Aged Care Australia Summer 2010 by Adbourne Publishing

Aged Care Australia Voice of the aged care industry Summer 2010

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National Update CEO’s Report President’s Report State Reports Congress 2010

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Technology Aged Care IT Vendors Association, the National e-health conference and more... $50,000 Provider Assist National Scholarship Program Launched People on the Move 99 year old Skyper shows why aged care facilities should offer internet access Leecare launches new web-based software built on open source technology Aged Care, Digital Lifestyles project awarded funding NEHTA – national eHealth reform

ACAA OFFICE HOLDERS PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT DIRECTORS EDITOR PRODUCTION

Bryan Dorman Francis Cook Tony Smith Mary Anne Edwards Viv Padman Geoff Taylor Kevin O’Sullivan Rod Young Jane Murray

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68 69 70 72 74 76 78 79 81 82 83

Profiles A Cautionary Tale – One Aged Care Facilities Experience with Early Onset Dementia Rebecca Iselin – “Aged are our Living History”

Finance 47 The Future Of Retirement Living 51 52 54 57 59

Workforce Flexibility is the Key! Speed your pre-employment starter processes with fit2work ACAA Positive Appreciation Award 2010 Turning Back Time ‘Dogged’ approach to Excellence in Aged Care wins Award

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Sponsor Articles Notes from an Architect’s Diary Manual Handling in Aged Care Electricity Savings Offer Managing sexually aggressive behaviour in nursing homes – the legal considerations

ACAA - NSW

ACAA - WA

PO Box 7, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 T: (02) 9212 6922 F: (02) 9212 3488 E: admin@acaansw.com.au W: www.acaansw.com.au Contact: Charles Wurf

Suite 6, 11 Richardson Street South Perth WA 6151 T: (08) 9474 9200 F: (08) 9474 9300 E: info@acaawa.com.au W: www.acaawa.com.au Contact: Anne-Marie Archer

ACAA - SA

84 Calendar of Events 87 Product News

Unit 5, 259 Glen Osmond Road Frewville SA 5063 T: (08) 8338 6500 F: (08) 8338 6511 E: enquiry@acaasa.com.au W: www.acaasa.com.au Contact: Paul Carberry

AGED & COMMUNITY CARE VICTORIA

FEDERAL

ACAA - TAS

AGED CARE QUEENSLAND

PO Box 335, Curtin ACT 2605 T: (02) 6285 2615 F: (02) 6281 5277 E: office@agedcareassociation.com.au W: www.agedcareassociation.com.au

PO Box 208, Claremont TAS 7011 T: (03 6249 7090 F: (03) 6249 7092 E: smithgardens@bigpond.com Contact: Tony Smith

PO Box 995, Indooroopilly QLD 4068 T: (07) 3725 5555 F: (07) 3715 8166 E: acqi@acqi.org.au W: www.acqi.org.au Contact: Nick Ryan

ACAA OFFICES

Editorial ACAA Achieves Industry Milestone with “National electronic Resident Agreement” (NeRA) Application Money Matters The Struggle to provide Quality, Equity, Efficiency, Sustainability and Choice The Grand Plan – Update Aged Care Sector In Need Of Leadership Are we there yet? Is measurement still necessary? Australia expected to be the last surviving AAA- rated country by 2030 Caring for Hearing impaired Clients: A Formal Approach to Training China takes measures to deal with aging problem Aged Care Education and Training Incentive Program National Aged Care Alliance

Level 7, 71 Queens Road MELBOURNE VIC 3000 T: (03) 9805 9400 F: (03) 9805 9455 E: info@accv.com.au W: www.accv.com.au Contact: Gerard Mansour

Aged Care Australia is the official quarterly journal for the Aged Care Association Australia

Adbourne PUBLISHING

Adbourne Publishing PO Box 735 Belgrave, VIC 3160

Advertising Melbourne: Neil Muir (03) 9758 1433 Adelaide: Robert Spowart 0488 390 039 Production Claire Henry (03) 9758 1436 Administration Robyn Fantin (03) 9758 1431

DISCLAIMER Aged Care Australia is the regular publication of Aged Care Association Australia. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but ACAA reserves the right to edit, abridge, alter or reject any material. Opinions expressed in Aged Care

Australia are not necessarily those of ACAA and no responsibility is accepted by the Association for statements of fact or opinions expressed in signed contributions. Aged Care Australia may be copied in whole for distribution among an organisation’s staff. No part of Aged Care Australia may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the article’s author.

www.agedcareassociation.com.au

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Front Cover: Elsie Hammond, with Dr John Murnane from the University of Melbourne

national update

CEO’s Report Rod Young CEO, ACAA

Aged Care Reform – Serious Business Recently someone asked me if there was anything happening in the aged care space or was everything on hold pending

There is little doubt that the Government will be faced with a substantial reform agenda and how we, as an industry, respond to the PC Report will be crucial as to what the Government decides to do as a response to the report. It is unfortunate that the release of the report has been delayed until 21st January 2011 due in part to the lateness of the submission from DoHA. The DoHA submission is now on the PC website at www. ProductivityCommission.gov.au/Reviews; it is worth a read especially in areas such as the expected growth in places over the next ten years estimated by the Department at 82,000 additional places at a total investment of $17B, with a further 40,000 existing places requiring upgrading or replacing.

the release of the Productivity

New Minister

Commission Report.

The New Minister Mark Butler has used his first ten weeks in office to meet with a broad range of industry stakeholders. He has clearly signalled a preparedness to liaise with the industry and particularly a preparedness to work with the industry to develop an agreed response to the PC report.

hat got me thinking about all things that are currently happening within the aged care space.

What follows is a summary of the various policy reforms that are occurring in our industry in addition to the Productivity Commission Review. But first what is the status of the Productivity Commission Review:

Productivity Commission Review There is no doubt that the Productivity Commission recommendations, if accepted by Government, are likely to lead to some radical reform to the way in which aged care is delivered in Australia. ACAA has been pondering the likely impact of these reforms and has made three submissions to the Commission covering the following areas: • • •

Long term financing of aged care A substantial survey of industry views on reform A broad statement of ACAA’s reform agenda

After eleven years in aged care this is the first time in my memory and this is the 9th. Minister in 13 years that I can recall a Minister openly stating that he requested a portfolio with primary responsibility for mental health and ageing. Let’s hope that this significant change in ministerial approach is a portent for change in the way in which aged care will be treated in the second term of the Labor Government.

ACFI Review Three years after the introduction of the new Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) the Department is close to releasing the results of the 18 month review of the ACFI.

industry and the Department with the intent of removing some of the inadequacies of the RCS and replacing that tool with a more objective instrument. Providers who are using the ACFI instrument well are almost universally reporting increased subsidy income across a broad range of resident mix. If your facility is not reflecting this subsidy increase it is probably due to a low level low care resident mix or to inadequate staff training in the assessment and claiming processes. The other area of significant change that has occurred following the implementation of ACFI has been the considerable adoption of clinical care IT support tools. Over 100,000 residents in residential care now have some form of electronic care plan to support day to day management of a resident’s care. This change has in part been driven by an insistence by ACAA during those five years of negotiating ACFIs implementation that ACFI be electronically enabled from commencement. This has been reflected in Medicare’s recent comments that electronic lodgement by aged care providers has been the best of any industry particularly when it is acknowledged that aged care has not had any incentive program to drive electronic uptake. Indeed, Medicare data confirms that over 80% of aged care providers are now registered to lodge electronically and 73% are in fact doing so. Meetings of the ACFI Technical Reference Group and the ACFI Reference Group are scheduled for mid December. It hoped that we will be able to report on the outcomes of those meetings shortly afterwards especially around the areas that are still causing some difficulties namely: complex nursing, behaviour management and medication administration.

CIS Reform

The ACFI has been instrumental in changing the way in which aged care providers undertake assessments and manage client care subsidies.

Following the release of the Walton Report DoHA has been working on significantly improving its performance in the management of complaints. New staff training programs are being introduced to ensure staff take a more conciliatory approach to resolving issues.

The introduction of ACFI was preceded by five long years of negotiations between

DoHA will move away from a rigid fixation on determining whether the approved

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CEOâ€™s Report (continued)

provider has or has not met their obligations under the Aged Care Act 1997 to a more practical approach of trying to find a mutually agreeable solution to the issue a consumer has raised. There is still some way to go in this process however reports are already being received that DoHA form letters no longer use the rigid legalistic language previously utilized by CIS staff, which hopefully is an initial demonstration that further reform is still to come.

Accreditation Review In August 2008 the Government announced that there would be a review of the accreditation standards and the accreditation process. Two years later two papers have had limited release. The first paper focuses on the accreditation process whilst the other focuses on the accreditation standards. ACAA is supportive of the need to undertake both these reviews and has been highly

supportive of the recommendations to reform the accreditation process. ACAA has been far less enthusiastic about the reform of the accreditation standards and considers many of the suggestions though laudable at one level, cannot possibly be implemented in a system that is so heavily regulated and poorly funded. The reason is the proposed standards are highly aspirational and open to subjective interpretation, which given the heavy hand of compliance on this industry would be an unacceptable additional risk burden for staff and providers. In addition, ACAA is highly critical of the lack of industry involvement to date; the almost exclusive involvement of the Department in the process with the almost total exclusion of the industry. ACAA is also critical that neither of these reports make any provision for more timely updating of the standards in the future. Round Five of accreditation commences in March 2011 and yet this is the first time the standards and their adequacy have been reviewed in 12 years. Finally, The Terms of Reference for the Productivity Commission clearly ask the PC to consider reform to the quality systems and quality performance of the industry. It would be unfortunate indeed if the DoHA reforms

were to be introduced at the very same time as the PC is recommending some very different directions for the future. DoHA will release, in December, a discussion paper for wide industry consultation about suggested reforms to the accreditation process and the standards.

Prudential Scheme DoHA is also in discussion with industry about changes to the prudential scheme and the oversighting of the industryâ€™s management of the $10.5B in bond moneys now held by the industry. DoHA believes that on current growth trends the bond pool will grow to close to $20B within five to seven years. As the Government is Guarantor in the event of a provider failure and there have been five failures in recent years with an initial shortfall of some $24.5M in bonds outstanding. The desire therefore for both industry and government is to ensure the scheme is strengthened so as to avoid, as far as possible, any further provider failures, whilst at the same time ensuring the significant benefit that bonds have provided to the industryâ€™s investment capability is not eroded. n

national update

President’s Report Bryan Dorman, President, ACAA

ACAA President looks into the future Below is edited extract of the ACAA President’s Opening Address at the 29th ACAA Annual Congress in Adelaide.

growth in the over 85 age group are what will impact our care and health services over the next four decades. The above graphs taken together clearly demonstrate the growth in the two age cohorts with which we are greatly interested.

It goes without saying that Australians have a clear preference for staying in their own homes for as long as they can, and then maintain themselves or be sustained by external support, but to live as independently as they can.

In many respects it really does not matter that much whether the population grows to 28 million or 35 million. The impact is at the margins and will mainly affect the number of workers and tax payers who will be available to support the growing number of aged in our community.

However, there are a number of factors which over the coming twenty years will combine to threaten the service options available to Australians. Unless we have a system which can adequately respond to the changing needs and desires and preferences of our future clients, this desire might be threatened.

As Henry Ergas so perceptively said recently, in the coming century aged care and ageing lifestyle will come to be seen as school access was during the 20th century, namely a universal right accessible to all.

So we have the Productivity Commission Review which must clearly place before all Australians and Government, a range of options and solutions which will provide the reforms in services and housing for the Ageing.

adies and Gentlemen, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you for the 29th ACAA National Congress. This year’s congress comes at a unique point in time, a point where decisions over the next twelve months are likely to set the direction of the industry for the next twenty years. Some of you who may have been in the industry longer than me and I’ve been in the industry now for nearly twenty five years, might recall the major review which was conducted in the mid 1980s. Nearly twelve years later, the 1997 reforms were implemented via the Aged Care Act. These two major reform processes had a significant impact upon our industry at the time and we are still experiencing their effect today, 25 years later. There is no doubt Australia is ageing, and I won’t repeat the numbers here as I am sure you are very familiar with them but I will throw up these 2 slides which clearly demonstrates the significant impact of the Australian population in the ageing demographic. As you would all be aware the growth in the over 65 age group and particularly the

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national update

< What are the major broad issues that it must address if this industry is to meet the changing demand from its clients and customers of the future? • • • • •

maximize consumer choice provider financial sustainability provide support to general consumer choice foster an integrated service offering provide incentives to drive a continuum of care service model

Lets take each of these headings and consider them in a little more detail.

Maximize Consumer Choice What do we mean by the statement “Maximizing Consumer Choice”? Some people may see it as individuals being entitled to dispense their government funding “at will”, and that the whole of the funding provided to meet their assessed needs should be lodged in their bank account and they should then be allowed to choose how to spend the money on their preferred services, whatever they may be. Others believe that it should substantially be left to service providers and that they will maximize the services offered to clients and through a system of efficient resource allocation, provide access to the greatest and best range of services. There is a middle ground which I prefer, which will maintain maximum efficiency and use of resources allowing provider support for quality service provision through the astute allocation of brokerage or case management services. This allows clients to exercise a high level of choice but which does not impact on the efficiency of providers receiving the assessed funding directly. This choice must also be extended to elective services not on the standard entitlement list.

Provider Financial Sustainability In the twenty five years since the 1985 report on the industry, we have seen an enormous amount of change in the quality, type and scope of aged care services available. The industry through the course of this time has matured significantly and to such an extent that many of the existing regulatory provisions of the Act and practices of DoHA are becoming antiquated! Yes, antiquated.

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Compared to then, we now have far greater and more extensive service provision, integrated through community, seniors housing, and residential care service continuum. This must be applauded. We also have through the provision of Bonds, a new generation of residential accommodation which has been substantially funded by the residents themselves, and not Government. However, Government still takes a major financial stake in the industry via their contribution towards the care requirements of a growing proportion of the very old and frail members of our society, but also through constant regulation changes.

have two income sources via public tax payer funded support and a consumer contribution. The future must I believe deliver a third funding stream, such as: • • • • •

Long term care insurance Extension to Medicare Health savings accounts Preserved Superannuation from an additional super contribution Expansion of the role and function of private health insurance

These are just some of the options that government must consider in their response to the Productivity Commission.

I’m sure Government currently views the Industry as a relatively low cost efficient sector. However, a considerable mindset change must occur at a federal, political and bureaucratic level about the role and functions of Government in how they oversight the aged care programs. Government needs to move beyond simply thinking it should do no more than just keep the industry’s head slightly above water in funding of care.

Provide Support To Generate Consumer Choice

I am frequently struck by the attitudes within the Australian system compared to many overseas jurisdictions and countries where innovation and reform happens organically but with the Regulators support. Their systems of aged care delivery are not restricted by endless rules about what can or cannot be done within a Government funded program.

Some would say that the clients will exercise choice and create the demand to drive the necessary expansion of services and that providers will be forced to respond to the client’s wishes.

Innovations are supported and welcomed in these jurisdictions and with a much lighter touch of Government control. Notwithstanding the similar nature of their social and economic agendas to those of Australia, Government has chosen to regulate well after our industry has matured. It is essential therefore that for the future of aged care we ensure that at the end of the day we have an industry that is strong, viable, and is capable of investing in innovative service delivery and quality building stock and not beholden to Government for more than 70% of its income as well as regulation and control from the same source. To do this successfully we will require an additional funding stream to supplement that currently available with a separate mechanism for price setting. Today we

There is little logic in incentivizing consumers with service choices unless the service providers are equipped with the resources and financial capacity to provide the care and services that clients require. And contrarily, Providers must be similarly incentivized to offer the options and choices available to the average client.

However, just as Providers don’t operate in a free marketplace but an extremely rigid one, conversely, I don’t believe that it is possible for Government to simply abandon control to allow market drivers to determine the level of service provision in the future. So there is also no logic in the argument that to achieve market driven services, Government must relinquish control and hand total choice optimization to the client. Clients will best be served in the future if Government continues to fund the services necessary to achieve its social policy but also allow Providers to achieve a reform agenda in the services and living environment that the clients want. It must be a managed and guided market certainly aiming to maximize choice for clients but within a framework that meets broad objectives of the client, a sensible service structure for the provider and the greater social policy objectives of Government. >

national update

< To ensure this happens Government must commit to a long term agenda of sufficient funding for the industry which will encourage, protect and maintain future capital investment, as well as services demand.

Foster An Integrated Service Offering Anyone looking at the current Australian ageing demographic would be conscious that the baby boomers have driven the social and economic agenda for each stage of their lives, which is now for decades. We know that they will, if given the opportunity, impact upon and influence any model of services that they consume. We can expect this to occur in this ageing group, as they enter the later stage of their lives because they have been getting their own way since childhood. They are a very powerful sector of the community. In order to respond to this customer service demand, the aged care industry will need to be prepared. It will require sufficient flexibility and sufficient stimulus from Government to allow it to realistically respond to the demands of the Boomers. The current Australian aged care system is not flexible at this moment, and is not sufficiently free of constraints to meeting changes in demand. If this is the case, which I believe it is, Government and Providers will need to develop a very different view to that currently held, of what to deliver, and how, where and when those services should be provided. Today, there are likely to be two outcomes in response to this change; •

Baby boomers will meet their needs from where they can and from providers that are not currently operating within the aged care sector;

Thus: •

there will be a market driven revolution to service the needs of baby boomers which will bring alternate service providers into play

Market driven factors may be fine if aged care providers are operating on an equal footing, however if the existing constraints are continued, then Government may well find itself simply being a bystander to the service offerings being demanded by many of their constituents without the social agendas of

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Government being met, which is a terrifying concept for our friends at DoHA and some others within the Industry! That is not to say that baby boomers aren’t going to be looking to Government to maximize their prior taxpayer contributions for their Ageing services and care. If the last sixty years are anything to go by, the baby boomers will become quite astute at how they convince Government to support their needs. They will use those public resources to enhance their private choices with Government being sidelined in the process of how those choices are exercised.

Incentive To Drive A Continuum Of Care Service Model The recent announcement by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) that the Commonwealth would take over responsibility for the full range of community care services offered through the CAPS and HACC program is a welcome change to the historical structure of the Australian aged care service continuum. This change will at least provide the reform to the broad service structure and allow a continuum of service delivery across all of community care and residential care but will also continue to be funded through the Commonwealth aged care program However, the significant component that is missing from this continuum of care service offering is the area of seniors housing and retirement living. Housing is as important in maintaining the integrity and independence of the individual as is aged care and health and home care services. Choices will continue to be demanded by all Ageing consumers. Opportunities must be available to the providers to provide a broader service range into this environment. To allow this to occur, systemic change will be necessary, that will allow the continuum of service offering across the complete domain of community care, seniors housing, retirement living, and residential care. Therefore, I see a fully integrated seniors housing retirement living service, coupled in with community and residential care and which is collectively embraced by the Aged Care industry, the retirement living sector and the Government, as a whole of service offering and a solution to changing demand.

The ACAA board has been dealing with the issues of the current Productivity Commission Review and the likely significant reforms that will flow from that. We believe that the Prime Minister during the last election was sincere when she said that a restructure of aged care would be a second term agenda for a returned Labor Government. With a new Minister for Ageing, Mark Butler, and a Productivity Commission Draft report due within a month’s time, ACAA and our state and federal directors believe that this is a once only opportunity for providers, consumers, unions and Government to deliver the reform agenda which will serve us for the next twenty years. I have no doubt that as an industry we are about to enter a phase during the coming months on a reform agenda that will revolve and evolve; and include substantial negotiations and consideration of best outcomes for the industry and the Ageing community for the future. This will require our industry and its participants to reach a position where we are strongly unified in our responses and comments to the key structural issues of the PC Report. There is no one perfect outcome when considering the scope of change this industry requires .We will all need to put aside our sometimes very personal views and perspectives. There will be a need for compromise. But we are required to contribute to a rational and considered evaluation of the many variations and alternatives of structural changes so that we achieve the best outcome. This will be a once in every 25 year opportunity. So I am quietly confident. If, with good faith bargaining from all of the parties, and with an underlying desire amongst all of us to actually shape the industry’s directions for the future, we can then ensure we are not here next year and the year after and the year after that, endeavoring to squeeze minor changes from Bearucrats and Government to a system that should be capable of sustaining a strong viable and quality service industry that has the confidence to innovate, change and respond to community needs. Thank you very much. n

ACAA – SA Paul Carberry, CEO ACAA - SA

A study by HR consultants, Mercer, has produced some interesting findings about the future shape of the Australian workforce. It contains some essential advice which employers will need to take on board if they want to attract and retain staff with the necessary skills, experience and motivation.

• • • • •

hanges in the composition of the workforce will force employers to re-assess their workplace policies and practices. Significant among these changes are:

Workers aged 55 and over will comprise a larger proportion of the labour force The number of women aged 55 and over in the workforce will increase at almost twice the rate of men Workers aged 20-34 will decline as a percentage of the total workforce The participation rate, i.e. percentage of the population aged 15 and over who are in the labour force, will decline The skills shortage, already evident in many regions and industries, will intensify

Coupled with these changes is the fact that first of the baby boomers are about to turn 65, signalling an impending wave of retirements which will leave a critical gap in Australia’s workforce. These general trends have even greater implications for aged care. Already we have a workforce whose average age is higher than the workforce overall, significant wage competitiveness issues, and a burdensome compliance regime which drives away some staff from our industry. These factors are in play at a time when the number of Australians aged 85 and over, and therefore the demand for aged care services, is set to quadruple over the next forty years. The competition in our industry to attract and retain staff will become more intense, both between aged care providers, and with other growth industries. Much of the solution will depend upon reform and planning by government. Subsidies will need to be lifted to enable competitive wages for aged care staff, user contributions will need to be adjusted, support and incentives for training staff will need to be enhanced, and the government must implement forward-thinking immigration policies to offset the declining participation rate and worsening skills shortage. In addition to these macro measures, employers will need to focus even harder on harnessing the skills and experience of the 55 and

over workforce. According to the study, employers will need to become employers of choice for older Australians. Moreover, to attract the fastest-growing group in the labour force, employers will have to become employers of choice for older women. This will require more flexibility around job design and rostering. Part-time work and job sharing will become more prevalent. Today these modes of work are often accompanied by limitations on career opportunities and this will have to change. Older employees will demand that their employers recognise and enable other aspects of their lives to be accommodated, such as: • • • • • •

Caring for grandchildren Caring for elderly family Their health and well-being needs Volunteering Further education and Travel

In conclusion, the shape and expectations of the workforce will change significantly in the coming years. The overall percentage of people in the workforce will continue to decline, and the attraction and retention of older workers will become an important strategic objective for employers. Those who understand this and who adjust their workplaces accordingly will derive an important advantage. n

national update

ACAA – NSW Charles Wurf, CEO ACAA-NSW

Aged Care Workforce Committee update Supporting a Professional Aged Care Workforce

he 2010-2011 Budget announced in May 2010 provided a consolidation and expansion of workforce measures for aged care. Following the conclusion of the federal election, the Aged Care Workforce Committee was reconvened and I have been nominated and appointed the representative for ACAA. At the first meeting of the reconvened Committee in October, the following overview was provided of Supporting a Professional Aged Care Workforce. This is the consolidated program measures for the aged care workforce over

a projected planning period for 4 years, 2010 to 2014.

The broad overview and projected program numbers over the next 4 years are: •

Vocational education and training – 7,000 short course training places (to be limited to delivery in rural and remote) and 18,600 accredited Certificate III and Certificate IV level training places;

•

Training for Nurses – 3,200 enrolled nurse training places for personal care workers,1,580 undergraduate nursing scholarships, 1,240 postgraduate scholarships and 40 nurse practitioner scholarships

•

Supporting Professional training and Placements – clinical placements for 640 student nurses, graduate placements for 400 students and supporting the establishment of a number of Teaching Nursing Homes.

The consolidation of these workforce initiatives coincide with the establishment of Health Workforce Australia, a Commonwealth statutory authority reporting to the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference. HWA describes its role is to develop policy and deliver programs across four main areas—workforce planning, policy and research; clinical training; innovation and reform of the health workforce; and the recruitment and retention of international health professionals. ACAA continues to support the need for closer coordination between the activities of HWA and DOHA, to ensure that the workforce needs of residential and community aged care are an essential part of the overall planning process for the combined health and aged care workforce of the future. Given the timing of the federal election and then the extended caretaker period prior to the forming of a minority government, the tendering processes for these programs for 2010-2011 are set for the end of 2010. n

national update

Aged & Community Care Victoria Gerard Mansour, CEO Aged & Community Care Victoria

The image of the aged and community care industry portrayed regularly in public media often fails to reflect the true spirit and quality of the care our industry provides for our frail older Victorians every day. Negative publicity is an ongoing challenge given the frequent focus of mainstream media on controversial or negative issues which do not represent the very positive work of our industry.

o help to change this misconception, the Aged & Community Care Victoria (ACCV) Marketing & Communications Reference Group, supported by ACCV Communications Coordinator Melina Walton, created the Be Inspired! campaign to combat the negative perceptions and confusion about quality of life in aged care services. Representatives from ACCV Member organisations Annecto, Alzheimers Australia Vic, Arcare, Baptcare, Benetas, Southern Cross Care and Villa Maria embarked on a joint venture with the Victorian government to launch campaign, a first in Victoria and an initiative ACCV is very proud to lead. Based on the Make-A-Wish Foundation Australia framework in which long-standing wishes are granted to fulfil the dreams of those who may not otherwise make them a reality, Be Inspired! was created to achieve a two-fold goal. The first was to demonstrate that ageing doesn’t mean that the hopes and dreams of our older Victorians must be forgotten. Older people have dreams too and we want to encourage them to be inspired to make these dreams a reality. The action of these older people fulfilling their dreams promotes a positive image of ageing, of people being inspired to enjoy life. The second is to not only change the perception of older people and what they can achieve, but also to change the perception of the industry as a service provider. To demonstrate that we have highly skilled and caring employees, that we have one of the most robust independent quality assurance systems in the world, and to reinforce our vision that as we age, all Victorians have the best possible quality of life supported by an aged care system that meets the lifestyle and care needs of our older Victorians.

“

This campaign is a simple yet highly effective way in which our industry can work together to improve the lives of our older Australians, and generate the respect and support for our industry that is well-deserved.

”

Every day in Victoria we provide care to more than 150,000 older Australians and every one of them has helped inspire our country to be what it is today. We acknowledge and thank our older Victorians for the valued economic and social contribution they make to our community. In return, our aged care industry is at the forefront of making wishes and dreams come true for older Australians in our care. The Be Inspired! initiative was trialled in Seniors Week 2009, with participating ACCV Member organisations rolling out the wish granting approach throughout facilities state-wide. The campaign was launched to the wider community as part of the Victorian Seniors Festival held in October 2010. Twenty-three residents, clients and CEO’s of participating organisations arrived into Federation Square in Melbourne on Harley Davidson motorbikes to help launch the opening of the Festival – a dream come true for many of the older and younger participants alike. A team of inspired older people then took to the stage in Federation Square to learn and perform a dance routine on stage with a youth dance group, to disprove the common belief about ageing: older people can dance, have fun and enjoy life, and we as an industry are doing all we can to help them achieve these dreams. As well as the opening day event in Melbourne, aged and community care providers throughout the state granted the wishes of many of their residents and clients during the Festival week to encourage the older Victorians in their care to continue to be inspired also, and to further promote the positive work our industry does to support our older Victorians. This campaign is a simple yet highly effective way in which our industry can work together to improve the lives of our older Australians, and generate the respect and support for our industry that is well-deserved. For more information on the Be Inspired! campaign, visit www.accv.com.au. n

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national update

Aged Care Queensland Barry Ashcroft, Acting CEO Aged Care Queensland

Change is inevitable for the accommodation and care industry’s as we face unprecedented disruption through an ambitious yet poorly conceived health and aged care reform agenda.

ust dealing with the pace of activity from State and Federal governments is keeping Aged Care Queensland busy as we balance the delivery of member services with intensive industry representation. In the absence of a coherent approach to reform by governments it is unlikely that a worthwhile result will arise unless we are able to influence the agenda.

“

Aged Care Queensland has almost finalized its structural change project to better position us to meet the needs of our members.

”

Through ACAA we are encouraging a frank and robust dialogue with the new Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Department of Health and Ageing and the Aged Care Standards Agency. Without leadership from the Minister and cooperation from the Department and Agency we will continue to just survive and will fail to develop viable services fast enough to meet the rapidly growing demand. Aged Care Queensland has almost finalized its structural change project to better position us to meet the needs of our members. Additional resource allocation to research, policy development, communications and consulting will keep us abreast of, and engaged with, government policy development, regulation and agency activity as well as grass roots representation and operational support. Information capture, management and dissemination continues to be challenging. Our website project has been completed and content is in the process of continuous refinement. Specialised forums have been run to showcase industry innovation and adaptability and our recent forum on Service Integrated Housing drew very strong interest with a consequent push from members to develop a 2 day event on this topic for presentation early next year. ACQ will be engaging closely with our members as the draft Productivity Commission Report (PCR) is released early 2011. The content will form the basis of an industry communications campaign and will inform strategy development to lift the debate to a community level. The final release of the report should signal the commencement of lobbying activity on a scale not seen over the last decade. Queensland MP for Blair Shayne Neumann has been appointed head of the governments Social Policy Caucus Committee. His early comments about industry viability and growth are encouraging and ACQ will engage with him and his committee to provide the necessary insights and information to support our case. Comprehensive and accurate evidence about the industry’s difficulties communicated to influential politicians and a Minister for Mental Health and Ageing who is willing to consider that evidence and discuss alternative solutions may herald the start of a new era for our members and the people we serve. n

national update

ACAA - WA Anne-Marie Archer, CEO ACAA-WA

Post the ACAAWA AGM, Members remain hopeful that there may be some much needed reform to report on at next years meeting.

he AGM in October was a time to reflect on the year gone by and sadly for Western Australian providers the cost of construction continues to rise, utility costs have increased and staffing pressures are ever present and compounded by the COPO indexation remaining grossly out of step with the operational costs in WA.

In regards to State matters there has been some positive changes in the WA medication management guidelines to ensure there is greater recognition and workability in the residential aged care environment and considerable thanks should be extended to the representatives of the ACAAWA Nurses and Management Professional Advisory Committee for their work on this issue. The 2010-11 Board of ACAAWA Directors were elected and are listed below in no particular order: Mr Michael Iles Mr Geoff Taylor Ms Michele De Ronchi Mr David Cox Ms Pauline Iles Ms Irene Mooney Ms Jackie Dillon Mr Mike Stubley

St Michael’s Residential Care Aegis Aged Care Group Regis Group Embleton Care St Michael’s Residential Care NAMPAC Chair & Bethanie Group Second Avenue Valencia Nursing Home

Executive Positions ACAAWA President Mr Michael Iles ACAAWA Vice-President Ms Irene Mooney Federal Director Mr Geoff Taylor

It has been forecasted that the WA providers will once again be faced with the workforce shortages experienced a few years ago, as other industries are getting ready to ramp up by mid-next year.

Thanks must be extended to all of our current and past Directors for their time and commitment to the Association over the years.

Yet there was, however, some optimism about some of the possible recommendations in the soon to be released Productivity Commission (PC) Report, but also some concerns about the actualisation of outcomes.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to extend our gratitude and appreciation to Zenith Insurance for their generous presentation of $20,000 to the Association and appreciation for all of our Corporate and Associate Members for their ongoing support.

With a new Minister in the role who has proactively engaged with aged care providers in Western Australia there is hope that there will be an open and continuous dialogue during the PC report review stages and ongoing discussions.

It was also wonderful to be invited to the Zenith Insurance Melbourne Cup Day at which they raised around $4000 with sweeps and activities that they matched to make a donation of $8000 to Nulsen – Nurturing People. n

Zenith Insurance Account Managers Rosanna Chellappan and Shane Hogan present ACAAWA President Michael Iles with a $20,000 cheque on behalf of Kim Gilbert.

There was much fun to be had at the Zenith Insurance Melbourne Cup Day – from left to right Peter Iles - St Michaels Residential Care, Kim Gilbert – Zenith Insurance; and Anne-Marie Archer – ACAAWA.

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congress

ACAA Annual Congress 2010 – a Personal Perspective By Mike Swinson Annual congress is over for another year and once again I am amazed at how many really interesting and revealing presentations there were. Where to start?

‘T

here was an air of anticipation at this year’s congress,’ said ACAA CEO Rod Young. ‘It’s due in part to providers being invigorated by the prospect of significant reform in the industry likely to flow from the report being prepared by the Productivity Commission.’ The long awaited report was being talked about by almost every speaker, but the Productivity Commissions Deputy Chairman, Mike Woods wasn’t giving anything away when he spoke as part of a panel whose topic was the changing structure of aged care and, of course ‘that report!’ Nothing, not a hint, but it will be wide ranging, it will be comprehensive. Not much to go on is it? There was another key person in the aged care reform agenda on that panel, Jane Halton, the Secretary of the Federal Department of Health and Ageing. Panel facilitator, Monica Attard of ABC fame managed to draw the panel out for what was a revealing discussion, but not even her legendary interviewing prowess could help to uncover the detail of ‘that’ report. You really needed to be there to hear it all! Congress MC, Andrew Klein, former corporate lawyer turned entertainer, kept everyone on their toes, from early morning to late afternoon with his humour, creativity, high energy style and interactive energising activities. Let me tell you there were a few of those that had delegates cracking up in the aisles. His introductions to various keynote speakers went something like this as he introduced Richard Dore, from Proteus Leadership Centres. “Richard Dore has been the General Manager of Training at Proteus Leadership Centres for over 10 years - and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in leadership, training and has actually a background in AGED CARE. Richard’s passion and expertise is in leadership, culture and people development, whereby he assists organisations to create great workplaces, while destroying dysfunctional personalities and toxic workplaces! So look out.

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congress

He hails from the little known town of Nar Nar Goon Victoria - which I must profess I had never heard of, (and seemingly neither had any of you) - so I Googled it and I can confirm it is a very small town in the Gippsland region of Victoria, - population 1,010. Apart from its population, the only other thing that Wikipedia had to say about Nar Nar Goon was that the town has its own railway station - I believe that is ALL there is in the town. But a further Google search uncovered this fact - the town has one of the highest ratios of single men to single women in Australia, with 12 single men in their 30s for every one single woman - and there IS apparently only ONE single woman in her 30s living there - so, to any of our single women in the audience - head to Nar Nar Goon, next time you are in Victoria. Back to Richard - his claim to fame is that he captained the Nar Nar Goon junior football team, then he grew up and left Nar Nar Goon as a young man, probably in search of single women, Richard spent time picking potatoes, he worked in an abattoir and had a job milking cows. It’s no surprise that he enjoys country and western music - he told me he likes ALL types of music, including country - his ipod playlist currently includes the classic country hits: ‘My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him’ And I May Have Made that Up But It Sure Sounds Good – that’s not the name of a song, that’s just me talking. These days Richard lives in Waterloo in Sydney, he described himself as a surfing wannabe, he likes tennis, yoga and all things food. He described himself to me as ‘leadership geek’ To leave us with a literally legendary and level-headed lesson and largely laudable learnings on leadership, please lead us in loosening your limbs and welcome Richard Dore...” There were a number of equally superbly introduced economic presentations from speakers as diverse as Chris Caton, the Chief Economist from the BT Financial Group to Craig James, Chief Economist from the CBA’s Securities Division. They all provided a unique insight into the impact of the GFC on Australia and re-enforced how this country’s economic stimulus plan and our burgeoning mining industry have cushioned us from the worst of the GFC. So much so that we are, as most know, streets ahead of every other OECD economy. That economic good news means there is room for the federal government to undertake significant reform in the way aged care is funded and supported once the Productivity Commission hands down its report. That report we also heard is now delayed until early next year. There was another panel discussion on how to make aged care an attractive investment. Answer, wait for the reform recommendations from the Productivity Commission and hope for the best! Delegates to the Congress were all treated to a visit to the star attraction at the Adelaide Zoo, the Pandas. When I went both Pandas had their heads buried in food buckets and looked a lot like Pooh Bear would with his head buried in a honey pot! We were there for the Exhibitors and Delegates Cocktail party, compliments of HIP, the Health Industry Superannuation company. The message from HIP’s Ross Bernays, ‘things are looking good for investors again,’ now that’s good news.

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In the first of the breakout session, I listened to Lisa Bonney, the Clinical Services Manager for TLC. She shared the harrowing story of ‘Molly,’ who had succumbed to early onset dementia. (Check this magazine for a detailed story on ‘Molly’ and early onset dementia.) Then to Megan Luhr, Clinical Services manager from Australian Unity as she shared the research they had conducted on the benefits of massage to residents, and they were remarkable. Resident agitation was reduced, pain and stress was reduced, and there were also positive responses from residents relatives. As it transpires, my son is a physiotherapist who has worked in aged care facilities and is also a great believer in the healing power of massage, backed by credible research. For those with a weak stomach, the pictorially dramatic presentation by Associate Professor Suren Krishnan on the intricacies of robotic surgery to cure sleep apnoea would have tested their resolve. What is good news is that the invasive and traumatizing surgery that used to be carried out is no longer needed and that there is a world class centre of excellence at Adelaide Hospital. (Yes, there were lots of close up images of old and new surgery methods, very gripping!) I also attended a timely session on how to manage sanctions successfully. If you and your organisation do not have a risk management plan, then the message from people like Claire Schmierer from TALC Health is ‘get one organised now, because you never know when you will need it. If you don’t have a risk management plan in place, and your facility is sanctioned, chaos can follow.’ I, like almost all the delegates, networked, laughed, did my bit for the local wine industry, was serenaded by the consummate travelling tenor, Antonio Villano as part of the Juke Box Live band at the gala dinner and awards night. What a voice and what wonderful humour as part of his singing/comedian act. Made my time in Adelaide it did! n

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ACAA Annual Congress 2010 Building Awards By Mike Swinson

Winners are grinners, well so the saying goes and there were lots of grins, cheers and laughter at this year’s gala dinner and awards night at the annual ACAA Congress.

hree awards were announced, there were four winners and there are some fascinating stories to go with some of them. Take the New Building, Extra Service Category Award with joint winners as one prime example. ‘It took seven years of blood, sweat and tears getting this project finished,’ says Viv Padman, the owner of The Bentleigh, part of the Padman Health Care Group. ‘It took us five years to overcome local opposition to this project,’ said John Matthies, the owner of Kew Gardens, part of the Australian Aged Care Group. Kew Gardens and The Bentleigh were joint winners of the New Building, Extra Service Category Award. Both organisations faced vocal and at times vehement opposition to the construction of these prestige facilities. Both are now accepted and welcome in the neighbourhood, isn’t that remarkable! Well it’s not really when you look at the standard of these luxury buildings. The winner of the Renovated Extra Service Category Award was Landsdowne Gardens, part of Cranbrook Care, the CEO is Campbell Meldrum. ‘We are in a growth phase as an organisation, we currently have 212 beds – in 2 facilities

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ACAA Building Award Winners New Standard/Extra Service – (1) Mercy Place Parkville (Mercy Health) New Extra Service – Joint Winners (2) Kew Gardens (Australian Aged Care Group); and (3) The Bentleigh (Padman Health Care) Renovated Extra Service – (4) Landsdowne Gardens (Cranbrook Care) that have been built and are under our management, our long term goal is to be at 500 beds,’ says Campbell. Lansdowne Gardens wanted to set a new benchmark for facilities in Sydney, in both the built form and in the care provided to residents. ‘We believe we have done that’ said Campbell, ‘and the award is a much appreciated result for our team.’ The New Building Award was won by Mercy Place Parkville, part of Mercy Health. ‘Winning this award is really important to us,’

says Kerri Rivett, the Executive Director of Aged Care Services. ‘We want to be seen to be leading the way with new buildings that work for our staff, our residents and our community. As an example, in this new complex we have built a coffee shop that is for residents, staff and the community. All three freely mix, so for our residents, it makes them feel they are now part of a community, not separate from it.’ The new complex includes a 140 bed aged care facility and 52 independent living apartments, just 3 kilometers from the Melbourne CBD. n

congress

ACAA Annual Congress 2010 Employer of Choice Awards By Mike Swinson

This award is a much sought after one, because one lucky person from both the category winners will have the chance to join next year’s SAGE Tour, courtesy of Hesta’s $5,000 scholarship. It promises to be a ‘trip of a lifetime!’

‘Y

ou have a choice in life! You can choose to be grumpy or you can choose to be happy!’ That pearl of wisdom comes from Athena Ermides, the General Manager of Belasco Court Caring Centre, this year’s winner of the Employer of Choice Award, for employees. Winning is cause of much celebration and happiness I’m sure! ‘We try really hard here at this facility, to not only say we are resident focused, but to be resident focused. We also try to make this a happy, positive environment.’ According to Athena, ‘aged care is not just a customer service industry, but one with a huge responsibility.

ACAA Employer of Choice Award Winners Employer Nomination – (1) Whiddon Group

Incorporating – Wingham, Temora, Redhead, Narrabri Wee Waa & Walgett, Kelso, Easton Park

Employee Nomination – (2) Berlasco Court Caring Centre

‘It’s a tough industry to work in, most people don’t do it just for the money,’ says Athena. ‘Part of that responsibility is to make our residents lives as happy as can be and the only way to do that is to have positive and happy staff.’ ‘To have won this award,’ says Athena ‘means our staff are saying, this is a great place to work and that’s wonderful. I know it is and our residents and their families tell us that. However it is very nice to be recognized by the industry!’

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The winner of the Employer of Choice in the employer category was the Whiddon Group. Six facilities were nominated, with the award going to the group as a whole. Who will be the lucky person to head to the USA next year on the SAGE Tour, courtesy of Hesta is anyone’s guess. ‘This is wonderful recognition for our group from our peers in the industry,’ says Whiddon Group Deputy CEO, Leanne Irwin.

‘ACAA represents a large percentage of aged care providers and this award means we know we are setting a benchmark standard in our various facilities. It means we know we are on the right track,’ said Leanne. The Whiddon Group runs 26 sites across mostly rural and regional NSW. They include residential care; independent living and community based care totaling 1800 beds. n

technology

Aged Care IT Vendors Association, the National e-health conference and more... By Caroline Lee Caroline Lee (leecare), Chris Gray (icare) and Graham Douglas (Telemedcare), three members of the ACIVA group, were invited by the Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA) to attend the National e–health Conference, conducted on 30th November & 1st December 2010 in Melbourne. The invitations were limited and the group were invited as both ACIVA members and representatives of their product’s services.

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he Conference was an important opportunity for all stakeholders including health providers, consumers, vendors and individual professionals in health, to discuss how e-health and telehealth will drive the delivery of health care into the future. The personally controlled electronic health record system is to be made available to all in the nation by July 2012 but requires the support of all stakeholders hence over the two days, plenary sessions, workshops and networking periods enabled conversations that focussed on the national e-health agenda. The conference’s aim was to bring together key stakeholders and industry experts to discuss and share ideas on the way forward which ACIVA promoted and must include aged care. Also present at the conference were members of the Aged Care IT Council, the auspicing group of ACIVA, including Rod Young, Suri Ramanathan and Graham Prior.

ACIVA continues to meet quarterly and discuss the issues of the industry in relation to technology, with the executive committee meeting or discussing matters throughout the months in the various portfolio areas of ACFI, aged care accreditation, Medicare / DOHA communication and health industry / National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) issues. Its last meeting was held following the ACAA national conference in Adelaide on 17th November. The group are well aware of the nation’s e-health agenda and are determining how the aged care industry can be supported to meet the stated NEHTA and DOHA objectives of health information connectivity by 2012. President Caroline Lee has been invited to attend various NEHTA forums to ensure the association and the aged care industry are substantially involved in the e-health agenda, by its involvement in setting the conformance requirements to ensure safe and secure software interoperability and data integration. Aged Care software and hardware providers support 100,000’s of older persons and collate and create comprehensive care plans that reflect all areas of an individual older persons life, not just basic clinical and medical data. The information which the industry collects has to enable support of a person for their entire health and living needs when living in a residential and community care environment. And the benchmarking and quality reporting capacity of the e-aged care industry further supports effective quality practice provision and risk management. As such, e-health aged care vendors are leaders in the health sector in collecting quality information and supporting quality clinical care – we should all be very proud. n

technology

$50,000 Provider Assist National Scholarship Program Launched T In September Provider

Assist (formerly Aged Care

Specialists) launched its National Scholarship Program. This exciting initiative has already received significant interest

he Scholarship Program is open to anyone working for an Approved Residential Care Provider including PCWs, ENs, RNs, DONs, Administration staff, Lifestyle and Diversional Therapists, Cooks, Cleaners and other support staff and is a great opportunity to nominate a welldeserving individual you know.

industry and is an outstanding

6 state winners will each receive prizes to the value of $2,500 and will be entered into the running for the major National Prize! State winners’ prizes include:

opportunity to acknowledge

•

and attention from within the

and reward dedicated and welldeserving workers in the aged

•

care industry. The Scholarship Program will allow each winner (and their CEO) to learn, lead and make a real difference!

• •

Registration, Travel and Accommodation to the 2011 State conference or equivalent; and $1000 in vouchers to undertake professional development training with the State Industry Body (vouchers can be used to attend seminars, workshops or training); and State Winner inaugural trophy and plaque to be displayed at your place of employment; and A chance to win the Provider Assist National Scholarship.

A panel of judges will review the 6 State Finalists and will announce the inaugural winner of the National Scholarship at the ACSA national conference. The National Winner will receive a scholarship and prizes to the value of $35,000, including: •

• • more funding > more resources > more care

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Attendance and registration for the winner and the CEO of their workplace for the Sage Tour to Chicago, New York and Washington in October 2011, including airfares , accommodation and participation in this highly sought after tour; and Attendance and registration to the IHASA international aged care conference whilst in Washington; and Attendance and registration at the 2011 ACSA National Conference including travel and accommodation costs; and

•

National Winner inaugural trophy and plaque to be displayed at your place of employment.

If you know a well-deserving individual working in Residential Aged Care please visit providerassist.com.au, go to the scholarship tab, enter your details and you will be sent an application form.

Who Are Provider Assist? Provider Assist (formerly Aged Care Specialists) has for over 8 years been driven by two leading principles: 1. The aged care industry is full of extraordinary, skilled and dedicated individuals. 2. Passionate and specialised business support services will make a significant contribution to resident wellbeing by maximising the financial wellbeing of providers. And the one goal of everyone in aged care is optimal resident care. Providing optimal resident care requires more resources and the best way providers can afford these additional resources is to maximise their funding. This is where Provider Assist makes its vital contribution. In every State and Territory across Australia Provider Assist has resurrected substantial funding. With clients from the largest organisations in capital cities to the smallest remote 6 bed facility, our team have been onsite investigating potential missed funding and will continue to assist our industry to ensure everyone maximises their funding entitlements. The core function of Provider Assist is to support the aged care industry to ensure more funding, more resources, more care. Contact us now on 1300 419 119, before your entitlements are lost forever. Visit www.providerassist.com.au to apply for our National Scholarships. n

> People on the Move

ax Hopkins will be leaving Stewart, Brown & Co on 31 December 2010. Max has accepted the position of Director Corporate Services at Churches of Christ NSW. This challenging and exciting position is a member of the senior executive of Churches of Christ, and, as the position would suggest, will involve Max in all areas of the operation of the Church.

od Cooke has been appointed as the CEO of the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council. Rod has an extensive background in training and recruitment, and in the vocational education sector.Â Â He has held senior management and training positions including the positions of CEO with Orana Education & Training Cooperative Ltd, General Manager HR & Administration with Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, National Learning & Development Manager with NRMA, and the Australian Army.

inister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler recently announced the appointment of Rae Lamb as the new Aged Care Commissioner. Ms Lamb will take up her appointment for a three year period, commencing 5 January 2011. Ms Lamb has been the Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner in New Zealand for the past five years and has an extensive background in complaints handling, investigation and review in the health and aged care regulatory environment.

technology

99 year old Skyper shows why aged care facilities should offer internet access Dr Murnane disputed widely-held beliefs that residents of aged care facilities and other elderly people were too old to learn to use the internet. “The way we talk about the internet, for example by referring to digital natives and immigrants, helps to build a culture of fear among the non-computer literate. We need to stop thinking about the internet as the preserve of the young; indeed, the way the world wide web enables us to explore, learn and communicate might have been especially designed for the elderly or disabled.” Dr Murnane said it was likely aged care facilities would face increasing pressure to introduce the internet in the next five to 10 years, as a growing number of computerliterate residents moved in.

Elsie Hammond, with Dr John Murnane

Internet access should be mandatory in all aged care facilities, according to a University of Melbourne expert.

Dr Murnane’s research in a low-care hostel in Melbourne has shown that, while there are many challenges, older people can learn to use computers and access email, and derive huge benefits from doing so.

urrently, only a handful of facilities offer internet access to residents*. However, Dr John Murnane from the Melbourne Graduate School of Education said this wasn’t enough.

“The residents I work with are all over the age of 85. I’ve been working with them since 2007, and now many of them can use email by themselves. The oldest participant, who is 99, is currently learning to Skype, to keep in touch with relatives in France,” he said.

“Internet access provides an important opportunity for mental stimulation, which is closely tied to older people’s health,” said Dr Murnane. “It is also a liberating outlet for those confined to a single building on a day-to-day basis. Everyone living in retirement facilities deserves to experience these benefits.”

“Email is the most popular activity among our participants, with its ability to send photographs particularly valued. However, some participants are also developing an interest in researching family histories online, and the group has a growing Facebook presence.”

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“Although making internet access available can be costly and resource-intensive for aged care facilities, I believe the benefits certainly outweigh the costs. They shouldn’t have to wait for residents to demand internet access. Current residents deserve access now,” he said. *The Aged Care Australia website lists 16 retirement facilities out of a total of 772 within 300km of Melbourne offering internet/computer access to residents. n

More information: For interview: Dr John Murnane E: jmurnane@unimelb.edu.au T: (03) 8344 8266 Education media contact: Catriona May E: catriona.may@unimelb.edu.au T: (03) 8344 3357 M: (0)435 960 030 Media Unit contact: Katherine Smith E: k.smith@unimelb.edu.au T: (03) 8344 3845 M: (0)402 460 147 This article first appeared on Health Canal (5 October 2010) and has been reprinted with the permission of the University of Melbourne.

technology

Leecare launches new web-based software built on open source technology Following the 28 October launch of the new Leecare Solutions Platinum 5 software program at Melbourne’s iconic Sofitel Latrobe Ballroom, aged care leaders are discussing how the new program will possibly save them $10,000’s. Leecare Solutions (formerly Lee Consulting Australia) launched its 5th generation care & lifestyle management Web software program – Platinum 5 – built on Open Source technology, to an impressive group of 140 industry guests.

he 2009 Microsoft licensing increase that hit many in the aged care industry has caused the sector to ask what alternatives they have and what open source based systems are available. The increasing technology focus of the industry is also requiring a wider range of devices to be available to suit staff needs. Lee Consulting were Pioneers of the first professional clinical and care management software program for residential aged care providers in the late 1990’s with their e-care plan template, NCP6, and followed this release over the following years with products that provided ever increasing functionality. Platinum 5, developed using world class open source technology, now provides the industry with more choice, to use their MS SQL based systems or not. The new Platinum 5 product uses proprietary IntelligentDesign technology to provide a user interface that is as easy to use as an iPhone.

Caroline Lee, CEO of Leecare Solutions stated, “this new program will be to the aged care industry what Google was to the internet.” “Touch pads, intuitive buttons and clean designs have become the norm for users of the internet and the latest technology. Easy to use interfaces, that at the same time support the inclusion of rich data necessary for managing a professional aged care environment is necessary, if we are to engage all staff in the use of IT systems.” The Launch commenced with client testimonies from industry leaders Carolyn Kwok, RSL Lifecare NSW; Julie Hossack, Uniting Care Wesley Port Adelaide; Ann Hague and Kim Hutchinson, Barwon Health; Julie Heath, City of Glen Eira and Sue Macri, industry consultant. Various details were provided with a live demonstration of the new Web version, showing its ease of use. >

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technology < A full day Change Management seminar was conducted in the Ballroom the following day with renowned Change Management expert Tim Smith, for guests and industry personnel which outlined the elements of Change required for any project, and provided ideas re how to engage all levels of staff. Guests were also entertained with two medleys regarding the history of aged care across the last century and computers, since Leonardo Da Vinci’s gear-driven calculator of 1500. This 2010 World First IntelligentDesign architecture was designed from the ground floor up to support web touch screen interface and standard mouse interface as these devices are becoming the preferred choice for Aged Care staff for optimum efficiency. IntelligentDesign is the support mechanism that makes Platinum 5 the perfect companion for touch screen devices like the Apple iPad and Google Android phones and can be accessed via Web interfaces such as Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox, installed locally or on a host.

The Platinum 5 IntelligentDesign Clinical Care Management system addresses • • • • •

Lifestyle Management Risk Management Funding Management Clinical Governance Clinical and Care Management

Leecare Solutions also launched their new Leecare Appliance which put simply means providers can now have an IT department or not, IT expertise or not. The Appliance is a set and forget device designed for no or low maintenance, providing a zero capital expenditure option for aged care organisations designed to significantly reduce the total cost of ownership. The suppliers state it is world class, not only in its use of technology but in the freedom it brings and its ease of use. The Platinum 5 application continues to bring clients and the industry the complete functionality and features already present in their ITAC Award winning software and more. n

Aged Care, Digital Lifestyles project awarded funding Helping Hand Aged Care, in partnership with the Media Resource Centre and Freerange Future, will be launching its innovative project Aged Care, Digital Lifestyles after being awarded funding at the Social Innovation Showcase in Adelaide recently.

he project was one of eight winning entries, announced by South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, which will share in $1 million of funding from The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI).

The project will explore the idea of delivering support services and building relationships in a digital environment, an area which Ian Hardy, chief executive Helping Hand Aged Care, says will be a key element in the future of aged care. “In the year 2051, 27% of Australians will be over 65, with 2 million of us over 80 and many of us living in aged care facilities,” Mr Hardy said. “Aged care residents in 40 years time will have opportunities for digital communication and information access which are currently undreamt of,” he said. “This is an exciting partnership and a fantastic opportunity for us to explore what aged care could look like in the future,” he said.

Gail Kovatseff, director of the Media Resource Centre said the project will involve digital storytelling and integrated social media programs which can personalise care and build connectedness to family, friends, carers, other residents and the local and wider world. “The Aged Care, Digital Lifestyles proposal was successful because it offers some insight into how our future may look,” Ms Kovatseff said. “Digital technology will have a huge impact on the way aged care residents communicate and on their ability to access care and entertainment options,” she said. This project builds on the existing relationship between Helping Hand Aged Care and the Media Resource Centre, which are currently working in collaboration to create memory tools for people living with Alzheimer’s. n This article has been reprinted with courtesy of DPS eNews and www.agedcareguide.com.au

technology

NEHTA – national eHealth reform Australia’s health system has an

Aged care and eHealth

enviable record internationally.

From the perspective of older patients who are heavy consumers of acute healthcare services and older health consumers generally, the benefits of eHealth are significant.

However, a growing demand for healthcare reform has been recognised to prepare Australia for the future and maintain the high standards we have and demand. Drivers include an ageing population, an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, advances in medical technology and knowledge, better informed health consumers, and a need to strengthen the safety and quality of healthcare.

eHealth communications will enable healthcare providers to more easily access accurate and complete information about their patients. People who need to be looked after by various healthcare providers will be assisted by seamless handovers of care through electronic communications such as referrals and discharge summaries. Plus, healthcare histories will be linked to current healthcare events and easily accessed by authorised healthcare providers. Aged care facilities in Australia deliver world class standards of compassionate care to the aged. However, a convergence of factors is placing the sector under growing pressure where the risk of medication errors is increasing. In order to reverse this trend, eHealth will usher in a national approach to medication management.

Potential eHealth Benefits for Aged Care

ur health system has to move away from a reliance on pen, paper and human memory. The only way we can achieve this is through a world-class eHealth capability. As the lead organisation supporting the national vision for eHealth in Australia, the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has focused on the establishment of the national eHealth infrastructure components of terminology, secure messaging, identifiers and authentication. NEHTA is also developing eHealth solutions that will use the infrastructure: referrals, discharge summaries, diagnostics and medications management.

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Improvements in care – better access to client information, improvements in care planning, reductions in medication errors, better monitoring of chronic disease conditions etc. Improvements in efficiency – simplified, less time consuming administrative processes, improved documentation, access to evidence based information at point of care, supply chain solutions.

Information will be captured on the outcomes of medication use and shared electronically between healthcare providers

to improve the monitoring and management of medication-related incidents. This national approach will see the implementation of electronic medications management intended to support prescribers and dispensers to provide safe, quality care. The information flow will be co-ordinated across pharmacy, general practice and hospital services, improving the care and treatment for aged care residents.

The latest eHealth news and developments Over the past two decades there has been a substantial investment in eHealth technologies by government, the private sector and healthcare providers. What is lacking is a framework for participants where they can talk to each other. The Healthcare Identifiers (HI) Service is a framework that starts to address this, and on 1 July 2010 the HI Service commenced operation. The three types of healthcare identifiers will enable accurate identification of the patient receiving the care, the clinician providing the care, and the healthcare organisation they work for. Medicare Australia is the initial operator of the HI Service. Individual Healthcare Identifiers (IHIs) were allocated to approximately 23 million people who are currently enrolled in the Medicare or Veterans’ Affairs programs. eHealth won’t happen overnight – the service is being implemented in a planned phased approach. It is expected that health professional organisations and individuals will start using the service over a period of some 12 to 18 months, with both Medicare Australia and NEHTA providing support to assist with the take-up of the service. There are expected to be approx 700,000 Healthcare Provider Identifier for healthcare professionals involved in providing patient care generated: 500,000 through Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and 200,000 to other healthcare providers outside of the AHPRA registration process.

Lead Implementation Sites A Federal Government announcement was made in August 2010 about the three trial sites that will be the first in Australia to benefit from national eHealth advances: Hunter Urban Division of General Practice (HUDGP), GP Partners Limited, and Melbourne East General Practice Network Limited (MEGPN). These sites will help lead the way in developing and informing future planning of eHealth, improving technology and identifying what works well and what could work better. These early lead sites will use the identifiers for health services including electronic discharge summaries, prescriptions and referrals and, personally controlled electronic health records. The focus for NEHTA is now heavily on implementations. For more information about NEHTA visit: www.nehta.gov.au, for more information about eHealth visit: www.ehealthinfo.gov.au.

About NEHTA The National E-Health Transition Authority Limited was established by the Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory governments on 5 July 2005 to develop better ways of electronically collecting and securely exchanging health information. Â NEHTA is jointly funded by the Australian Government and all State and Territory Governments.

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A Cautionary Tale

One Aged Care Facilities Experience with Early Onset Dementia By Mike Swinson ‘Molly,’ (not her real name) was 49 when she first exhibited signs of Early Onset Dementia. She was married with two young teenage children. Molly, an educated woman with a promising career began to notice bouts of memory loss and after a period of time, aggression. Her family had no idea what was going on. Molly realised she could not continue to do her job effectively and quit work.

olly had Early Onset Dementia. EOD usually shows up in people in their late fifties and early sixties. Professor John Hodges, Federation Fellow and Professor of Cognitive Neurology at University of New South Wales and one of this country’s leading experts in this field says this is not an uncommon story. The story comes from Lisa Bonney, the Clinical Services Manager of TLC aged care homes. Lisa was one of the speakers at the recent ACAA Annual Congress, where she shared Molly’s story and its implications for other aged care facilities. Lisa told me that when they were approached to take Molly into care they were not told about her tendencies to aggressive behavior. Not by the family, or the aged care assessment team. Lisa said ‘The family was handling Molly at home with the support of Council Care. It was between Molly’s sister, her husband, the children, and Council Care. She was also going to a day care centre at another facility. A few months before she came to us, the day care facility and Council Care had refused to have Molly anymore because she was violent, too violent.’ Alzheimer’s Australia has a booklet called ‘In our own words,’ that is a collection of personal stories from sufferers of EOD. “It is heartbreaking,” says Ron Sinclair, the Chairman of Alzheimer’s Australia National Consumer Affairs Committee, “that so many people experience such trauma in the diagnosis of EOD. It may involve years of uncertainty and misdiagnosis, with depression and other conditions before the correct diagnosis is made.” Leo, from Tasmania writes in the booklet, “When leaving my doctor’s surgery one day I could not find my car. I did not know where I was. Eventually, I was able to make my way home. This is when it struck me; this is what happens to people with dementia.”

Now back to Molly. Lisa Bonney said ‘We didn’t know that she’d been at another facility for day care, we didn’t know that she was having Council Care. What we were told was that she was being managed in the home.’ No-one told them Molly was very aggressive and had outbreaks of violent behavior. The TLC website says ‘TLC Aged Care is recognised as a premier provider of quality aged care operating nine state-of-the-art homes in the Melbourne metropolitan and Geelong areas. At TLC Aged Care we are dedicated to providing an aged care experience that is dignified, caring and compassionate.’ So what does a place like TLC do when they have agreed to accept ‘Molly’ and discover that she is aggressive and violent? Lisa Bonney again. ‘We didn’t find that information out until these aggressive behaviors started. The husband didn’t tell us that she’d been in hospital, we found out by mistake from the children a week after she’d been here, and she was displaying these aggressive episodes. The children actually divulged this was why she went into hospital, which is when we said when? And then we were told she was in hospital just before here, and she was discharged to home 2 days before she came here.’ Lisa said Molly had a close relationship with her husband and the kids, and she had a sister who came in quite regularly. TLC did all the normal assessments and the results were unremarkable. They couldn’t do some tests because of her cognitive status. On her first day in the facility, Molly activated the fire alarms. ‘We thought OK, we are going to have some problems,’ said Lisa. ‘Molly was a lot younger than the rest of our residents and would wander incessantly. The only time she stopped was at 9.00 at night, when you could get her to lie down. She actually slept very well, but that’s probably

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< because she was so exhausted. Because she was so tired and wouldn’t stop walking she was at great risk of falls and injury.’ Lisa said staff at TLC could not sit Molly down for meals, so she ate while walking. As a result she was weakened by not having enough nutritional food, and on top of that there were lots of incidents. Within a week of being admitted Molly started to refuse being showered and changed, she would start screaming and becoming aggressive. She was doubly incontinent and you can imagine the concern of staff when she refused being changed or showered. To top matters off Molly was highly reactive to psychotropic drugs.

The Staff at TLC It is difficult enough to get enough well trained staff in aged care facilities let alone staff who can cope with aggressive and violent residents. Lisa Bonney says ‘you’ve really got to pick your people. They have to have patience; to be able to read people, through expressions and behaviors and so on. All our staff undertake a course that gives them strategies on how to cope with aggression and violence. The main objective is to remove anybody else that could be in danger. Remove yourself from immediate danger, because they need to evaluate the situation. Remove anyone who could be in danger first, and then start to evaluate it. As the days went by Molly’s behavior got worse. ‘Whenever our staff would try to shower her or change her, it was a matter of ducking and weaving! We had a total of 73 incidents that resulted in injuries to either staff or other residents. We had a lot more incidents that were close calls.’ Had the staff at TLC ever seen or experienced anything like this before? No said Lisa. ‘No, no, not at all.’ But what about all the other residents with dementia? I asked. ‘They don’t behave like this,’ said Lisa. ‘They are very much in a controlled area and atmosphere, and the staff tend to keep them very much to a routine. We have a sing

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along in the morning and we have opera in the afternoon. The trouble is for Molly, the music isn’t from her era. We don’t play Cher or Pink Floyd, we have songs from the forties and fifties. That’s one of the great problems with mixing EOD residents with our older residents.’ ‘Nothing we did would hold Molly’s attention, she didn’t want to listen to any of the opera or anything else,’ said Lisa. Professor John Hodges says ‘it’s not an uncommon story; there are terrible problems with the placement of young people with Dementia, because all the facilities are geared for older Australians. I don’t think that Australia is a very caring country, because we need to put a lot more resources into setting up specialist care facilities and teams to help families cope with family members who develop Early Onset Dementia.’

Back to Molly... TLC staff were at their wits end. Members of a residents support group came to give staff strategies on how to deal with Molly. How to deal with violence and aggression. This was to at least give the staff strategies on how to shower Molly at least once a day. ‘Of the 10 visits from this support group, these people only managed to get Molly in the shower once,’ said Lisa. We were told ‘If she is aggressive then don’t shower her.’ I said ‘but she is incontinent and we can’t leave her, we have to shower her.’ No answer. ‘Well I might add that’s how they left her, and then they went. So then our staff would get her in, and duck and weave, and sometimes we would manage to get her showered.’ ‘We had a real problem,’ said Lisa. ‘We had spoken to the The Department of Health and Ageing and were told that if we tried to get Molly out of the home we could be in breach of The Act (security and tenure) and that if one of our residents was injured by Molly we could also be in breach (Safe living environment). We were stuck firmly between a rock and a hard place.’ Finally, it was decided that Molly had to be sent to hospital, that the risk to other residents was too great. The Department agreed that Molly probably shouldn’t be in the home and Lisa said:

‘it was their way of probably saying you are better to take the option of having the breach of security of tenure, rather than having the breach where you are unable to supply a safe and secure environment for staff, residents, and family.’ Lisa said she and others from TLC had tried to find another facility that could take Molly, but made sure they all knew of her aggression and sometimes violent behavior. ‘I was very honest in telling them what Molly was like. As a result, out of the six facilities we contacted, two of them didn’t have a place for her and the other 4 refused. I understood that. I wasn’t prepared for Molly to go somewhere else where they were going to have the same problems, it’s not fair to Molly and it’s not fair to the facility,’ said Lisa. Finally Molly was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where they had a secure psychiatric unit. That hospital was on bypass, so Molly ended up at another hospital without that unit who rang TLC and said we are sending her back. ‘There was no way we could have her back as she had just tried to strangle someone,’ said Lisa. ‘I mean the worst case scenario I could think of was that I would end up with the death of one of my residents, which still then comes back on the home. We would be asked, why didn’t you do anything about it?’

So where is Molly now? What are the lessons in this story for other facilities? Molly was finally referred for assessment. She was given a number of different psychotropic drugs, to the point where she was still able to get up, but ended up falling down often. Lisa said she ended up hallucinating and becoming quite violent. Molly is now in a psycho-geriatric facility and heavily sedated, because it’s the only way they are able to manage her. Lisa Bonney says ‘now I have a different way of actually looking at assessments. I make sure I find out who their doctor is, have a chat with their doctor to find out all the in’s and out’s. You know, we’ve been burnt, and I don’t want that for a resident, and I don’t want it for my residents that are here, nor do I want to put our staff through that ordeal again.’ n

profile

“Aged are our Living History” By Mike Swinson with Rebecca Iselin “I once asked my mother how she would best describe the people she cared for each day, and her reply was just one word – “lonely”. There is a saying that goes, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. I would suggest that once that child has been raised, it is their turn to contribute back to the community by caring for what should be the most distinguished and valued people in the community – our elders.”

ebecca Iselin, the author of that quote is thirteen years old and is a remarkable young lady. She lives near Rockhampton, in Central Queensland. She’s part of a traditional extended Australian family that like many is geographically separated, but emotionally close. One of the people Rebecca misses most is her ninety plus year old Great Nana, because Nana lives in an aged care facility in Brisbane, hundreds of kilometres to the South. Rebecca’s three surviving grandparents also live in Brisbane. Until recently, Brisbane was also her home town. A few years ago, when Rebecca was about ten years old, her Mum, Ros, was running health clinics in a number of aged care facilities. Sometimes Rebecca would tag along. Now I don’t know about your family, but I can’t think of many where your average ten year old wouldn’t complain like crazy and kick up a hell of a stink about having to spend time in an ‘old people’s home!’

‘Boring.’ ‘Get Real Mum!’ ‘Not on your life.’ You can imagine the deep sighs and tantrums from some, but not Rebecca! Yet Ros describes her daughter as an average teenager, who loves her sport, loves dancing, debating and mixing with her friends. Somehow, somewhere, be it family upbringing, be it a quirk of fate, Rebecca is different. During her visits with her Mum to one particular independent living facility, Rebecca discovered many of the residents had fascinating stories to tell, conversations about life’s journey’s, that caught the imagination of this remarkable ten year old and opened up a world that she had no idea existed. One resident in particular spent hours talking to Rebecca, then started to share his journey of courage and survival during World War Two. His name is Ozzie and he was a

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member of bomber command, serving over Europe and the Pacific.

handwriting of the lady who was once a schoolteacher.”

Obviously he survived where many of his mates did not. Ozzie had Rebecca in tears as he read her his diary notes, the details of every day, of every raid, of feelings, fears, sadness over the death of mates and elation at survival recorded and held safely ever since.

The experience obviously opened the eyes of this ten year old and has stayed with her to this day. So much so that Rebecca has issued a challenge to young people, to become involved with and mix with older Australians. Her winning presentation to The Rostrum Voice of Youth competition in the Rockhampton area moved the judges and was picked up by both the local paper and the ABC.

“I spent hours listening to one of the last surviving labourers who worked on the construction of the Story Bridge in Brisbane. I wept with the ex-WW2 airman who showed me his handwritten logs of bombing missions across France, and marveled at the beautiful

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“Congratulations to Rebecca Iselin on recently winning the Rostrum Voice of Youth Speaking Competition for the Rockhampton District,” said the local paper. “Rebecca Iselin would like all secondary school pupils to adopt a pop and says visits to aged care homes should be part of the national curriculum.” “It should be the role of young people to unpack the cargo of treasures from the older generations,” she told a distinguished audience from the Order of Australia Association yesterday. “I have met extraordinary people who have lived history.” She argued that young and old had a great deal to gain from the idea that schools should establish links with care homes.

There is a particular quote from Rebecca in this article that I love. It is descriptive, emotive and moving. “It should be the role of young people to unpack the cargo of treasures from older generations,” Isn’t that beautiful? What a cargo of treasures there is to unpack! The teenager was one of four given three minutes each to impress a panel of judges and I’m not surprised she won. Can I leave it to Rebecca to have the final word? “School students of all ages should be encouraged to feel comfortable in aged care facilities, and I believe time should be built into our academically driven curriculum to learn the almost-lost art of respecting and honouring the generations who have contributed so much to our country and society. “One practical way we can do this is to consider the untapped potential of the region’s 12 Secondary schools and the existing needs of a range of aged care facilities in this region. With a small amount of organisation, a united effort of school cooperation and a limitless supply of unconditional love, an entire generation of young people could volunteer to spend time with these wonderful people.” n

Rebecca’s Speech

ne of my favourite memories is of the days I would go with my mother to her work, an independent living estate for the elderly. However, it didn’t take too long to realise that I was in the company of some quite extraordinary people who have not only lived life, but have lived history. I spent hours listening to one of the last surviving labourers who worked on the construction of the Story Bridge in Brisbane. I wept with the ex-WW2 airman who showed me his handwritten logs of bombing missions across France, and marvelled at the beautiful handwriting of the lady who was once a schoolteacher. I once asked my mother how she would best describe the people she cared for each day, and her reply was just one word – “lonely”. There is a saying that goes, “it takes a village to raise a child”. I would suggest that once that child has

been raised, it is their turn to contribute back to the community by caring for what should be the most distinguished and valued people in the community – our elders. That’s how I propose, we, the young people of Rockhampton can make a difference, by assisting these living legends and befriending those that may not have other friends or family to care for them. School students of all ages should be encouraged to feel comfortable in aged care facilities, and I believe time should be built into our academically driven curriculum to learn the almost-lost art of respecting and honouring the generations who have contributed so much to our country and society. One practical way we can do this is to consider the untapped potential of the region’s 12 Secondary schools and the existing needs of a range of aged care facilities in this region. With a small amount of organisation, a united effort of school cooperation and a limitless supply of unconditional

love, an entire generation of young people could volunteer to spend time with these wonderful people. Set times could be given for these friendships to develop. We have “adopt a cop” – why not adopt a pop? Students could then be enriched by their stories and their life experiences and could even write these stories down for them as living biographies that could be commercially published to celebrate the impact and influence of those within our region. A famous French writer once wrote “A man’s age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories.” People in Rockhampton aged care carry a fine cargo of experiences, stories and memories; now it is the role of Rockhampton’s young people to help them unlock this cargo, to unpack it patiently and gently, and to learn from the treasures within and celebrate the collective narratives of an ageing generation. n

finance

The Future Of Retirement Living – Exciting Or Frightening? By Cam Ansell There is little doubt that the Australian aged care sector will soon be undergoing major reform. Moves toward a less regulated operating environment and greater flexibility in service delivery and user payments will almost certainly be a feature of the Productivity Commissions recommendations due in April 2011. What does remain subject to debate is the impact

erhaps part of the answer lies behind the drivers of reform in Australia’s aged care system. Although providers have long argued for change, I suspect that much of the impetus has come from consumers of services and the wider public. While residents have demanded greater levels of service flexibility and modern facilities, the broader community has increasingly become cognisant of the need to establish an aged care system that is affordable and sustainable. Testament to this theory are the key recommendations of the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission Report 2009 which states: “We recommend that older people should have greater scope to choose between whether they get care in the community or in an aged care facility” “Hence, our recommendations seek to balance three goals: ensuring greater choice and responsiveness for consumers; getting the most effective use of public monies while protecting those older people who are most in need; and creating an environment that fosters a robust and sustainable aged care sector.”

For the retirement living sector, enhanced choice for users of aged care services will have a huge flow-on effect. Countless surveys have demonstrated that Australians prefer non-institutionalised accommodation. People would rather receive care services in their own home and our experience indicates that retirement villages are among the most effective and efficient environments for community based service solutions. Under a less heavily regulated operating environment, the capacity to exercise choice will ultimately influence the way villages are designed, the services on offer and the way operators contract with their customers.

An International Perspective In the Danish town of Skaevinge in 1984 a new program was developed to support people wishing to live longer in the community. As a result of the success of this program, the Danish government adopted an approach to restrict the construction of stand-alone “institutional” residential care facilities in favour of integrated village

these reforms will have on the retirement living sector.

Figure 1 – Analysis of Changes in Danish Aged Care Accommodation Source: Danmarks Statistik

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and community care solutions. Figure 1 (previous page) presents the shift of housing stock from traditional stand-alone residential care to these integrated accommodation strategies. Similar shifts toward serviced accommodation are evident in the United States under the Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE/On Lok) and in the United Kingdom’s community cluster model. Grant Thornton Australia has just completed a major review of New Zealand’s aged care sector (http://www.grantthornton.com.au/ files/aged_residential_care_service_review_ nz_100921.pdf) which has been experiencing increased integration between residential care and retirement living services within village models. Historically, consumers of low care services in New Zealand (“rest homes”) with financial means have been required to contribute towards the cost of care. In this environment, there has been strong acceptance of serviced apartments (“apartments for life”) as a rest home alternative. The New Zealand residential aged care sector provides greater flexibility for residents who wish to receive care services in retirement villages and the combination of these factors has seen the evolution of comprehensive integrated care villages. Recent changes to the contractual arrangements between providers and funders have resulted in a substantial increase in the level of resident contribution

towards additional services and premium accommodation in residential care. The New Zealand residential aged care sector provides greater flexibility for residents who wish to receive care services in alternative accommodation within a retirement village and the combination of these factors has seen the evolution of comprehensive integrated care villages. We found that these villages had established service models offering superior care continuity and flexibility for residents. Integrated solutions in retirement living, serviced apartments and residential care has led to the establishment of care offerings and building designs that reflect the contemporary consumer demand and care/ accommodation priorities.

The Australian Context The prospects for developing innovative and lucrative retirement living solutions in Australia has now become very exciting. The proposed “entitlement/voucher model” quoted by the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission and the Productivity Commission have the potential to make care integrated villages much more attractive for residents and operators. Currently, restrictive residential aged care legislation makes it difficult to operate serviced apartments viably – in most cases residents are required to meet the cost of care services delivered into their apartment. The situation becomes more challenging as residents functional dependence levels increase over time and their support

requirements become unaffordable in the absence of a public subsidy. Under proposed future models, entitlement to care subsidies will rest with the user of services rather than with the provider. In this environment, older Australians will have greater flexibility to exercise their preferences for domiciliary care. There is no doubt that demand for residential care services will increase with the ageing population, and service and funding flexibility will see demand for supported living solutions in retirement villages grow at an accelerated rate. The Grant Thornton/RVA Retirement Living Survey demonstrates that 60% of respondents are actively considering strategies to increase support levels to residents in their villages – Refer Figure 2 (http://www.melon.com.au/clients/ grantthornton/villagesurvey/). As the Baby Boomer generation looms large on the property market radar, the future of seniors’ accommodation services is very bright for those open to change. Investment levels in both residential care and retirement living are primed to surge for new developments as well as redevelopments of older stock. The design of seniors’ accommodation in the future will not be dictated by operator preferences for “property development” or “care service” business models - they will be designed to meet the preferences of the people living in them. But not everyone is excited by the prospect of reform and some retirement living operators and aged care providers are resisting change. Concerns have been raised by a number of established aged care providers that have developed their business around the existing highly regulated framework. Some operators are concerned that their existing infrastructure and services may not remain relevant in a less regulated environment. However, the design of seniors’ accommodation in the future will not be dictated by past regulatory frameworks, Figure 2 – New Zealand Residential Care Facilities Built with Serviced Apartments/ORA Units Source: Grant Thronton ARC Review 2010

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Cam Ansell is the National Head of Aged Care and Retirement Living Services at Grant Thornton, one of the world’s organisations of accounting and consulting firms in the world. Cam has undertaken comprehensive financial and operational consultancies for major retirement and aged care operators and governments throughout Australia, USA, Asia and New Zealand. He has also personally managed retirement villages and residential aged care facilities.

Figure 3 – Attitudes Towards the Provision of Care Onsite Care in Retirement Villages Source: Grant Thornton/RVA Retirement Living Survey 2010

or owner preferences for “property development” or “care service” business models. They will be designed according to the preferences of the people living in them.

Today is a good day to start thinking about what those preferences might be. n www.grantthornton.com.au

workforce

Flexibility is the Key Any form of change involves a degree of forethought and a considerable amount of planning to ensure a successful outcome... and I am pleased to say that these two factors have resulted in a successful launch of the Presidential Card Employee Benefits Program (EBP).

he EBP is an initiative by the ACAA to assist aged care organisations with employee acquisition, retention and reward. Our new model has been carefully structured to ensure we are able to be as flexible as possible in meeting the requirements of our prospective clients. Accordingly, we now offer several models of the Program to suit the structure of as many organisations as possible.

Organisation Funded Program to All Employees: With this option, your organisation retains ownership of the Card. If an employee leaves, their Card is retained by your organisation and may be reallocated to another employee. In some cases, where an employee is considering leaving your organisation purely for financial reasons, the loss of savings associated with the loss of their Card may outweigh the financial gain of changing jobs. •

Presidential Card EBP Cards at an annual cost of $24.90 INCL GST

Employee Funded Opt-In Program: With this option, the employee purchases the Card and therefore retains ownership of the Card. If they leave your organisation, they retain ownership of the Card. Whilst this option has no financial cost to your organisation, there is no inherent HR retention strategy. There is, however, still kudos for your organisation in providing the Program to your employees and a $40 discount to the RRP of the Program. •

Presidential Card EBP Cards at an annual cost of $29.90 INCL GST

Some organisations choose a hybrid option, where they choose (for example) to fund the Program for all full time employees and offer an Opt-In Program to casual and part time employees. In this case, we are happy to offer a price of $24.90 INCL GST for ALL employees.

Experience of implementation in the last 3 months has proven that between 80 and 100 percent of employees that attend information session will happily purchase a card ‘on the spot’. This certainly answers the question ‘will our employees use the card?’.

Volunteer Opt-In Program: For every Organisation that enrolls in the EBP, we offer you a way to reward your Volunteers with a co-branded Program….. at NO COST to the Organisation. We will provide a duplicate website accessible only by your volunteers which will let them view the Program, and decide if they wish to enroll. If they do, all they have to do is to complete a simple online form and pay by either Credit or Debit Card. We will forward them a cobranded Card direct to their address. There is nothing for your organisation to do! Whether your Organisation has 50 or 5,000 employees, the EBP can assist in attracting, and ultimately retaining, quality employees. We believe Presidential Card can offer Aged Care organisations an additional avenue to nurture the most important asset in our industry... our employees. Whilst each website is co-branded with your organisation’s logo and welcome message, our generic website can be viewed using the following login details: www.presidentialcard.com.au/acaa LOGIN: MB00003 PASSWORD: ACAA For full details, please contact me personally. Brad King Manager Business Development Presidential Card 0413 839999 BKing@PresidentialCard.com.au

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Speed your pre-employment starter processes with fit2work

ny HR manager in the health industry knows the trials and tribulations of hiring new employees. The safety of your clients depends upon the trustworthiness of your employees, as does the reputation of your organisation. Whilst National Criminal History Checks are mandatory, the process and time spent waiting for a check can be at best an inconvenience, at worst a long drawn out process that may result in a good employee missing out on a job. fit2work provides a clever solution to this issue, offering an online service which can return results in as little as 60 seconds. fit2work is a secure, web based service that allows registered employers to perform online Criminal History Record Checks

on potential and current employees. The national checks are conducted through an interface to Crimtrac, the Commonwealth body that incorporates all information from the state and territory police of Australia. We spoke with Kathy Giannakoudakis, HR Manager at Eastern Health to see how using the fit2work service has impacted her day to day work. “When you have over 8,000 employees you need a process that is staff efficient, easy to access and fool proof,” Kathy states. “For us fit2work fit these requirements”. The effectiveness of fit2work is something Kathy attests to, saying fit2work does not so much affect who they chose to employ, but rather speeds up the employee

starter process. Future staff are given preemployment forms to fill out four weeks before commencing work with Eastern Health, and with fit2work their criminal history checks are completed well before their starting date – the majority of which, Kathy confirms, do in fact come back within 60 seconds. One of the benefits of fit2work is how user friendly it is. Kathy has only recently been registered as an officer/user and she said she managed to “pick up the system after one or two times of using it”. To further assist its clients fit2work also offers an on-call helpdesk operator. In the time Kathy has been using fit2work, the system has returned a handful of clients with criminal histories that they had not disclosed during their interview. Kathy says she would certainly recommend the fit2work system. If you would like to know more about fit2work please call the fit2work coordinator on 1300 575 575 for further information. n

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ACAA Positive Appreciation Award 2010 Earlier this year ACAA embarked on a new and exciting initiative in our magazine Aged Care Australia to allow readers to share ‘Good News’ feedback letters from clients, happy staff emails, anything to do with the business of caring for frail and older Australians.

hese stories are often sent out to media channels but are rarely published. ACAA hopes that this initiative will assist in the many ways that we collectively combat the constant ‘negative press’ given to aged care. ACAA sees this initiative as part of the important role we all play in presenting a positive image of aged care. I am pleased to say the Association has had a fantastic response to this initiative and are proud to announce that we have selected not one, but two winners. They are: Falling Waters @ Strathalbyn, Padman Healthcare (SA) and Sale Elderly Citizens Village - Ashleigh House (VIC)

Manager Falling Waters 7 Langhorne Creek Road Strathalbyn 5255 Dear Belinda I would like to congratulate the Management and Staff on the recent memorial service held for residents of Falling Waters who passed away in 2009. A memorial service for relatives, residents and staff is a great initiative. It enables relatives to return to their loved ones’ previous residence (home) and interact with staff and residents they met over a period of time. Residents & Carers/Staff are also able to be part of the process which they may not otherwise have been; such as an invitation from the family to attend a resident’s funeral. Hopefully other organizations will adopt the concept for their residents. Thank you Lisa J Whelan Relative of Suzanne Lindley Davies

ACAA received a fantastic response to this initiative. Here are a couple of examples of the wonderful letters received:

Falling Waters @ Strathalbyn

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Sale Elderly Citizens Village

Sale Elderly Citizens Village (Ashleigh House Residential Aged Care Facility) Dear Janene, Brenda and staff of Ashleigh House I would like to thank you all so very much for the loving way in which you all contributed to the care of our mum, nanny and great grandmother, Patricia. Right from the start when she entered Ashleigh House for respite care I knew that she was going to be well cared for. It was not easy for mum and dad when it all began almost two years ago or as Des says 22 and a half months ago! However, both quickly adapted to the loving and caring environment of Ashleigh House and there began what proved to be the final chapter of their love affair. Dad has always spoken most highly of the care provided not only to nanny but to all residents in general. I operate a program where I teach in Melbourne which takes errant behaving boys to local nursing homes to visit residents. This proves to be a very positive experience for these boys and gives them a different take on life to what they see in their daily lives. Nursing home / hostel care in Melbourne varies greatly in the way it is conducted. I am yet to find one that has the same sense of feel about it as does Ashleigh House. There are bigger, new and more expensive ones in Melbourne but they lack the spirit which one finds at Ashleigh House. I can honestly day that in all my visits to Ashleigh House there was never anything which gave me cause for concern about the care mum was receiving. So thank you all once again for all of the time, care and love you gave to mum. Thank you for the freedom which you gave to us who visited her. Thank you very much for the 500 or so cups of tea and coffee and the Monte Carlo biscuits which were mine and mumâ€™s favourite!!!!!!!! May God continue to bless you all in your work. Take care of yourselves as you do of your residents. Peter and Leigh Surkitt and families.

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Turning Back Time St Ives Murdoch in Western Australia turned back time to reminisce of days gone by at their recent 10th Anniversary celebrations.

ore than 200 residents, including 10 who were celebrating 10 years or retirement at the Village, joined the staff and special guests for an Official Afternoon Tea on Friday 15th October, 2010. The CEO and Director of St Ives, Ray Fitzgerald provided a snapshot of the Village’s history since Stage 1 to Stage 9 and the development of the 245 villas, 55 apartments, residential aged care facility which includes a hostel, memory loss and high care unit.

Mr and Mrs Bartlett – First residents in the village

From the first residents, Mr and Mrs Bartlett who moved in on 29 September 2000, who were in attendance on the day to the 415 residents that live there today, there was considerable optimism for the next Stage. The 10th Stage will eventually enable the Village to be home to 700 residents who will enjoy first class resort style facilities including cinema, restaurant, heated pool & spa, bowling green, mini putt-putt green and clubhouses. Along with Mr and Mrs Bartlett, the other residents who were celebrating 10 years at St Ives were presented with a bouquet of flowers to recognise this significant milestone and two enormous birthday cakes were cut to celebrate the occasion. The Anniversary event was alive with activity and a buzz with good cheer as the staff and residents celebrated the journey and memories of how the village has grown.

Mr and Mrs Doig – First residents to sign up

St Ives Murdoch creates employment for over 100 staff and a strong social culture has evolved over the years with different Village Managers and fantastic staff who work with the residents to assist with many and varied activities for all to enjoy. From small beginnings many annual events are still celebrated today. The first newsletter was written in June 2001 and Wagtails continues today sharing news monthly under the capable writing abilities of Yvette Corbett. Five Village Managers have been employed to manage the Village since it opened, each placing their individual style on the village, listening to residents’ concerns and assisting them to ensure the village remained harmonious as it continued to grow. The support of all staff cannot be overlooked ensuring the village looks at its best at all times and the resident hairdresser, Trish Cuccovia will also be celebrating her 10th year with the residents in November 2010. The support and friendships made within the village will never be forgotten. St Ives and Murdoch University together have seen their vision and dream materialise before them and how proud they must be.

From left to right Noreen Byrne - GM Villages St Ives; Anne Marie Archer – CEO ACAAWA; Joanne Laughton - Village Manager St Ives Murdoch.

Celebrations included special guests, Ray Fitzgerald (CEO & Director of St Ives); Noreen Byrne (GM Villages St Ives); Joanne Laughton (Village Manager St Ives Murdoch); Mr Charles Giglia (Manager, Campus Projects Murdoch University ); Joseph D’Alessandro (Contracts Administrator and Tenancy Manager Murdoch University); Angus Kukura (GM Marketing St Ives); Anne Marie Archer (ACAAWA); and 235 St Ives residents. n

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‘Dogged’ approach to Excellence in Aged Care wins Award Melbourne-based Chief Executive of Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA), Mr Greg Mundy, has been awarded the Professional Services category in the annual Bethanie Medallion awards.

he award was announced at a breakfast function held recently at Frasers Restaurant in West Perth. Unfortunately, due to family commitments, Mr Mundy wasn’t able to attend so, in his absence, the award was accepted on his behalf by Chief Executive of Aged and Community Services WA, Mr Stephen Kobelke. In presenting the award, Chief Executive of The Bethanie Group, Mr Wayne Belcher, said he couldn’t let the opportunity pass without having well known cartoonist Chatfiled provide a sketch summarising the “doggedness” with which Greg Mundy has served the aged care sector and lobbied government for additional support and favour. Mr Mundy will be leaving ACSA, the national peak body for notfor-profit providers of residential care, community care and housing for older people, in December this year. He has been CE of the organisation for the past 10 years, commencing in October 2000. He is well-known in Australian aged care circles through his work on behalf of the industry, his columns in industry magazines and his addresses at conferences. Mr Mundy is also known internationally, having presented papers at successive conferences of the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing and at the American Association now known as “Leading Age”. Another award, the 2010 Bethanie Medallion for Voluntary Services to Aged Care, was presented to a retired nurse who gives end of life care to aged care facility residents and their families. Prior to her retiring 10 years ago, Moira Shoebridge worked as a Registered Nurse specialising in Palliative and Geriatric Nursing; for the past three years, since moving into Bethanie Fields Lifestyle Village, Moira has volunteered in the nearby Aged Care Facility. Facility Site Manager, Sharon Beer, said Moira was a tireless worker, “Moira makes herself available 24/7, ensuring no-one passes from this life alone or without support.

(L - R)Stephen Kobelke holds Chatfiled’s caricature, Wayne Belcher with the ‘Tree of Life’ wall sculpture, which was also presented to the winners, and Voluntary Services Winner Moira Shoebridge with her certificate and medallion

“The time she gives is invaluable to the palliative care team effort.” Ms Beer said. “Staff have often commented that Moira is always cheerful and compassionate, and she has a great understanding of the challenges faced at this stage of life – both by the one who is dying and their relatives – and she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience into her volunteer role.” Along with her skills in providing important help during end of life care, she also lends a hand in the therapy department, assisting with outings and other special activities. n The Bethanie Medallion, awarded by The Bethanie Group Inc, is an honorary citation presented in recognition of an individual who has a history of consistently delivering an exceptional standard of service in an area of the Aged Care sector. Each year two awards are presented, one to someone contributing to the aged care sector as part of their full-time occupation, and one to someone giving their time in a voluntary capacity. The Bethanie Group Inc is one of Western Australia’s largest providers of residential aged care and community services. For further information, please contact: Mr Wayne Belcher Chief Executive, The Bethanie Group T: 61 8 6222 9000 Wayne.Belcher@bethanie.com.au

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sponsors

Managing sexually aggressive behaviour in nursing homes – the legal considerations Danielle Webb

Lawyer, Hynes Lawyers

Effectively managing sexual aggression by residents in

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how to meet the obligations and duties owed to care recipients;

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how to ensure personal information with respect to sexually aggressive behaviour is obtained, disclosed and maintained in accordance with relevant privacy legislation; and

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complying with the compulsory reporting obligations under the Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth).

aged care facilities involves complex and challenging issues for approved providers as it involves balancing competing ethical and legal considerations.

exual aggression is defined as a sexual interaction between two care recipients which at least one of the care recipients would be likely to construe as unwelcome. The issues associated with sexually aggression are relevant in an aged care setting in the context of persons with dementia or other cognitive impairments which may affect a person’s ability to consent to sexual activity and which may affect a person’s ability to judge whether the other party consents to the activity. Approved providers have obligations to protect their care recipients (and particularly residents who lack capacity to consent) from the sexually aggressive behaviour of other residents. Approved providers not only owe obligations to the resident who might be the “victim” of an incident of unwanted sexual aggression, they also owe obligations to the care recipient who might be the “aggressor”. This article does not attempt to address the complex clinical issues associated with providing care to residents with cognitive impairment who exhibit sexually aggressive behaviours. This article outlines some legal considerations an approved provider might

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the sexually aggressive behaviour of other residents and of the obligations to ensure that residents do not cause harm by engaging in unwanted sexually aggressive behaviour;

take into account in relation to managing sexually aggressive behaviour including:

Obligations and duties owed to care recipients Accreditation Standard 4 states that approved providers must ensure residents live in a safe and comfortable environment. A resident who is (or who is potentially) subject to the non consensual sexually aggressive behaviour of another resident, does not live in a safe environment. Approved providers also owe a general duty of care to residents to take reasonable steps to ensure they are safe and are not at risk of harm. These duties apply equally to protect residents who might be at risk of suffering some harm as a result of the aggressive sexual behaviours of another resident residents and to residents who have or who have the potential to be sexually aggressive. In order to meet these obligations, approved providers must take reasonable steps to prevent and minimise the risk of harm to residents which might be caused by the sexually aggressive behaviour of other residents. This could include taking the following steps: •

ensuring staff are informed and aware of the duties and obligations owed in relation to protecting residents from harm that might occur as a result of

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instructing staff to regularly assess care recipients with cognitive impairments to identify those residents who exhibit behaviours that indicate a propensity to sexually aggression or who are at risk of being the target of a resident who is sexually aggressive;

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developing appropriate plans to manage residents who are identified as being at risk;

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providing ongoing training to ensure staff are aware of the risk indicators for sexually aggressive behaviour and have clear directions as to how to manage those risk indicators once identified;

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ensuring staff are aware of the obligation to report assaults (see below); and

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implementing appropriate critical incident reporting policies and procedures to be followed in the event of an incident.

Privacy issues If an approved provider identifies that a care recipient with a cognitive impairment is exhibiting behaviours which indicate that care recipient might be at risk of being sexually aggressive, the approved provider should formulate a plan to manage that risk and to ensure no resident actually suffers harm. This may necessitate discussing the issues with the care recipient’s representatives and/or family. Additionally, if a resident has been the “victim” of unwanted sexually aggressive behaviour from another resident, the approved provider may need to disclose the events surrounding a sexually aggressive incident to the Department and to the Police

(see below) and to the families of the victim and the aggressor. Sensitive information of this type must be managed in accordance with the requirements of the privacy legislation which is relatively complex. Approved providers should have effective policies and procedures in place which protect a care recipient’s personal information, which comply with the obligations contained in the legislation and which provide appropriate direction to staff as to how to manage the release of such sensitive information to the care recipient’s representatives and/or family and to external authorities such as the Department and the Police.

Collecting personal information The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) defines “personal information” as any information or opinions (whether true or not) about an individual whose identity is apparent, whether it is recorded in writing or not. “Sensitive information” includes information about an individual’s sexual preferences or practices. Records and care notes relating to a sexually aggressive incidents and behaviours will be regarded as sensitive information. Approved providers can collect sensitive information so long as it is for the purpose of carrying out one or more of the approved provider’s functions. Collecting information about a resident with a cognitive impairment who has or who has the potential to be sexually aggressive is information an approved provider can appropriately collect as it is clearly relevant to ensuring that the approved provider can meet its obligations to provide a safe environment for its care recipients. Approved providers can collect information to investigate an incident of sexual aggression on the same basis. The Privacy Act allows approved providers to disclose sensitive information about a care recipient to a person who is responsible for the care recipient if the following circumstances are met: •

the care recipient would reasonably expect the approved provider to disclose the information to the care recipient’s family or representative or to make alternative arrangements to keep the care recipient safe;

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the approved provider reasonably believes that the disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious and imminent threat to an individual’s life, health or safety; or the approved provider has reason to suspect that unlawful activity has been, is being or may be engaged in, and uses or discloses the personal information as a necessary part of its investigation of the matter or in reporting its concerns to relevant persons (including the family or representative of a care recipient) or authorities.

Accordingly, an approved provider can collect information about a resident’s behaviours to determine if they are at risk of being sexually aggressive or are at risk of being subjected to an incident of unwanted sexual aggression and an approved provider has authority under the Privacy Act to disclose that information to the family members of affected care recipients if to do so is to enable the approved provider to keep the resident safe or to prevent them from suffering harm.

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Approved providers have obligations to protect their care recipients (and particularly residents who lack capacity to consent) from the sexually aggressive behaviour of other residents.

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Compulsory reporting Under the Aged Care Act and the Accountability Principles 1998 (Cth) (Accountability Principles), an approved provider must report “reportable assaults” to the police and to the Department. Non consensual sexually aggressive behaviour between two care recipients will constitute a reportable assault under the Aged Care Act and the Accountability Principles, however provided certain conditions are met an approved provider may have a discretion not to report. The Accountability Principles outline an approved provider’s reporting obligations and their responsibility to ensure their staff members are informed of those reporting obligations. The Accountability Principles state that an approved provider has a discretion not to report an assault by a resident, on a resident where: (a) the incident or a previous similar incident has already been reported; or (b) within 24 hours of the report of the sexually aggressive incident being made the approved provider forms an opinion that the sexually aggressive

behaviour was committed by a resident; and: (c) prior to the receipt of the allegation, the resident who committed the sexually aggressive behaviour has been assessed by an appropriate health professional as suffering from a cognitive or mental impairment (and the assessment is available); and (d) within 24 hours of the report, a behaviour management plan is implemented and recorded for the resident.1 If these conditions are met, an approved provider may exercise the discretion not to report. The Aged Care Act provides that approved providers must take reasonable measures to require their staff members, who suspect on reasonable grounds that a reportable assault has occurred, to report the suspicion as soon as reasonably practicable.2 To ensure compliance, the approved provider should have a comprehensive policy and procedure which identifies:

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Managing sexually aggressive behaviour in nursing homes – the legal considerations (continued) (a) the approved provider’s reporting obligations and the timeframes for reporting; (b) when the discretion not to report will be exercised; (c) who, on behalf of the approved provider, will report to the police and to the Department; and (d) who, on behalf of the approved provider will exercise the discretion not to report.

Advice Managing sexually aggressive behaviour within an aged care facility is complex and challenging. It involves a number of competing interests such as balancing a care recipient’s capacity to consent to sexual activity with the approved provider’s obligation to protect care recipients from non consensual sexually aggressive behaviour. Given the complexities of the legal issues involved, approved providers should consider obtaining legal advice to assist them to ensure that the policies, procedures and training programs they implement to manage the risks associated with sexually aggressive behaviour are compliant.

References 1. 2.

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Accountability Principles 1998 (Cth), section 1.31 Aged Care Act 1999 (Cth), section 63-1AA(5)

editorial

ACAA Achieves Industry Milestone with “National electronic Resident Agreement” (NeRA) Application

Developed in collaboration with aged care software developer, e-Tools, NeRA has an easy-to-use electronic front end to assist with the accurate and timely generation of resident agreements. As many providers have used word templates historically and experienced problems associated with errors, as well as monitoring and implementing legislative changes, ACAA/ACSA’s initiative will effectively release staff from these burdens.

ACAA launched its joint ACAA/ ACSA initiative to support a national approach to resident agreements at the recent ACAA Congress in Adelaide. The National electronic Resident Agreement (NeRA) application is a significant step towards a shared vision and collaborative outcome to address compliance and viability.

he theme of the Congress was “Evolution or Revolution”. Electronic aids and applications will assist us into the future regardless of the model, the true test of a worthwhile electronic partner being one that:

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• • • • • •

aids but does not control simplifies but meets the requirements adds value behind the scenes complements but is not dependent upon other systems produces significant time savings but is not costly is easy to install and administer

NeRA is a classic example of this philosophy as it aims to assist the industry with at least one mandatory function of accountability currency of agreements. The advantages of having common rather than individually maintained documentation have been recognised by the Associations, who have taken on the responsibility of monitoring legislative changes and maintaining the currency of agreements via NeRA. NeRA automatically updates government data in relation to resident admission, which reduces the burden on providers to maintain accurate agreements.

This initiative is a first in collaborative information-sharing nationally and across sectors. The result is beneficial to providers and sets a pathway for more common areas of interest to be developed. E-Tools, in conjunction with your Association, is currently developing more applications to assist you to deliver quality outcomes at a price that will not impact on the viability of your service. Save costs, focus your attention on other issues and let your Association cover your back on the compliance matters they can orchestrate nationally. e-Tools is your Association’s partner and supports the initiative the Association is taking - a great initiative, which shows foresight and responds to its members’ needs going forward. • •

A joint venture between you and your representative body Your Association membership fees at work for you.

Visit www.e-tools.com.au or phone e-Tools on 03 9571 8611 for further information about this cost effective compliance solution. n

Money Matters By Jane Verity Issues surrounding money are a common occurrence for people who have dementia and their carers, resulting in frustration for everyone involved. These challenges can be addressed by following three simple steps. 1. Shift your focus from what you are experiencing to what the person with dementia experiences. A diagnosis of dementia can have a profound impact on a person’s self-identity. They experience a loss of status, control and power. They may lose their job or role, withdraw from regular social networks, and give up on everyday activities such as paying bills. 2. Identify the underlying unmet emotional need behind the behaviour. The person with dementia may have several unmet emotional needs and may compensate in a symbolic way by focusing on that which represents wealth, self-worth and status. These emotions can be symbolically expressed through an emphasis on money, jewellery, or even bundles of keys.

to connect a due date on a bill with taking an action to pay the account. Organise for regular utility accounts to be paid by direct debit with the person’s financial institution. Present this change of payment to the person with dementia in an extremely respectful way. You could express it as, ‘The accounts seem to be coming in from everywhere making it hard to keep track. What if I organise for regular payments and then neither of us has to worry?’ These exact words shift the focus from the person’s inability to pay bills to making the number of incoming bills the problem. Misplacing accounts or bills is often a different matter for the person with dementia who may simply want to clean up and put the bills away. As the ability to keep things in a logical order may have been forgotten, environmental cues may trigger a desire to place it anywhere there is space. This means that if they open a kitchen drawer and there is any surplus space, the bills may end up with the utensils. A simple solution may be that you as the carer gathers the accounts in a manner respectful to the person with dementia and keeps them in a logical and safe place. Repeated trips to the bank, uncharacteristic large purchases, and repeatedly checking their bank book or counting money have a less tangible reason. Money represents power so always ensure the person has a large quantity of coins and small bills at hand.

3. Implement solutions that directly meet the particular emotional need/s.

Hiding money around the house is often a symbolic action that represents the person with dementia wants to retain what is left of their identity by placing it in a safe place. A powerful solution is to boost the person’s self-esteem by focusing on all that can be appreciated and sincerely thanking them for the things they do.

Unpaid bills represent a tangible underlying reason that the person may no longer be able

The primary carer may often be accused of stealing. Shift your focus from your own

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Unpaid bills represent a tangible underlying reason that the person may no longer be able to connect a due date on a bill with taking an action to pay the account

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point of view to the experience of the person with dementia who may be expressing their loss of control symbolically by making these accusations. Avoid arguments and address the unmet emotional needs by enabling the person to feel needed and useful, boost their self-esteem, and identify any roles they can still fulfil. A helpful hint Caring for a person with dementia is a unique experience as every person in every situation is different. What works one day may not work the next, and what works for one family member may not work for another. As their carer, you are the one who knows the person with dementia the closest and trial and error is the best tool to discover a solution. About this approach Shifting focus to the unmet emotional needs of the person with dementia and the symbolic significance of their behaviour is the key to identifying practical solutions that dissolve challenging behaviour. This approach is one of the core elements of the Spark of Life Concept. Discover more at www.dementiacareaustralia.com n Jane Verity Founder of Spark of Life Dementia Care Australia © 2010 www.dementiacareaustralia.com

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editorial

The Struggle to provide Quality, Equity, Efficiency, Sustainability and Choice The need for operators to access accommodation bonds can lead to “cherry picking” of residents with the ability to pay higher accommodation bonds. It may be difficult for low care fully supported residents to access care, as operators are subsidised at $28.72p.d/$10,482.80p.a, as well as receiving less government funding due to their reduced care needs. If the facility is able to accept both low and high care residents, and there is sufficient demand for supported beds preference may be given to a high care supported resident.

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ny changes to aged care cost structures and the underlying funding model need to consider likely gaps in meeting the cost of care and the potential impact on a resident’s ability to access the care of their choice. While it is imperative that the financially disadvantaged are given access to care, it is also important that we don’t shift the bracket of financial disadvantage to the middle class. There are a number of issues that arise from the current cost structures and funding instrument that impact on a resident’s ability to afford and access care.

Low care and extra service residents, through the payment of an accommodation bond, can increase their pension entitlement and reduce their daily income tested fee. This is because the accommodation bond is an exempt asset and is not considered to earn income. It is also possible for the resident to negotiate different amounts of ongoing fees and charges or to have some (or all) of their ongoing fees and charges deducted from the accommodation bond paid (by mutual agreement). Such flexibility can ensure that the resident is able to make care as affordable as possible, tailoring their financial arrangements to the cost of care as required. The current asset thresholds for Supported Residents, $38,500 for Fully Supported and $98,237.60 for partially supported are low relative to the market price of accommodation bonds, creating a gap for potential residents in relation to their assets. Those resident’s whose assets are too high to qualify for supported status but are insufficient to meet the “market price” accommodation bond may have difficulty accessing care. High care residents, who are pensioners and paying the full rate of accommodation charge, need to produce more income

than is allowable under the Age Pension Income Test (currently $3,796p.a single and $6,656p.a combined for a couple) to cover the cost of care. On the current rate of Daily Care Fee ($39.50) and Accommodation Charge ($28.72) pensioners are paying approximately 133% of the full pension in aged care fees and charges. This can be particularly detrimental where it is a member of a couple living in aged care. Payment of the accommodation charge enables residents to keep and rent their former home, with both the asset and income (rent) being exempt from pension and Income Tested Fee calculations. For pensioners who cannot rent their former home they will need to fund their cost of living through the income from their investments and beyond that utilise their capital. For residents that choose to sell their former home, it is likely that the proceeds of the sale will cause a reduction in pension and a higher Income Tested Fee.

Residents who move into an Extra Services Facility and pay the Extra Service Fee can have the same issues as resident’s paying the accommodation charge, that the generation of income to pay the fees and charges results in a reduction in pension entitlement and an increase in the Income Tested Fee. This situation is exacerbated by the Government’s 25% claw back on the extra service fee, which means that the resident is paying a higher extra service fee than is being received by the provider. Flexible payment options for residents and a viable funding model for operators are essential in enabling residents access to the care of their choice and the ability to meet the costs associated with the move to aged care in the most affordable way. The delivery of a policy framework that upholds the values of equity, efficiency, sustainability, quality and choice is vital in ensuring access and affordability of aged care services in Australia.

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Flexible payment options for residents and a viable funding model for operators are essential in enabling residents access to the care of their choice and the ability to meet the costs associated with the move to aged care in the most affordable way.

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This article is based on Colonial First State’s submission to the Productivity Commission for the Caring for Older Australians Inquiry. Should you wish to obtain a copy of the submission or require further information please contact Rachel Lane, Executive Manager Aged Care Solutions, Colonial First State on 03 8618 5567. n

editorial

The Grand Plan – Update The Grand Plan – a new vision for caring for older people – developed by the Campaign for Care of Older Australians (CCOA) has succeeded in elevating aged care issues in the public and political arenas.

raining and resources for CCOA members and state bodies to encourage local involvement and events resulted in a range of community forums and events which have attracted State and local media attention. CCOA was influential in the COAG decision giving responsibility for aged care to the Commonwealth Government. Since the launch at the end of June 2010 in the lead up to the Federal Election, the key driver in the campaign – the website – has become a popular destination for people interested in the care of older people. By the end of September more than 8,000 postcards had been sent to grand older people, along with more than 30,000 emails to Members of Parliament, many of whom responded. A number of our policy asks were committed to by the major parties. Almost 30,000 postcards were also distributed to schools across Australia. The Grand Debate, held 10 days before the election, was a major accomplishment: it was the first time since the 2001 election that the Coalition, Greens and ALP all participated. Check it out at www.agedcare.org.au/resultsclip

We have been busy since the end of the election talking to the Greens and the independents: Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie are all talking about aged care. The new Minister for Ageing Mark Butler and the minority Labor Government have promised that aged care reform is a second term priority. It’s up to us to make sure they come good on that promise. CCOA will now focus its efforts on getting the right outcomes from the Productivity Commission (PC) Inquiry process and we will need your help to do it. CCOA has influenced State Governments and encouraged them to make submissions to the PC Inquiry, with many acting on this advice. The interim report is due for release by December. Aged care needs to be seen positively by the general public and politicians need to have aged care front and centre in their thinking during this time.

Ask your local MP to use the new local electorate time in Parliament to talk about aged care. n

Face of The Grand Plan, Father Bob Maguire OAM, 76, South Melbourne Along with his media sparring partner and friend John Safran, Father Bob Maguire was the first ‘face’ of The Grand Plan, and he introduced the election Grand Debate. This was attended by the former Minister, Justine Elliot, the Opposition spokeswoman, Senator Concetta Fierravanti Wells, and Greens spokeswoman, Senator Rachel Siewert. Father Bob was recently recognised with a Senior Achiever Award by the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria.

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editorial

Aged Care Sector In Need Of Leadership A leader of the aged care industry said politicians should stop fighting over who is to blame for the country’s aged care problems, and should instead find solutions for fixing them.

damning report on the sector titled ‘What does the future hold for older New Zealanders’, a joint initiative of the Labour, the Green Party and Grey Power was released recently.

The report is based on over 450 submissions from 20 nationwide meetings attended by over 1200 people, including conversations with various experts, nurses and caregivers countrywide. According to it, in order to make rest home residents easier to manage, they were given anti-psychotic medication routinely to sedate them, including ignoring them for long stretches of time, not toileting them regularly, nor providing treatment for common conditions. The report also found frequent cases of abuse and bullying of staff and residents, which recommended appointing an aged care commissioner and technical working party for addressing the problems highlighted. It

also recommended government mandatory staffing levels for nurses, funded training for staff, pay-parity with public hospital staff, including unannounced auditing by independent auditors. Associate Professor Matthew Parsons from Auckland University called the report sensationalist and unhelpful Green MP Sue Kedgley responding said Parsons sounded like an out of touch academic, as by criticism of the report was aimed at drawing attention away from the issues. Dwyane Crombie, Chief Executive of Bupa Care Services said, the sector needed improved training, increased leadership and a focus on quality improvement. In conclusion, in a wakeup call the report reveals the aged care sector to be substandard, desperately short staffed and fast reaching crisis point. n

Source: www.frenchtribune.com (15 October 2010)

editorial

Are we there yet? Is measurement still necessary? has a significant place in aged care and the basics lay the foundation for excellence in care and management. In the same way that times per kilometre and heart rates are the basic tools for measuring running performance, skin tears, wound infection rates and audits of the 44 Outcomes form the foundations of a good quality system. And in the same way that running with a group improves performance, benchmarking with your other aged care facilities makes your data stronger and more relevant.

Stephen Midson RPC Care Management

I was talking with some people the other day about data and measurement and one of them suggested that audits and measuring was so “yesterday”. After momentarily pondering why she was referring to a famous Beatles song I asked why she believed we did not need to measure to which she replied that the world is changing so rapidly that the measures we used to consider as important are now normal and the aged care world has gone beyond these basics and needs more complex measuring tools and systems.

ater that afternoon as I put on my Garmin watch while I was preparing to run with my running group to set off on our leisurely (ha) 10 km hill run her words were rebounding in my mind. After the run I went home and uploaded the data from the Garmin running computer onto my laptop and as the data streamed from my watch to my computer I realised that my erstwhile colleague was totally and completely incorrect. Measurement of the basics still

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In 1940 a sports commentator stated that it was humanly impossible for a person to run a four minute mile. It seemed incredible to believe that a human being could be stretched to the limits of endurance and average 15 miles per hour (24.14 kmh) for a full four minutes. Roger Bannister did not believe this and trained long and hard with the aim of breaking this legendary and seemingly impossible barrier. Finally on 6 May 1954 at Oxford in perfect conditions while he was at the peak of his running performance and with two trusted colleagues Brasher and Chataway to pace him he ran the race of his life and ran the mile in 3:59.4. Diligent training, maintaining his focus and running with competition had made him stronger and able to endure the pain of breaking the four minute mile. Since 1954 the four minute mile is routinely broken and the record is currently held by El Guerrouj of Morocco who ran the mile on 7 July 1999 in 3 minutes 43.13 seconds. John Walker was the first man to run the mile under 3:50 and he managed to run 135 sub four minute miles during his career while American runner Steve Scott has run the most sub four minute miles with 136 attributed to his name. The principles that Bannister, Landy and El Guerroui shared are still shared by athletes and runners today and include: • • • • • •

The need to constantly train, The need to have a goal in mind, The necessity to measure incremental performance gains, The need to look at the whole as a sum of parts, The recognition that competition makes you stronger, and The need to never look back.

Managers and staff in aged care facilities need to adopt these same principles in the management of their quality systems. Every quality system needs to be tuned up on a regular basis and the easiest and simplest way to do this is by undertaking regular audits and benchmarking these results with other similar organisations. Competition with others and pushing the barriers will make your quality system stronger. Well designed audits introduce new ideas and new concepts to an organisation. It is hard to keep up with changes in the aged care sector but contemporary audits designed by professionals will show people gaps in their system that are then able to fill by refining their

systems and designing new systems to fill the gaps. As an example how many aged care facilities have changed their reporting systems to reflect the new Fire Safety Reporting requirements introduced by the Commonwealth Government on 1 July 2010? If you were in Moving ON Audits you would have known about these changes and modified your systems. When an organisation does an audit that pushes their systems processes a little further than they are comfortable with it is like an intense training session. A regular planned program of audits ensures that organisations remain in peak performance and ready to meet the challenges that they will face every day. Remember the three keys to success in quality programs: Consistency, Honesty and Inclusiveness. Organisations which follow these rules rarely have any trouble keeping their quality systems fresh and current and are able to meet the challenges they face every day. I donâ€™t aspire to run a four minute mile although I am coming very close to running a five minute kilometre. But every week I train, examine my data, and vow to train a little harder the following week. And every week, as an Approved Provider and manager, I do my audits, examine my quality data, identify flaws and aim to get a little better in our quality program the following week. n

Australia expected to be the last surviving AAA-rated country by 2030 It has been reported recently that other developed countries will have fallen off the perch because of their ageing populations, according to Standard & Poor’s.

n a report, Global Ageing 2010, released recently, the global rating agency said an ageing population was one of the most significant factors in determining the sovereign rating of a country. S&P’s primary credit analyst Kyran Curry said that agedrelated spending on health, pensions and aged care were expected to rise to 14.4 per cent of Australia’s GDP by 2050. Despite the increase from 9.6 per cent this year, he said Australia would be in a better position than other developed countries, with the US, Britain, Germany, France and The Netherlands moving into more speculative grades before Australia. He said the US would lose its AAA rating in 2020. “Australia has a lower debt level,” Mr Curry said. “It has taken on medium-term borrowing (for the stimulus program) but it is doing so from a stronger position.” S&P thinks Australia’s budget would be in surplus in the medium term. Migrants would also expand Australia’s tax base. n

Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs

workforce

Caring for Hearing impaired Clients: A Formal Approach to Training By Vincent J Little BTeach(FET), BSCPsych, M.Counselling

Abstract In Aged Care Facilities, Hospitals and other places where staff and volunteers are required to provide care for people with degrees of Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, effective communication can become problematic. This can have a significant impact on staff and clients. It is suggested that communication and relationships with clients and patients can be effectively improved with formal training in the management of hearing loss in clients and patients. Research suggests that this has been an area of care, lacking attention in terms of formal training. This brief overview deals with a newly accredited course and the advantages for staff and Hearing Impaired individuals in their care. A training needs analyses (TNA) was conducted with 47 subjects from various Health Care Professions including Aged Care and General Nursing.

Conclusion The TNA results demonstrated a need for specific training on this topic. It is suggested that the course will provide better outcomes for staff and the Hearing Impaired. The outcomes considered are; a better understanding of Hearing Loss and its affect on staff, clients and patients; less stress for carers and the Hard of Hearing through more effective communication; greater confidence and abilities in the management and care of hearing aids. All of these areas are assessed through the development of competencies and an assessable knowledge base. The chart included indicates the level of responses to questions about the need for the elements listed. Skill training in improving communication scored the highest followed by a desire for more formal knowledge on the care and maintenance of clients hearing aids. In the limited space available an attempt has been made to provide a stimulating summary of the perceived and proven need for formal training in Caring for Hearing Impaired Clients and Patients. The Nationally accredited course now available is: Course Code: 30925QLD Course in Caring for Hearing Impaired Clients and Patients. Unit Code: QLD250HIC01A The course has been endorsed by the Royal College of NursingAustralia for 8 CNE points. n

Article continues next page > aca Aged Care Australia | Summer 2010 | 79

editorial A Course in management of Hearing Loss in Clients and Patients – Report on Training Needs Analysis Date Range: Sept-Oct 2009 Serial

Occupation

Experience in Years

Rating of Training Importance Scale 1-5 in order of importance

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

Director of Nursing Aged Care-Nurse Unit Manager Nurse Manager Quality Officer-Aged Care CNC Registered Nurse (RN) Nurse-Unit Manager Nurse-Unit Manager Disability and R.C.O Diversional Therapist Assistant in Nursing (AIN) Student Nurse RN Personal Care Attendant Diversional Therapist Student Nurse RN Student Nurse Nurse Educator Clinical Nurse Social Worker RN- OPMHS* RN- OPMHS* Intern Psychologist Physiotherapist Clinical Nurse Psychologist RN Clinical Nurse Psychologist Clinical Nurse Director of Nursing Endorsed Enrolled Nurse (E-EN) AIN RN RN AIN AIN E-EN RN Recreational Officer E-EN RN AIN AIN EN AIN

32 15 37 2 36 10 43 29 10 20 2 1 5 8 8 1 21 1 20 35 2 20 22 1 30 30 8 20 26 4 31 35 2 1 38 25 3 1 11 8 8 7 18 3 5 13 4

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 3 5 4

People working with clients and patients should receive specific training in managing Hearing Loss: Yes or No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Training received in Managing Hearing Loss

Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

Abbreviations: AIN = Assistant in Nursing RN – OPMHS = Registered Nurse Older Persons Mental Health Services E – EN = Endorsed Enrolled nurse R.C.O. = Recreational Officer

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China’s official newspaper, The People’s Daily, reports that by 2030, China will overtake Japan to become “the world’s most aged society”. According to the article “12 percent of the Chinese population is over 60 years of age as of 2010″. This percentage will increase as the “ratio of people over 60 will increase by a yearly rate of 16.6 percent in the next three decades”. By 2040, officials expect that seniors over 60 will account for 28 percent of China’s total population. The increase in China’s ageing population is a result of the country’s economic success over the last decades, which has transformed Chinese society. The Chinese government has now identified ageing as a major priority and is seeking to build its economic success by improving aged care across the country.

China takes measures to deal with aging problem

he aging population will grow at a faster pace in China in the 30 years after 2011. The proportion of people above the age of 65 in China will overtake that of Japan in 2030, which will make China the world’s most aged society, according to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

According to the latest data from the United Nations, 12 percent of the Chinese population is over 60 years of age as of 2010. The ratio of people over 60 will increase by a yearly rate of 16.6 percent in the next three decades after 2011.

According to an official with the Beijing Committee on Aging, Beijing already entered the aging society in 1990. By 2020, there will be 3.5 million elderly people in the city. The number will further climb to 6.5 million in 2050.

By 2040, people over 60 years old will account for 28 percent of the total population. A recent report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences attributed China’s economic miracle to a population dividend. In the past three decades, China created an economic miracle thanks to the largest cheap labor force in the world, which had contributed nearly 27 percent to China’s economic growth. But it also indicated that China is switching from a country with excessive labor to one with a labor shortage.

Shanghai will see the peak of its aging population in 2030s when the number of elderly people reaches more than 5 million. Tianjin, another municipality under direct jurisdiction of the central government, will have 2.7 million old people by 2020, and the number will increase to 3.3 million by 2030.

The window for the population dividend will be closed 10 years later, when a number of problems, like the surge in the number of the elderly and a sharp rise of labor costs, will occur, said Zhang Jianming, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. >

editorial China takes measures to deal with aging problem (continued)

Cai Fang, head of the Institute of Population and Labor under CASS said China’s population dividend is bound to disappear, which is a good phenomenon. Economic growth should not only rely on that dividend.

“

Xang Xiaochu, vice minister of Human Resources and Social Security, said the Chinese government attaches paramount importance to the ageing problem and has implemented a series of measures ensuring the elderly enjoy the rights they are entitled to.

The aging population compels China to build a more rational social security system that can be sustainable

”

< In light of the decreasing significance of the population bonus, some experts believe it might give China an opportunity to achieve more balanced and sustained growth. The aging population compels China to build a more rational social security system that can be sustainable, Fu Yong of Fudan University said.

China has quickened the implementation of the endowment insurance system for city workers and begun the trial run of a new rural social pension insurance system nationwide aimed at providing farmers with social pension insurance. The trial will be expanded this year. China has also endeavored to carry out the unified basic old-age insurance at the provincial level. By now the system has been in place in 28 provinces.

China vigorously promotes the development mode for the industry for the aged that features government dominance, commercialism and a multi-faceted approach. It encourages the participation from all walks of life for the common development of the industry. At present the gross demand of the aging population is approximately one trillion yuan, and the figure will increase to 5 trillion yuan by 2050, according to Li Jianmin of Tianjin-based Nankai University. To protect the legal rights of the elderly and promote the cause of the aged, the Chinese government is formulating a set of laws pertaining to pension insurance, social service and welfare for the aging population. Some have also put forward the concept of a deferred retirement system in hope of easing the pressure on pensions. n

An extract from People’s Daily Online, 11 October 2010

Aged Care Education and Training Incentive Program In the 2010-11 Budget the Australian Government provided $59.9 million over four years for a national incentive program that will provide payments to eligible aged care workers who undertake further studies to enhance their career as a personal care worker, an enrolled nurse or a registered nurse.

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his program builds on current workplace training programs that support people working in the aged care sector by providing financial incentives to existing aged care workers who undertake further studies to upgrade qualifications and build their career in aged care. To be eligible for the incentive payments, aged care workers must be employed in and by an eligible aged care service and commence training on or after 1 July 2010 and before 30 June 2014. Staff undertaking eligible certificate courses, EN courses and RN courses may be eligible. Incentive payments will range from: •

$500 after commencement of training and $500 on successful completion of eligible vocational education and training courses;

•

$1,000 after commencement of study and $1,500 on successful completion of study and registration as an enrolled nurse; or

•

$2,000 after commencement and $3,000 on successful completion of study and registration as a registered nurse.

Application Forms and additional information may be obtained from the Departments website: •

www.health.gov.au under the path of: Home>For Health Professionals>Aged Care>Working in Aged Care; or

•

telephoning the Medicare Australia Aged Care Information Line on 1800 195 206.

National Aged Care Alliance Minister attends National Aged Care Alliance meeting

he Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, attended the meeting of the National Aged Care Alliance (the Alliance) in Adelaide on 30 November 2010. While reminding us that Australia’s aged care system is among the best in the world, and indeed has many exemplary features, the Minister noted that the fundamental architecture of the system dates back to the 1985 reforms of the Hawke government, with subsequent changes in the Howard period further developing but not fundamentally altering the system. The current Productivity Commission Inquiry into the Care of Older Australians, commissioned by this government, provides the opportunity to address the new challenges and opportunities facing the aged care system which had been pointed to

by numerous other inquiries and reports in recent years. The Minister drew attention in particular to the need to address regulatory and financial reform, system redesign to be more consumer focused, and the major workforce challenges of the coming decades. Whether or not the government agrees with the recommendations of the Productivity Commission the Minister reiterated that the gvernment will use it as the springboard for major reform to ensure Australia’s aged care system is fit for purpose for the next few decades. In moving forward with this task the Minister asked for the assistance of the Alliance and its constituent members in a joint effort to get reform right and to gather the community sector and parliamentary support needed to achieve that reform.

The Minister said that NACA is the best and most representative forum for this purpose, bringing together as it does consumer, provider, union and professional interests, and lead organisations in a forum that is independent of individual interests and government but well engaged with all. The Minister will meet again with the Alliance at its February 2011 meeting in Canberra for initial discussion of the Productivty Commission’s Draft Report, and has asked the Alliance to advise him on the best mechanism for continuing and regular consultation between him and the Allance constituency over coming months. The members of the Alliance warmly welcomed the Minister’s attendance at their meeting and his keen engagement with the issues of reform. They embraced his call for the Alliance to work with him in a consultative and collaborative way to achieve real progress in reforing the aged care system in the interest of the well being of current and future aged care consumers. n

events

2011 Calendar of Events 23 – 25 March

17 – 20 May

19 & 20 May

ACQ State Conference

Alzheimer’s Australia 14th National Conference

ACAA-NSW Congress

Jupiters, Gold Coast Contact: ACQ Conference + Event Management T: 07-3725 5588 E: events@acqi.org.au www.acqi.org.au

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Contact: Secretariat T: 07-3255 1002 E: info@alzheimers2011.com www.alzheimers2011.com

Sheraton on the Park, Sydney Sydney Contact: Cynthia O’Young T: 02-9212 6922 E: admin@acaansw.com.au www.acaansw.com.au

20 – 22 July

October

6 – 8 November

Nurses in Management Aged Care (NIMAC) Conference

SAGE - USA (Including IAHSA)

ACAA 30th Annual Congress

Contact: Judy Martin T: 07-3840 9999 E: j.martin@thomsonadsett.com www.sagetours.com.au

Transforming Aged Care – The Magical Mystery Tour

Jupiters, Gold Coast Contact: ACQ Conference + Event Management T: 07-3725 5588 E: events@acqi.org.au www.acqi.org.au

Contact: ACAA T: 02-6285 2615 E: enquiry@acaacongress2011.com.au www.acaacongress2011.com.au

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Aged Care Association Australia is interested to hear from you. Maybe you’d like to

respond to an article you’ve read or you have an article you’d like to submit. ACAA welcomes letters to the editor of no more than 300 words. All letters must have the writer’s name, address, telephone number and job title clearly written. ACAA reserve the right to edit for reasons of space and clarity. Send to: editor@acaa.com.au or PO Box 335 Curtin ACT 2605.

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Old Age Golf Arthur is 90 years old. He’s played golf every day since his retirement 25 years ago. One day he arrives home looking downcast. “That’s it,” he tells his wife. “I’m giving up golf. My eyesight has got so bad. Once I’ve hit the ball, I can’t see where it went.” His wife sympathizes. As they sit down, she has a suggestion: “Why don’t you take my brother with you, and give it one more try.” “That’s no good,” sighs Arthur. “Your brother is a hundred and three. He can’t help.” “He may be a hundred and three,” says the wife, “but his eyesight is perfect.” So the next day, Arthur heads off to the golf course with his brother-in-law. He tees up, takes an almighty swing, and squints down the fairway. He turns to the brother-in-law. “Did you see the ball?” “Of course I did!”, says the brother-in-law. “I have perfect eyesight.” “Where did it go?” asks Arthur. “Can’t remember.”

product news

VM3 introduces state of the art Purefier Products to the Aged Care Industry

container, pan rooms, toilet facilities and high dependency aged care rooms, or anywhere that malodour is present. In addition, the Body Fluid Control Compound can be used to effectively control and absorb body fluid spills and eliminate the malodour associated with such spills.

These include effective protection against:

ntroducing VM3 Purefier products to the market – the newest purefier products providing the solution to control moisture, malodour, volatile pollutants and microbial pathogens in air.

You can be assured that Vm3 Purefier products are safe to use in your facility as they are environmentally friendly (energy-free application), and the contents of the purefier products are naturally mineral based and non-toxic.

Vm3 Purefier products aim to provide a cleaner, safer and healthier environment for all residents, staff and visitors to your aged care facility. For further information on how your facility could benefit from Vm3 Purefier products, please contact Stuart Godwin for a consultation on 0438 764 505 or alternatively visit our website for more information, www.vm3international.com

Cost effective and easy to use Vm3 Purefier products have many effective applications. There are a range of products with different specialties including the Vm3 Purefier pads and the Vm3 Body Fluid Control Compound. The Purefier Pad can be applied to wheelie bins, industrial waste

Extensive laboratory tests have been conducted to United States standards and results show the effectiveness of VM3’s products in preventing serious health risks to staff, visitors and fellow residents.

Sudocrem® Product Information Sudocrem® Healing Cream is a soothing emollient cream which aids and assists in the management of incontinence dermatitis, pressure sores, Stomal therapy, wound care, eczema, minor skin irritations….not to mention nappy rash. Now available in a convenient and hygienic 30 gram tube it is a perfect size for a patient’s personal use. Sudocrem® has a triple action, which helps soothe, heal and protect the skin.

• • • • •

Aspergillus niger Candida albicans Pseudomonas aeruginosa Staphylococcus aureus (Golden Staph) Escherichia coli (E coli)

Lil Healthcare Gives Back to the Community Lil Healthcare donates $35,000 of stock to charity

il Healthcare is donating one container of disposable continence aids worth $35,000 to those in need this Christmas.

Eczema, Wounds and Abrasions

Lil Healthcare supplies disposable and washable continence aids to hospitals, aged care facilities and the community throughout Australia, and this Christmas, instead of participating in the usual fare of bestowing gifts on valued customers, Lil Healthcare is donating one pallet each of their all-in-one briefs to twelve registered charities.

The healing properties of Sudocrem® make it an effective treatment for minor skin disorders such as eczema, wounds, scratches, dermatitis, cuts and abrasions. When applied in a small circular motion Sudocrem® leaves a translucent film, allowing skin to remain supple whilst you are able to see the wound healing.

Donating this stock is Lil Healthcare’s way of showing its support for those incontinence sufferers who otherwise might not have access to suitable continence aids, while giving something back to the community that has helped create its success.

Incontinence Dermatitis

“This Christmas, Lil wishes to show its support to those charities that make such a difference to the most needy,” says Managing Director, Charles Cornish. “Lil is dedicated to being an integral part of the community and we would like to support those charities in the community that help others. Christmas is a tough time for both those in need and the charities that support them due to much higher demands on their resources, so it makes sense to donate at this time.”

Sudocrem® helps to provide barrier protection to the skin from stools and urine, promotes healing and soothes irritated skin. Use Sudocrem® after cleaning and drying the affected area, as often as required. Applying a thin, even layer directly on to the skin will not interfere with the absorbency of incontinence pads. Pressure Sores Sudocrem® helps to provide barrier protection against moisture which aids and assists in the management of pressure sores. The emollient effect of Sudocrem® Healing Cream can help to maintain the condition of the skin, leaving it soft and supple. Nappy Rash Sudocrem® helps protect baby’s skin from coming into contact with irritants, which is the best prevention. Sudocrem® helps to soothe the burning and itching sensation of nappy rash, heal the skin and provides a protective barrier to assist in the management of nappy rash. For further information, samples & educational in-servicing please contact Nice Pak Healthcare Department on 03 9553 4100 or via healthcare@nicepak.com.au.

Star Track Express is also very graciously donating its logistics services for the delivery of this stock. About Lil Healthcare: Lil Healthcare is a company entirely dedicated to the manufacture and distribution of quality disposable and washable incontinence products. Lil Healthcare has over forty-five years of industrial and commercial experience. Lil Healthcare’s disposable “Lil” range is made at state-of-the-art facilities in Lille, France, while the washable “Kylie” range is made in Geelong, Victoria. All Lil’s products are developed and manufactured with the aim of minimising their impact on the environment while guaranteeing optimal performance.

aca Aged Care Australia | Summer 2010 | 87

product news Ekotek Wireless Positional Duress System

kotek’s wireless positional duress product is a unique state of the art 2 way communications and duress system. Its flexible design can help to improve safety and response times in a multitude of industries and applications. Operating on a 2.4 GHz platform via Zigbee wireless protocol. A completely wireless system allows Ekotek to have both flexibility and versatility in many areas. It is a cost effective solution for both new and existing facilities. Minimal disruption to business during installation means business as usual whilst the mesh network goes together. Self configuring and self healing the system is intelligent enough to be able to notify you of any abnormalities on the network. Duress alarms, man down and dead man alerts, location based services, acknowledged paging, integration with other devices such as DECT cordless, Nurse call systems, Security and Fire panels are just some of the benefits of the Ekotek system. Unlike a number of other systems currently in the market place Ekotek’s radio mesh network provides accurate positional location of all alarms raised on the network. Two way messaging allows acknowledgement of received messages. The system is made up of the following components: The Hub: Is the device that creates the network. All communications on the system pass to and from the hub. The Hub can be located anywhere within the network. Alarm messages are displayed on the hub and can be responded to and cancelled from the Hub or a Paging device. Repeater: There are 3 types of repeaters which go together to form the backbone of the mesh network.

Health X – Partners in People

t’s no secret that Australia’s health care facilities are finding it harder and harder to fill skilled nursing vacancies, but what you may not know is that staffing solutions provider HealthX are helping fill this gap. Since declaring to solve rural and regional nursing shortages across Australia two years ago, HealthX have been working to fill these gaps across the health sector, with a focus on Aged Care. HealthX delivers experienced nursing staff from international labour pools into the Australian workforce - therefore directly addressing the issues that are said to be affecting the industry. HealthX challenge the traditional agency model by employing, developing and mentoring their staff to flex with the needs of the industry. HealthX are a long term solution and provide nurses for both short and long term contracts.

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Internal repeaters (ceiling mountable), call point repeaters (wall mountable) and solar repeaters (externally mountable) mean that you are not restricted to building your network within the normal internal boundaries of a building. Pager: Gives the user the ability to see a duress message and also respond to it. Audible alert, Vibrate and Visual are 3 ways to receive a message. The Pager also has a snatch cord and man down / dead man facility built in. Pendant: Allows for assistance calls to be raised using the location signal from repeaters to give accurate positional location. Audible, vibrate and illumination are all available methods for receiving a message. Man down / dead man feature are also available on the pendant.

See ad on page 11 of this issue. For more information contact Multitone Australasia on 03 9888 1244 n

www.multitone.com.au

Director of HealthX, Mr. Derek Irwin says “we are giving it a real go to help solve the skilled nursing shortage in the aged care sector, we are focused on adding hundreds of nurses into a depleted pool”. “HealthX has developed a unique business offering to the acute and aged care industries. “We build partnerships with our clients to reduce the cost of agency staff and improve patient care”. He continued by saying “the HealthX team have the resources and the ‘know how’ to employ highly skilled international labour through our specialised visa/migration program”. We are also committed to stand by our nursing staff who are joining the Australian workforce by providing a comprehensive mentoring, support and training program. Health X commenced the journey in 2008 with a new staffing program and set about solving the health care staffing requirements throughout rural and regional Queensland. Since then, HealthX have expanded their services across Australia.

HealthX is a division of the larger entity AWX, a business that solves short and long term staffing requirements in mining, construction, agricultural and industrial segments; and is recognised in the top 100 privately owned companies in Australia. Managing Director Thomas Strachan says “while HealthX is a stand-alone business, it is a part of the AWX family”. Tom commented that “AWX regularly receives requests from clients and prospective clients for people to work in regional and rural areas of Australia”. “We have found there to be skill shortages across a number of industries when considering rural and regional areas” says Tom. “Health X has identified such critical skill shortages in the health industry and we aim to rectify this” he says.

Dementia Experts Heading to Brisbane 17 – 20 May are the dates to put in your diary for 2011, that way you won’t miss the Alzheimer’s Australia 14th national conference in Queensland. In fact you can register now at www.alzheimers2011.com

ou are invited you to join us in Brisbane for a stimulating, thought-provoking event that promises to take a different view – a broader view – of dementia and its social, health and economic impact.

The conference, hosted by Alzheimer’s Australia (Qld), will showcase the latest thinking and practice around dementia, as well as offering delegates a break from the daily grind of work in a relaxing location. Online registrations for the conference are now open.

The Conference Chair, Marianne Gevers, says: “We have secured some excellent speakers for the event, which has the theme Take a different view. There will be a good mix of overseas and local presenters, thought-provoking topics and practicallyfocused workshops.” The conference provides an opportunity to delve into the big issues around dementia and to take a different view of how we must face the dementia epidemic. More than 700 people are expected to participate in three days of thoughtprovoking presentations and workshops on themes like: ethics and decision making in dementia care; personhood, identity and consumers’ rights; best practice and new approaches to dementia and dementia care; and the latest developments in research and treatment.

Professor Steven Sabat from Georgetown University will be a keynote Speaker at the 2011 conference

Visit the conference website for more information about speakers, the venue, accommodation, social events and sponsorship opportunities, as well as to book your place: www.alzheimers2011.com

Alzheimer’s Australia conference secretariat P +61 7 3255 1002 F +61 7 3255 1004 Email: info@alzheimers2011.com

Creek Solutions Laundry Case Study

ecently, Creek Solutions Pty Ltd completed a major project in Regional New South Wales. The project commenced in the laundry and continued onto the cleaning services with nearly $100,000 in direct annual labour savings were achieved by improving all staff processes. These activities also resulted in major laundry utility savings. The facility was impressed with the results and to put the icing on the cake were more delighted when the local energy company rang them and asked why the consumption of energy (gas / electricity), as gas was delivered by tanker, had decreased considerably. These signs of decreased usages were after 3 - 4 months of the new systems being in place. The laundry does not just include the four (4) walls and everything inside but the whole process across the facility. Nursing and care staff have just as an important role in the linen process and does not create extra work to a very busy work schedule. The laundry staff in-turn have less sorting to complete before washing. Creek Solutions Pty Ltd spent time prior to the changes in identifying the processes which would assist in improved linen and personal clothing services. The following processes were achieved: • • • • •

Improved sorting at the source with colour coding for personal clothing and general linen. This provides quicker sorting in the laundry. Creation of imprest standards with deliveries daily for high care and weekly for low care. Daily collection of soiled linen from all areas at two set times Production Monday – Friday only with all personal clothing being redelivered around lunch time Production cut offs occurring early – it is not necessary to wash all day as long as priorities are met. (NOTE: The facility must have sufficient levels of linen)

• •

Many other minor changes were made along with laundry layout, support documentation and general training The staff were less drained because of the systematic duties

As there was no production over the weekend, it was important to return personal clothing by lunch time each day, therefore the longest period of time the residents were without clothing would be Friday afternoon until Monday lunch time. For the remainder of the week personal clothing is delivered before lunch time. A few problems occurred during the changes with the hardness of the water requiring the chemical levels to be adjusted however once this was achieved and the rewash levels were reduced the laundry staff started to operate more comfortably inside the reduced time frame for their 90 residents. The introduction of Ozone was the key factor in the utility savings! The cleaning process also proved successful. Four (4) staff were rostered Monday – Friday along with two (2) extras each day for Saturday and Sunday and this was also in excess of acceptable levels for an Aged Care Facility of 90 beds. It was immediately apparent where hours could be cut and it was felt only three (3) employees 7 hours per day would be necessary Monday – Friday and 6 hours each Saturday and Sunday. Providing the roster changes only was not enough to resolve the issue as it required follow up training to ensure the staff were given the skills to clean in the new time frame provided. A positive outcome was the staff did achieve these new duties by working more systematically, were given suitable equipment to do so and in a more positive approach even adapting some of their own changes to the equipment and system to suit their own needs. Creek Solutions Pty Ltd operates Australia wide.

ww.creeksolutions.net

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product news

HEAD GUY OF AGED DESIGN

ice Daubney, a leading Australian architectural practice, has appointed Guy Luscombe to head up its new Aged Design sector. The sector has been specifically established in response to the growing demand for buildings that meet the needs and expectations of Australia’s growing ageing population and to address the challenges this poses for both the built environment and the aged care industry. Guy Luscombe has over 25 years of architectural experience with over eight years focusing exclusively on seniors and aged care projects. Some of his recent projects include a new 86 villa, 100 bed multi-level care community at Gordon in Canberra, a 74 bed multistorey residential care building in Nambucca Heads and a 128 villa staged seniors living development in Lithgow. Luscombe also co edited the book “Beyond Beige: improving architecture for older people and people with disabilities” and is currently involved in the

peer review of the NSW Government Ageing and Disability Accommodation Design Guidelines. “The ageing population is changing rapidly, at Rice Daubney we believe there is a need to focus on the design of the buildings and communities to address this change,” said Guy Luscombe, Head of Aged Design. “We believe the physical environment does affect our well being and that the most important thing we can do is provide the right space for a healthy and positive living experience for the older person,” he said. With Luscombe’s understanding of the existing ageing landscape, Rice Daubney will pioneer innovative designs for new communities for aged residents where the physical environment not only acts like a ‘silent carer’ but is also a stimulating and life enhancing place for the whole person. The new Aged Design sector will draw on Rice Daubney’s expertise, extensive knowledge base and proven track record in masterplanning and health projects to underpin their approach to the delivery of aged projects. With the

Our Melissa extract is made by infusing certified bio-dynamic lemon balm herb (Melissa officianalis) directly into a GM Free ricebran carrier oil. As such Roseneath Melissa Oil does not require dilution prior to direct application to the skin.

elissa extracts, when massaged into the skin, have been used as very effective natural nervines and relaxants. Melissa extracts can be of great benefit in the management of insomnia, broken sleep, nightmares, irritation, agitation, anxiety and dementia.

Roseneath Melissa Oil is supplied in a convenient 125ml container that provides for excellent affordability. We have a material safety data sheet available for the product upon request.

Roseneath Melissa Oil has been found by nursing professionals to be an effective natural alternative to sedatives and tranquilizers. Carers find that it reduces agitation and inappropriate behaviour when applied topically to residents within nursing homes. Use of Melissa Oil has also been found to encourage better, more solid sleep, with a general reduction in anxiety. More detailed summaries of experiences from aged care homes using Melissa Oil can be found on our website.

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completion of numerous health care facilities, Rice Daubney understands the key drivers in creating a successful healing environment.

Melissa Oil for Agitation and Sleeping Trouble

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Guy Luscombe, Associate Director and Head of Aged Design at Rice Daubney

Roseneath Organics has been growing medicinal plants and making natural products since 1998. Our company makes a range of products for personal care and also an equine range. For more information on our range then please visit our website, contact us by email or phone us direct. Roseneath Organics Pty Ltd Phone (08) 8388 1106 Web www.roseneathorganics.com eMail roseneath@mail.com

Remarkable nurses keep inspiring

“If you know a remarkable nurse, I urge you to take the time to nominate them for an award. Whether they work in midwifery, palliative care, aged care, community nursing or emergency care, we want to hear about them,” says Ms Corboy.

“Our judging panel of trained nurses, academics and industry representatives looks forward to learning about another group of amazing nurses in 2011.”

Re-mark-ab-le (adjective): extraordinary; worthy of notice or attention. ow in its fifth year the HESTA Australian Nursing Awards are once again accepting nominations in the Nurse of the Year, Innovation in Nursing and Graduate Nurse of the Year categories. As one of Australia’s most prestigious nursing events, the annual awards attract hundreds of nominations, from throughout Australia. “The stories shared through these nominations are inspiring,” says HESTA CEO, Anne-Marie Corboy. “They are the remarkable accounts of nurses who work in trying circumstances, the nurses who work with patients with challenging needs and nurses who always put their patients first.” Ms Corboy says the awards provide a great opportunity for HESTA to thank nurses, midwives, personal care attendants and assistants in nursing. “The HESTA Australian Nursing Awards recognise the skills, commitment, achievements and enormous contribution that those in the nursing sector make to Australia’s wellbeing.” Nominations “In the Nurse of the Year category nominations can be made by nurses, colleagues, patients and patients’ families. It’s a great way for patients to show their gratitude or for peers to acknowledge a nurse who makes an extraordinary effort,” says Ms Corboy. “Innovation in Nursing nominees can be teams or individuals, and they usually nominate themselves. The prize money is directed towards expanding or extending their innovative product, service or program.” Only Graduate Nurse Coordinators can nominate in the Graduate Nurse of the Year category.

aynter Dixon is one of Australia’s leading design and construction management companies. We are passionate about aged care and understand ageing – its joys, fears and the vital role that “home” plays in the lives of our elderly. We are also committed to our clients who provide the care and services to the elderly. Our customer service philosophy focuses on providing peace of mind to our clients before, during and after building. We have aged care specialists, such as Alexandra Davis whose role as the Head of Health, Ageing and Disability Services is client liaison and to provide strategic and operational input into the project. Alexandra is a Registered Nurse and has over 16 years experience in strategic and operational management in the church/ charitable and for-profit sectors of the aged care industry.

Nominations close on Monday 28 February 2011. The finalists will be announced in April. They will be flown to Melbourne for a gala awards ceremony, at Crown Entertainment Complex, on Thursday 12 May 2011. To make a nomination, simply visit hestanursingawards.com and complete the online form. Prizes Major sponsor ME Bank, a supporter of the awards since 2008, proudly provides the prize pool. • Nurse of the Year: $5,000 travel voucher and $5,000 education grant • Innovation in Nursing: $10,000 development grant • Graduate Nurse of the Year: $2,500 travel voucher and $2,500 education grant Winners A cool autumn evening was no deterrent for the formally-attired guests who filled the Palladium Room at the Crown Entertainment Complex, for the HESTA Australian Nursing Awards 2010. And within the crowd were the nurses of tomorrow, watching and listening. As Tory Koch, a student nurse from Flinders University, says, “The fabulous evening highlighted that I have chosen correctly for my career – nurses are inspiring people!” Visit hestanursingawards.com to purchase event tickets. About us HESTA has more than 690,000 members, 89,000 employers and $16 billion in funds – invested for the retirement of our members. We are the Fund more people in health and community services choose. Issued by H.E.S.T. Australia Limited ABN 66 006 818 695 AFSL 235249, Trustee of HESTA Super Fund ABN 64 971 749 321.

The advantage of having a client liaison includes having one key contact for the duration of the project. This provides our clients with a significant weight of experience in working with architects, builders, town planners, engineers and other consultants, as Paynter Dixon coordinates the project and regularly arranges meetings and consults with the client at times that suit their busy schedules. We can also save further time and money by providing a range of specialised services including: • Project Management Service • Assistance with ensuring the financial, staffing and care modelling integrates with the building design. • Land search, • Market analysis and feasibility studies, • Strategic masterplanning, and

Paynter Dixon’s main focus is our client’s satisfaction provided through exceeding our customer’s expectations. We achieve this by providing a fully transparent process of design and construction management to enable our clients to proceed with confidence knowing that the pre-determined time, cost and quality objectives of the project will be achieved. We take full responsibility for your project from the planning stage, through design, documentation and construction. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet to discuss your project and how we may be of service. Please call Alexandra directly on 0419 156 271.

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product news Moving the Business Beyond Spreadsheets with Corporate Performance Management Software

orest Grove Technology is a dedicated supplier of Corporate Performance Management software. We specialise in helping companies move beyond a complex array of error-prone, complex, integrated spreadsheets for the business critical processes of budgeting, forecasting, business analytics, financial consolidation and reporting. While standard accounting packages provide strong solutions to the transaction processing requirements of aged care providers, the critical functionality required for corporate performance management is often forgotten, leaving finance departments with a heavy reliance on time-consuming spreadsheets. A PROPHIX technology solution www.prophix. com.au, delivered and implemented by our Australian based consulting team, can make an enormous difference to corporate financial management in aged care.

• • • • •

Financial reporting both adhoc and monthly reporting; Rolling reforecast capability; Financial consolidation; Dashboard and scorecard reporting; and, Key performance indicators calculation and reporting

If you would like to know more about how a PROPHIX Corporate Performance Management System could help your business, go ahead and take the online tour at forecast.com.au, and don’t forget to look for us at the ACSA 2009 Aged Care Conference in WA in September.Alternatively, review recent client case studies at agedcare.fgtechnology.com.au, or speak to our team directly about how the software has helped other Australian aged care providers and how it can help yours. Refer to our ad on page 35 of this issue. Forest Grove Technology U3/192 Hampden Rd, Nedlands WA 6009 PROPHIX.com.au P +61 (0) 8 9389 5381 F +61 (0) 8 9389 5739 www.forestgrovetechnology.com.au

A PROPHIX solution can provide: • •

Budget and forecast functionality; Financial analysis and “what if ” scenario modeling;

Is More Choice Better and Will All Buildings Look the Same?

ne thing that hasn’t changed over the last 30 years in caring for the ageing, is that everybody wants choice. No one likes to admit that they are getting older or can’t look after themselves, so when it comes to choosing where we want to live in our “retiring lifestyle”, certainly not in our “old age”, we want choices. Choices empower us when, in general, we are slowly losing control in many areas of our lives. Can I stay in my own home? Can we have independent living but in a more secure environment? Can we have communal facilities? Can I get more care if I need it? Can you look after me no matter what? But how do we as providers and designers respond to this? Is there a one shoe fits all? Is there a simple formula that easily allows us to calculate the best outcome?

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Advancing Continence Competency

ENA Online Learning delivers highly interactive, user friendly and engaging online continence courses. The courses are offered to all TENA customers in Aged Care Facilities, as part of TENA’s total offer of continence management. A leading innovator in Aged Care eBusiness, TENA has now developed the Gap Analysis feature. Gap Analysis assesses any deficits in knowledge 12 months after the initial course is completed via a quiz, then allocates for review course sections that have not been retained. In this way, facilities can be assured that that knowledge gained is maintained. “I liked this type of training as I could go back over areas I didn’t quite understand,” said one user recently surveyed. 61% of users from the same survey said that TENA Online Learning has changed their work practices relating to incontinence based on the knowledge they have gained. For a preview of a sample course see www.TENAonlinelearning.com.au or call 1800 623 347.

In short, no… Whilst we can run different staffing models and operational parameters and different accommodation types, at the end of the day there are 2 major influences. One is legislation, and at this point in time, it tends to deliver very similar building types, because our funding streams are not flexible enough to cope with where the market is headed, which if we go full circle, is choice. So our second but really important driver is individual choice. So that makes it easy, we pull out some generational norms, make some assumptions about what the mass market will want and start planting building stock on the ground and we can’t lose? Right? Ah…no. When was the last time you put more than one person in a room and got them to agree on everything? Never….correct. This is especially the case when dealing with someone’s personal living environment. We as individuals, don’t necessarily agree on too much at all, that is the great part about being individuals, but this does make life complicated for providers and designers.

We as individuals are influenced by so many factors. Where we grew up, what part of society we were in, what our friends liked or didn’t, how successful have we become and on and on and on… So, thinking that there is one solution that fits all is probably a bit utopian. We need to be careful that what worked for us in one particular location is translatable to another. What works in inner Sydney, probably won’t work in outer Sydney and may not work in Brisbane. What works in Brisbane, may not be acceptable in a less urban environment. So where does that leave us designers and providers? Be careful, plan specifically for each project. Study the market and the competition for sure, but understand what has been done and why and don’t just assume that because it has been done before it will work again. Then again, it might, that is the really tricky thing about individual choice… Author: Dwayne Nielsen, CEO & Director, Merrin and Cranston P/L December 2010