some overseas legislation, definitions of coercive control and who may exert it are not limited to partners or ex-partners in a relationship.

 

Project funded $580m to develop dementia training for interpreters

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a National Ageing Research Institute study has received funding to develop an online training program for interpreters in six languages to improve cognitive assessment for dementia for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The MINDSET study has received $580,000 from multiple sources to conduct a three-year study with interpreters, clinicians, CALD people with dementia and their carers to co-design, trial, and implement training in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Greek and Italian. The training program aims to familiarise interpreters with all aspects of dementia and its impact on cognitive and linguistic ability, the tools used to assess and diagnose dementia, and effective interpreting strategies for cognitive assessments.

 

Carer-friendly accreditation available for employers

According to Community Care Review, the NSW government is encouraging organisations to become accredited as a carer friendly workplace under a program run by the state’s peak body for unpaid carers. The Carers and Employers program, an initiative of Carers NSW funded by the state government, provides resources and training to help workplaces in both the public and private sector support the needs of carers.

 

Minister under pressure to halt independent NDIS assessments

According to Community Care Review, just a week after being appointed as Australia’s new NDIS minister, Linda Reynolds is facing calls to put a halt to controversial reforms that disability groups say represent the biggest changes to the national disability insurance scheme since it began. Disability advocates have also demanded a meeting with Senator Reynolds so they can explain to her why they don’t want the planned introduction of independent assessments to go ahead. Under the changes, NDI participants will have to undergo mandatory assessment by allied health professionals provided by outsourced contractors using standarised tools from mid 2021, and people seeking renewed plans will have to be independently assessed from the end of the year.

 

Registrations open: National LGBTIQ+ Ageing and Aged Care Conference

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health, the National LGBTIQ+ Ageing and Aged Care Conference will be hosted online over three consecutive Fridays in April (16, 23 and 30 April). The conference is being sponsored by the Department of Health and will comprise sessions focused on the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, human rights and aged care diversity and inclusion.

Aged Care providers are encouraged to attend, particularly given the Royal Commission’s statement that diversity should become core business in aged care.

The conference is the leading event in Australia for aged, health and human service providers to develop their knowledge, skills and practice to meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ elders. It brings together community members, community organisations, aged care providers, health practitioners, researchers, academics, policymakers, advocates, and others interested in improving the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ elders.

It will be delivered alongside this year’s Health in Difference Conference.

Full details and registration links are available on the Conference Website.

 

CCTV to finally be trialled in SA homes

According to Aged Care Insite, in an Australian first, the South Australian Government has announced that it will trial CCTV in aged care homes in a bid to stop potential abuse in the system. SA Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Stephen Wade, declared that a trial will finally get underway in two homes – Northgate House and Mount Pleasant Aged Care in the Adelaide Hills – with a $785,000 co-investment from the Commonwealth and State Governments.

 

Does the health department deserve a second chance to fix aged care?

Nearly a month on from the release of the final report from the aged care royal commission we are still largely in the dark on how the government might seek to change the sector going forward. Professor Jo Ibrahim, the Head of the Health Law and Ageing Research Unit at Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, joins Aged Care Insite to look at the report.

 

Study identifies strategies to engage migrant residents

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, cultural artefacts, bilingual staff and shared understanding of culture help facilitate meaningful engagement with migrant aged care residents who have dementia, a University of Sydney study has found. The study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy in March, explored how to support older migrants to live in residential aged care through a systematic review of 14 research papers of 12 studies. Lead researcher Dr Margaret McGrath said the study was important because migrants with dementia living in residential aged care were at risk of disengagement.

 

Legislation

Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2020 (No. 90 of 2020) [SA] - Council: 2nd Reading Agreed; Committee Stage 31 March 2021

A Bill for an Act to provide for and regulate access to voluntary assisted dying, to establish the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board, to make related amendments to other Acts, and for other purposes.

 

Resources and Upcoming Events

Governance in Aged Care: Beyond the Royal Commission – 2-day digital conference, 14 and 15 April 2021

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, with the imminent release of the Royal Commission into Quality and Safety in Aged Care, providers are at a critical turning point. Now is the time to carve out a new way forward to better support older Australians and their families, while ensuring a strong and sustainable industry.

Designed in partnership with COTA and ACSA, the Governance in Aged Care: Beyond the Royal Commission conference brings together experts, advocates and leaders from across Australia to unpack the Final Report and tackle the biggest issues for effective governance. The conference is taking place online, on 14th & 15th April 2021.

 

Flu vaccination poster

The Department of Health has issued this Flu Vaccination Poster. Residential aged care facilities may wish to display the attached poster at entrances, to alert anyone entering the facility of the flu vaccination requirements that came into effect on 1 May 2020.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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?
Share this
About the Author

ACE Editorial Team

ACE is published by Ideagen. CompliSpace is Ideagen’s SaaS-enabled solution that helps organisations in highly-regulated industries to meet their governance, risk, compliance and policy management obligations.

Resources you may like

Article
Recommendations of the Aged Care Task Force: A Summary for Residential Aged Care Providers

In June 2023 the Government established an “Aged Care Taskforce” to review the aged care system and...

Read More
Article
The ACE Wrap 15 March

Aged care news highlights from the fortnight ending 15 March 2024, aggregated by Ideagen.

Read More
Article
24/7 Registered Nurses (RNs) in Aged Care: Update March 2024

With so many aged care reforms looming in the near future, it’s easy to lose track of the daily...

Read More

simplify the way you meet your obligations, get in touch today.

Contact Us