Other News

Royal commission investigates links between quality of care and financial means

According to Aged Care Insite, with the final report due this month, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has released its 19th research paper, this time on the link between financial means and quality in aged care. The data shows that in homes with more commonwealth supported places incidents of assaults were more prevalent, physical restraints were more common and residents receive fewer care minutes. The research was prompted by submissions the commission received from older Aussies with lower financial means who felt that they had less choice and were not able to find comfortable aged care living compared to their more well-off counterparts. Focus group participants told the commission that they believed that the quality of residential aged care can vary with residents’ financial means.

The commission looked at the quality indicator data from across the aged care system. Over the large majority of indicators there appeared to be little difference statistically, the paper states. However, the perception of the public was supported in a few key areas of care and appears to show inequality in homes with greater numbers of supported residents.

No strong link between low financial means and quality

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the perception that financial means is linked to better care is supported by some quality indicators but not the majority, research from the royal commission has found. Indicators adding some weight to the view include assaults, care minutes and physical restraints. The report, released by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety on Monday evening draws on public submissions, focus groups and statistical analysis of aged care system data based on a facility’s share of supported residents, which means the government partially or fully pays accommodation costs, and use extra paid-for services.

Where to from here? Insights into the implications of Royal Commission recommendations – Free webinar – Monday 22 February 1PM

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, care organisations are on the cusp of major change, with the impacts of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care still to be navigated and a great deal of uncertainty as to what will unfold for the sector. In order to help organisations at this transitional time, PACE Care and StewartBrown & Associates are providing a free webinar on Monday 22 February at 1PM which is designed to help independent community-based providers, particularly those in rural, outer regional and remote areas, to prepare themselves to navigate the recommendations of the Royal Commission and assist with practically planning for the future.

Pay workers properly: Aged Care Council chief

According to Inside Ageing, the woman tasked with delivering Australia’s aged care workforce strategy has called for workers to be paid an equivalent wage to those in other care industries. Aged Care Workforce Industry Council Chair Louise O’Neill said aged care workers should be able to expect they would receive equivalent wages and conditions – with the same level of qualifications – across health and disability care industries. “Any working in a care industry should be able to transport their roles between comparable jobs with the same financial outcome and conditions,” she says. “Why is a registered nurse in aged care not a clear specialty, for example, to acute care or emergency or ICU, and why does it not have pay parity in that regard?’

Call to ban paid carers from having power of attorney

According to Community Care Review, the South Australian government is being urged to join Victoria and Queensland in banning paid carers and anyone involved in a person’s professional or administrative care from being granted power of attorney.

Finding out what matters most to residents of aged care

According to Aged Care Insite, researchers from Macquarie University have identified the three most important care needs to people living in residential aged care. After conducting a number of visits to homes the research found they are: being treated with respect by staff members, opportunities for independence and management of medical conditions.

Free professional support now available to Rural, Remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Providers

(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 Service Development Assistance Panel (SDAP) provides free professional support to aged care providers located in rural and remote areas or who provide care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Qualified and experienced professionals work with eligible providers to:

• help improve service delivery and administration by addressing challenges such as clinical care, financial and workforce planning, governance and regulation.
• provide personalised support through offsite and face-to-face training and mentoring to help maintain financial viability and meet regulatory obligations.

What has changed?

The previous SDAP expired on 31 December 2020.

The new panel arrangements started on 1 January 2021.

SDAP’s expanded role is to take a more preventative and proactive approach, so eligible providers are encouraged to seek SDAP assistance early.

Am I eligible?

Aged care service providers can apply if they:

• are located in a rural or remote location (as defined by Modified Monash Model 5-7)
• provide services to a significant number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples anywhere in Australia
• and offer aged care services under the following programs:
  • residential aged care under the Aged Care Act 1997
  • Home Care Packages Program
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program
  • Commonwealth Home Support Programme (in some cases).

How can I apply?

Use this application form.

Find further information on the department’s website or email sdap@health.gov.au if you have any questions.

Human rights of people with dementia ‘not being met’

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, Australia is failing to meet the human rights of people with dementia, the nation’s primary public health research agency says. In a perspective published online in the Medical Journal of Australia the NHMRC’s National Institute for Dementia Research Special Group in Rehabilitation and Dementia says services in Australia for people with dementia are inadequate.

Experts say 90 per cent of older people on antipsychotic drugs don't need them

According to The Senior, leading Australian experts in the psychiatric care of older people say patients are being prescribed antipsychotic drugs at a rate that dwarfs that of younger people, but only about 10 per cent is "appropriate". Dementia Centre Head of Clinical Services, Associate Professor Stephen Macfarlane, and director, Associate Professor Colm Cunningham, say doctors who place people with dementia on antipsychotic drugs should have a deprescribing plan in place to eventually end treatment to help reduce the widening use of these medications.

Tech council working on CARE-IT recommendations

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the aged care technology council is working with the health department on a roadmap to improve the digital maturity of the aged care industry, a forum has heard. The Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council was funded by the Department of Health to undertake a three-month project to evaluate the sector’s technology capabilities and readiness. The Capabilities in Aged and Community Care Readiness an Evaluation of Innovation and Technology (CARE-IT) report, which was made public in November, made nine recommendations to achieve a more sustainable and high-quality industry.

Providers urged to get onboard with new code

According to Community Care Review, the sector’s workforce council is calling on all aged care stakeholders to pledge their commitment to the recently launched industry-developed code of practice. A code of practice was among one of 14 strategic directions proposed by the Aged Care Workforce Taskforce’s strategy A Matter of Care. The Aged Care Voluntary Industry Code of Practice is designed for providers to continually set the bar higher, says the Aged Care Industry Workforce Council, which launched the code on Friday. The code, which was developed in consultation with consumers, aged care providers and peak bodies, is based on seven guiding principles for quality care.

RC report may usher in technology-enabled care

According to Community Care Review, when the aged care royal commission hands down its final report this month it will have to acknowledge the role of technology in achieving the objectives recommended by senior counsel, a forum on aged care and technology has heard.