News

New research on international systems and innovations in aged care has identified many opportunities for improvement in Australia, according to researchers at Flinders University

In Research Paper 3: Review of Innovative Models of Aged Care, the authors examine approaches to aged care that are not widely available in Australia. The authors identify a range of approaches that could potentially have benefits in Australia including:

• Supports, such as individualised training, for people with dementia living at home and their carers. There is some evidence such supports delay functional decline and reduce depression among carers.
• System navigators or care coordinators who facilitate streamlined access to care for people with dementia or other chronic health conditions.
• Small, domestic residential care homes that maximise the independence of residents and their participation in daily activities. These small homes can be adapted for specialised needs such as people with dementia.
• Respite services provided in settings aligned to people’s backgrounds, such as farm settings for people with dementia living in agricultural areas.
• Training and accreditation practices to increase awareness and availability of culturally appropriate services for people with diverse backgrounds.
• Telehealth communications that enable better access to health and other care services for people less able to travel or who live in remote regions.
• Remote support of independent living through ‘health smart homes’ that use sensors to monitor a person’s health conditions and signs they need assistance.

Read more:

Research Paper 3 – Review of Innovative Models of Aged Care (.pdf)

Technical Report – Review of Innovative Models of Aged Care (.pdf)

New research on international systems and innovations in aged care has identified many opportunities for improvement in Australia, according to researchers at Flinders University

In Research Paper 2: Review of International Systems for Long Term Care of Older People, the authors examine aged care systems in 22 countries. The report uses available data and assessment of each country’s aged care policies such as financing, accessibility and regulation. The authors note country comparisons are complex and require some judgement.

The authors point to Denmark and Sweden as countries likely to have good quality long term care systems. Both have government expenditure on long term care for older people greater than 4% of Gross Domestic Product (based on OECD data), whereas Australia spends around 1.2%. Both countries fund long term care through local authorities with federal grants and local taxes. Both focus on providing long term care in people’s homes with a moderate proportion of care recipients in residential care institutions.

The report notes the need to think of a care system from the social rather than just economic perspective and highlights some key areas where the authors consider that care for older Australians can be improved:

• Increasing support for home-based care and informal carers – more high level Home Care Packages and more general leave provisions and financial assistance for informal carers.
• Increased involvement of local or regional authorities in the regulation and monitoring of long term care services.
• Increased professionalism of the workforce, for example mandatory training or registration of care workers.
• Increased transparency in staffing levels.
• Mandatory reporting and public availability of quality of care indicators, which could include standardised assessments such as the InterRAI or Australian clinical quality registers.
• Better integration with the healthcare system to improve the management of chronic diseases including dementia.
• Stronger focus on rehabilitation and maintaining function to delay and avoid disability.
• Incorporation of principles of human rights in the aged care standards.

Read more:

Research Paper 2 – Review of International Systems of Long-term Care of Older People (.pdf)

Hundreds of aged care workers in bushfire-affected communities have been recognised for their tireless efforts to keep our oldest and most vulnerable Australians safe.

During a visit to the hardest-hit regions in southern New South Wales, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, has thanked staff for going above and beyond.

More than 750 people were evacuated from aged care centres as fires threatened townships.

But it was the efforts from committed workers that Minister Colbeck said showcased the determined spirit of locals.

“Some staff members stood outside with hoses, others came in to work even as fire threatened their own homes,” Minister Colbeck said.

“These people chose to remain at work and ensure the care of residents.

“It is a remarkable and humbling effort.”

The same staff continue to provide essential care as communities start the long process of recovery, Minister Colbeck said.

Read more:

Thank you to our aged care workers

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will hold a series of hearings during the first half of 2020.

The first hearing will be conducted as a workshop and will focus on the redesign of the aged care system.

It will be held in Adelaide on Monday 10 February and Tuesday 11 February 2020.

This workshop follows the release in December 2019 of Consultation Paper 1 on program redesign, a call for submissions in response to that paper and consultation with stakeholders and experts in preparation for the workshop.

The workshop will be held at Adelaide Convention Centre from 10.00am (ACDT).

About the workshops:

Hearings in the form of workshops will be used to gather evidence from witnesses in a less formal setting than the public hearings held in 2019. Workshops will not be held in a hearing room or court-like setting. Workshops may involve multiple sessions over several days.

Counsel Assisting will facilitate discussion between workshop participants. The Commissioners will moderate the proceedings.

Read more:

Royal Commission hearings in 2020

Workshops

This section focuses on government funded care and support services for older people and their carers, which are provided at home, in the community and in residential care facilities.

Total government expenditure reported on aged care services in 2018-19 was $20.1 billion. This comprised expenditure of $13.2 billion on residential care services, $5.9 billion on home care and support services and $1.0 billion on other services, such as flexible care and assessments.

As at June 2019, there were 213,397 operational places (excluding flexible places) in residential care services, and 106,707 recipients of Home Care Packages Level 1–4.

During 2018-19, there were 85,915 older clients receiving Home Care Packages Level 1 2, 66,775 older clients receiving Home Care Packages Level 3 4 and 826,335 older clients of the Commonwealth Home Support Program.

There were also 236,213 older clients who received permanent care and 64,117 who received respite care in a residential aged care facility during that period.

Read more:

Report on Government Services 2020 – Aged Care Services (PART F, SECTION 14) (.pdf)

A new online form is available on the My Aged Care website that allows consumers or someone acting on their behalf to:

• register with My Aged Care
• apply for their first assessment online.
• The form can be completed in their own time as an alternative to calling the My Aged Care contact centre.

Visit the My Aged Care website for information about how consumers can now apply for an assessment.

This new functionality will be continuously improved.

Read more:

Consumers can now apply for an aged care assessment online

Apply for an assessment

Make a Referral

Originally published by Anita Courtney, Solomon Miller and Dr Melanie Tan.

In 2018, Russell Kennedy published an article about the challenges for aged care providers when offering self-management models to home care clients. Since then self-management models have continued to become increasingly common and the new standardised Pricing Schedule has an option for self-management.

Consumer groups have welcomed the shift towards self-management. In 2019, COTA Australia, in conjunction with RMIT University, completed their ‘Increasing Self-management in Home Care’ project. This project, which looked at the experiences of 7 home care providers has resulted in COTA developing a suite of resources to inform providers and consumers what “self-management” means and how it can operate in practice.

Read more:

Considering offering a self-management option in home care? Key considerations for aged care providers moving into the home care space

COTA – Self-management Resources and Tools

All current aged care website content will move to the department’s new site – health.gov.au – late on 22 January 2020. The new aged care content is directed at our workforce, including assessors, providers and health professionals. My Aged Care remains our primary source of information for consumers.

Health’s new website launched in July 2019, following a comprehensive engagement process with stakeholders. Transitioning aged care content to health.gov.au will improve the experience of all users through:

• more intuitive navigation
• a comprehensive search function
• content written in plain English
• better analytics to help us understand users and continue to respond to their needs.

Read more:

Transition of the department’s aged care web content

https://www.health.gov.au/

https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/

The Morrison Government’s $185 million Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission has taken another positive step forward today, with the release of the draft Roadmap for public consultation.

The consultation will present the Australian public with an opportunity to assess the draft Roadmap, and offer feedback on the current strategy.

It will ultimately assist the Government as it seeks to prioritise funding for critical dementia and aged care research.

Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, described dementia as “one of Australia and the world’s greatest health challenges,” but said it was a challenge the Morrison Government was “deeply committed to.”

“Greater research into dementia is vital, but it’s important to ensure the research is targeted to have the greatest impact” Minister Hunt said.

Read more:

Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission Roadmap released for public consultation

DRAFT Roadmap – Dementia Ageing and Aged Care Mission (.pdf)

The draft Roadmap is available for comment at: https://consultations.health.gov.au

Under section 9-1 of the Aged Care Act 1997 approved providers are required to notify the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner of any change of circumstance that materially affects their suitability to be a provider of aged care.

Read more:

Notification of a material change form (.docx)