In its first six weeks, the government’s aged care incident reporting scheme received notification of 778 cases of unreasonable use of force, 448 instances of neglect, 192 cases of unexpected death, and nearly 150 cases of inappropriate sexual conduct.
In just 6 weeks there were almost 2,000 “reportable incidents” in aged care homes
WA to mandate aged care workers are vaccinated against COVID-19
As reported by the Australian Financial Review, the McGowan government has pledged to mandate that aged care workers are to be vaccinated.
From funding to a right to care: the aged care royal commission's key recommendations
Inquiry’s report is being seen by experts as a crucial opportunity to address a failing system
Sector staring down $1B operating loss in 2019-20 – 58% of aged care homes running at a loss: StewartBrown
The accounting firm has estimated the number of aged care homes operating at a loss will increase to 70% by the end of 2021 with all providers forecast to have recorded a combined operating loss of close to $1 billion for 2019-20 according to Senior Partner Grant Corderoy.
New Aged Care Act two years away, minister says
It’s unlikely there will be a new Aged Care Act ahead of the two-year deadline set by the royal commission, aged care services minister Richard Colbeck has indicated.
Aged-care industry aims to attract workers with job security and personal satisfaction
It is an industry crying out for employees to fill growing demand, but Australians must first change the way they think about it, an aged care educator says.
Study highlights missed care due to difficulties to prioritise
High workload, inadequate staffing, unexpected events and conflicting demands lead to difficult prioritisation decisions for residential aged care staff and potentially substandard care for residents, a Macquarie University study has found.
Allied health is often considered a luxury but could be crucial to aged care reform, experts say
They are often considered a luxury, but access to allied health services for older Australians can mean the difference between ageing well at home, being institutionalised or worse.
Allied health is often considered a luxury but could be crucial to aged care reform, experts say
They are often considered a luxury, but access to allied health services for older Australians can mean the difference between ageing well at home, being institutionalised or worse.
More than 170 aged care facilities are behind on infection control training despite funding of $218 million from the Federal Government
Figures obtained by The Herald Sun have uncovered at least 170 aged care homes failed to meet the Federal Government’s February 28 deadline for infection control training.
Proposed new quality commission must be independent of government and peak body interests, expert pleads
Aged care oversight and regulation should be removed from government control, so long as no aged care providers or peak bodies have roles on governing bodies, an aged care expert has proposed.
200 providers sought to inform review of COVID outbreak
The health department is seeking a cross section of residential aged care providers to join a series of online workshops to inform an analysis of Australia’s COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes.
Peaks challenge Counsel Assisting’s staffing standard
Aged care peak bodies have added in principle support for the minimum staff time standards Counsel Assisting proposed in final submissions to the royal commission but have voiced concerns over how it will be funded.
‘Failing our older citizens’: most people willing to pay higher taxes to improve aged care
Royal commission’s finding comes as sector targets marginal electorates in campaign calling for government spending to be doubled.
‘It’s Time to Care About Aged Care’: aged care peaks unite to demand Royal Commission reform with a determined marginal seat campaign
The gloves are respectfully off – at last – as the aged care sector takes the challenge to Government.
4,300 residents speak: village life is safer and they will live longer
Good news for village residents, great news for village marketers!
Report identifies residents’ care priorities
When it comes to their care, aged care residents are most looking for management of medical conditions, respect from staff and opportunities for independence, a Macquarie University study has found.
Are co-ops the way to fix aged care?
With the final recommendations of the royal commission due this month, many people in the aged care sector are urgently trying to find new and sustainable ways to deliver aged care in anticipation of massive changes that may be on the way.
Crisis communications: Lessons learned from Victoria’s COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care
Effective communication proved critical during the COVID-19 crisis in aged care last year.
Wait times for Level 4 Home Care Package now at 28 months with 100,000 still waiting
Ian Yates predicts Royal Commission to scrap four levels in favour of individual packages
Lowest aged care occupancy rates in a decade
Occupancy rates for residential aged care in 2020 dropped to the lowest rate in a decade.
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine approved for use by TGA in Australia ahead of rollout
The nation’s medical regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia.
COVID-19 restrictions and risk remain as providers reveal the lessons learned from Victorian outbreaks
All Queensland aged care services will be contacted by Australian Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission officials this week, seeking assurance they have Covid plans in place.
Aged-care watchdog seeking more bite
Australia’s aged care regulator wants contractors to bolster its workforce and help triple the number of on-site audits it conducts.
Aged Care Guild disbanding to make way for new provider led reform group
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has been an opportunity for a community wide conversation to reframe the concept of ageing and aged care.
MYEFO to lift aged care spend by $1b
The Morrison government will use this week’s mid-year budget update to fund another 10,000 home care packages for the elderly, in a further down payment ahead of next year’s release of the final report of the royal commission into aged care.
SIRS start date brought forward to April 2021
The start date of the new and expanded incident reporting scheme for residential aged care has been brought forward three months.
Aged care workers report feeling overwhelmed by paperwork – how technology can help
A recent report looking at the impact of the new Aged Care Quality Standards revealed that 92% of aged care managers found their workload had increased, with 78% citing an increase in stress level
Royal Commission review of aged care providers and Government’s ITC finds “major deficiencies” within current system
Standardised data, mandated assistive technologies, redesign MyAgedCare: Royal Commission review of aged care providers and Government’s ITC finds “major deficiencies” within current system
Victorian government backs staff-to-resident rations on private aged care
The Victorian government has pledged $40 million to help cover the cost of introducing minimum staff-to-resident ratios in private aged care as long as the Commonwealth government – the primary regulator and funder of the sector – also comes to the table.
Additional $132.2 million for Aged Care COVID response
The Australian Government will invest a further $132.2 million in its response to the Aged Care Royal Commission’s recommendations on COVID-19.
Additional funding to reinforce Australia's aged care sector
The Australian Government will provide an additional $563.3 million to extend support for the aged care sector’s response to COVID-19, announced in March and subsequently as part of the Aged Care response plan.
Royal commission hears quality checks on aged home care providers has declined
Quality checks on aged home care providers have declined, despite the watchdogs responsible being given at least $6.5 million to hire more assessors, a royal commission has heard. Documents reveal 181 quality reviews of aged home care providers were conducted from April to June 2019, but that number fell to 24 in July to September this year.
Child care in aged care
The ‘Child Care in Aged Care’ program is supported by the Office for Ageing Well, SA Health. It brings together older people living in residential aged care, children attending childcare, and university students to co-design, test and evaluate innovative and structured intergenerational education and development.
Advocacy group calls for private phones for every aged care resident
As COVID-19 has forced homes across the country into lockdown, Advocacy Tasmania CEO Leanne Groombridge says that the move is vital to protect residents from poor treatment and give them some independence.
23% of aged care homes will still be in the red despite Budget boost: StewartBrown analysis
The aged care sector’s finances are facing a rocky two years ahead with more homes set to close their doors – even with the Government tipping in an additional $17.7 billion into the system over the next four years – according to StewartBrown’s Aged Care Budget Impact Analysis.
Providers must report staff COVID jabs from mid-June
The Federal Government has mandated aged care provider reporting of staff COVID-19 vaccinations, but it remains voluntary for the sector’s 350,000 staff to disclose their status.
COVID vaccine rollout behind schedule
The rollout of the COVID vaccine to people living and working in aged care homes has got off to a slow start with the program administering just over a third of the projected vaccinations in its first week.
4 key takeaways from the aged care royal commission’s final report
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s final report into aged care has laid out an extensive plan to overhaul Australia’s aged-care system.
Updated: Prepare now for serious incident response scheme: Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner
An Australian serious incident mandatory reporting scheme for abuse and psychological harm – including from other residents – will take effect from April 1.
Calls to embed digital health specialists in workforce, simplify aged care technology
The aged care workforce needs digital health and technology specialists to support providers to implement recommended technology reforms, an industry conference has heard.
More aged care respite for older Australian with culturally diverse backgrounds
Ageing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse communities are set to access more tailored respite care under a new Government support program.
Worker registration an obstacle to recruiting, retaining staff
The royal commission’s recommendation to regulate the personal care workforce through registration will create barriers for new and existing staff, an organisational psychologist tells Australian Ageing Agenda.
Relying on casuals in aged care will weaken royal commission's reforms, experts warn
Unions and aged care experts are outraged that the royal commission into the sector has not recommended a clear path away from the “overcasualisation” of the system’s workforce, warning the extra time residents are set to receive with carers will ultimately feel “transactional” and detrimental to dementia sufferers if providers can still rely on labour hire agencies.
Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia Chief Executive says one-third of aged care providers must go
Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia Chief Executive Ian Yates hit out at some aged care providers and called for ‘about a third’ of them to be struck from the industry.
First glimpse of the Departments’ thoughts on the Royal Commission
The Commonwealth Departments have offered “in principle” support for the majority of the Counsel Assisting’s 124 recommendations – but say the Royal Commission must show benefits for a separate aged care agency in its response to the Counsel Assisting’s final submissions.
Only one in four aged care residents say their care needs are always met
This shocking finding emerged in a survey prompted by the royal commission, and now the pressure is on to collect this data permanently.
Royal commission investigates links between quality of care and financial means
Providers share COVID outbreak lessons
It is critical to know and understand your staff, reinforce infection control messages, implement tools to easily identify residents and their needs and have clear instructions for food services, say Victorian aged care providers that experienced a COVID-19 outbreak.
Over one third of aged care residents are hospitalised each year, new data reveals
NSW homes perform worst on quality reviews
New South Wales aged care services performed the worst and below the national average on achieving all expected outcomes across each of the eight quality standards, a new report shows.
52% of aged care homes running at a loss: StewartBrown warns more residential care providers at risk of closure without reform
The accounting firm’s quarterly Aged Care Financial Performance Survey continues to deliver a bleak insight into the sector’s finances, with 28% of aged care homes recording an operating cash loss during the September 2020 quarter.
COVID-19 vaccines not mandatory for aged care workers, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces after National Cabinet
Residents and workers in aged care facilities will not be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination in order to remain living or working there, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.
Visitor bans hurt residents’ wellbeing: study
Blanket visitor bans should not be used as a method to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in aged care facilities, new research recommends.
Govt resumes 2020 ACAR
There are now just 2,000 residential aged care licences up for grabs under the current funding round while 8,000 places remain on hold pending the royal commission’s final report.
Australia lacks aged care surge workforce to deal with COVID outbreaks, review finds
Review into deadly outbreak at two Melbourne nursing homes says replacement staff had ‘limited understanding’ of infection control,
Australians aged over 70 to be prioritised for COVID vaccines – but anyone will be able to vaccinated
Australians over 70 will likely be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the Federal Government’s roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Visitation rules over the festive season
Family and friends of people in aged care are being urged to visit their relatives for Christmas with few remaining COVID-19 restrictions in place.
Government unveils legislative reforms to casual work
Fair Work Act amendments could impact more than 2.6 million casual employees in Australia
Aged care medication going unchecked
New research from the Registry of Senior Australians at SAHMRI has shown just one in five older Australians receive a government-funded medication review after entering an aged care facility.
Grattan Institute released latest report proposing a right-based aged care system
Australia needs a new aged care system. Spending an extra $7 billion a year could provide all older Australians with the care and support they need.
Aged care royal commission hears how home care should be an urgent priority
The Royal Commission into Aged Care has heard calls for a major shift in how Australians care for the elderly. Senior Counsel Assisting Peter Gray QC said the overwhelming majority of elderly people would prefer to age in their own homes, but by the time they turn 80, one in five will be living in residential aged care.
Praise for aged care home's voluntary lockdown after nearby COVID-19 case
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd has praised the swift response of a NSW aged care home after a positive case at a nearby venue. The Hawkesbury Living aged care home in Richmond, north west of Sydney, went into voluntary lockdown after a confirmed COVID-19 case visited the facility in Windsor.
Australia close to signing deal to produce coronavirus vaccine
Australians are a step closer to accessing a coronavirus vaccine for free, after the Federal Government secured a major international deal to produce a vaccine front runner locally, should trials succeed. If it is successful, Australia will be able to manufacture it domestically.
Union wants national aged care pay audit
The union representing aged care workers has called for a national pay audit in the sector after the second major retirement home operator in as many weeks confessed to underpaying workers more than $1 million.
