Aged care news highlights from the week ending 15 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.
Provider CEO survey highlights impact of financial pressures
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, four in five providers are struggling to deliver the care clients expect and many say they will have to reduce services, staff and investment if financial conditions worsen, according to a survey of aged care CEOs. Almost a third of providers have been approached to take over another service or its clients in the last year, Leading Age Services Australia said its financial risk survey of 170 provider CEOs found. Aged care peak LASA surveyed aged care CEOs in July 2019 about their organisation’s financial performance. It found 80 per cent of CEOs are unable to deliver the care clients expected due to funding constraints.
Royal commission extended six months, new commissioner named
According to Aged Care Insite, Governor-General David Hurley has signed off on a request from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety for an extension of six months, Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck has announced. Colbeck also named an additional commissioner – retired Federal Court judge Gaetano (Tony) Pagone.
Multi-facility pilot testing approach to keep residents out of hospital
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a Queensland University of Technology project has secured $1.9 million to roll out a tailored staff training program in 12 aged care facilities that aims to the reduce unnecessary hospitalisations of residents. The Early Detection of Deterioration in Elderly residents (EDDIE+) program aims to upskill aged care staff to be able to identify early signs of deterioration and prevent avoidable hospitalisations. QUT is collaborating with CQUniversity, which piloted an earlier version of the program, EDDIE, with Queensland aged care provider PresCare in one facility in 2014. The facility piloting EDDIE achieved a 50 percent reduction in the number of residents transferred to hospital in the first 12 months.
CHSP ‘drip feed’ not good enough, says peak
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, Australia’s 1,500 Commonwealth Home Support Program providers can apply for a $150 million funding pool that the government says will provide support to 18,000 people over the next 12 months. Applicants in areas where there is high demand will be given priority. Providers have welcomed the funding but have described it as “drip feed” that will do little to tackle the growing national Home Care Package queue.
Aged care system a 'national disgrace', commissioner Lynelle Briggs says
According to ABC News, young people are being forced into residential aged care and forgotten due to a "gaping hole" in health care checks and balances, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Safety and Quality has heard. It comes as commissioner Lynelle Briggs, dubbed the current system a "national disgrace" in a fiery conclusion to evidence from the federal Health Department. "The current system is at best a national embarrassment and at worst a national disgrace," Ms Briggs said. The royal commission this week is investigating the treatment of people under the age of 65 who end up stuck in residential aged care. A younger person with profound disabilities is only supposed to be sent to residential aged care when "there are no other care facilities or care services more appropriate to meet the person's needs," according the Aged Care Act. Yet documents tendered by the Health Department showed there was no reference to this requirement when a younger person was approved for residential aged care.
Aged care royal commission hears young people with disabilities are 'hidden' by system
According to ABC News, every week, 42 younger Australians move into aged care. The facilities are intended to act as the last option for younger people with disabilities in need of regular care, but counsel assisting the royal commission, Peter Rozen QC, told a hearing in Melbourne on Monday the system was failing to provide appropriate care. "This is a group of largely unseen and lost Australians," he said. "They are hidden, they deserve better."
Overdose figures prompt calls to reduce paracetamol pack size
According to The Senior, a ballooning in the number of cases of paracetamol poisoning and resulting liver damage has prompted experts to call for measures to restrict the availability of the pain killer. In the last decade, the number of cases of paracetamol poisoning in Australia has increased by 44 per cent, with more than 95,000 paracetamol-related hospitalisations recorded. More than 200 people died from paracetamol poisoning in Australia in that ten-year period.
New tools improve quality of life for LGBTI seniors
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a provider-led collaborative has launched learning videos and an app to support aged care services and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Gender diverse and Intersex seniors. The tools have been developed as part of the commonwealth-funded Rainbow of Difference project, partnership between NSW and ACT aged care provider Uniting, the University of Technology Sydney, and Altura Learning that aims to support organisations to grow culturally-appropriate services.
Facilities advised to ‘bring in the smells of the kitchen’
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, cook, author and mentor Maggie Beer recommends residential aged care services form a food council with staff representatives from all areas of the facility to improve meals. Ms Beer has been on a mission to change aged care food culture to one centred on fresh ingredients, great taste and wellbeing for residents since establishing the Maggie Beer Foundation in 2014. She told delegates at the recent Health Metrics World Conference in Melbourne that changing a facility’s food culture required a group effort. Cooks, carers, health professionals and administration staff agreeing together that food is important is one of the most exciting things Ms Beer said she has seen.
Legislation
The Bill amends the Aged Care Act 1997 (the Act) to allow the Secretary of the Department of Health (or her delegates) to allow approved providers of residential aged care to move provisionally allocated residential aged care places from one region to another, within a state or territory.
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.
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.
Navigating the Aged Care System Webinar Series - Webinar: Aged care support and service options – 11.00am-12.30pm 25 September 2019
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) is hosting a webinar covering:
- Overview of other support & service options
- Respite care (community & residential)
- Private aged care
- Support for veterans & war widows/widowers
- Short term help options: short-term restorative care & transition care
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.
In Conversation with Professor Mary Marshall – Perth 22 October 2019; Sydney 31 October 2019
The Dementia Centre is hosting “In Conversation with Professor Mary Marshall”. Mary Marshall, Emeritus Professor, OBE, is an international leader in the design of environments for people living with dementia, and social care. Topics covered:
- Mary Marshall's interest and career in dementia, where this started
- why design was so important in her work
- what has changed since she began in dementia design and social care
- what needs to change
- a Q & A with the audience opportunity.
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.
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