‘It’s really an appalling story of lack of accountability [and] lack of oversight by this government’, says Michelle Grattan on the findings in the interim report from the aged care royal commission.
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Around 6,000 Australians aged under 65 still live in nursing homes, cut off from their families and peers, with inadequate support for their disabilities.
The aged care royal commission has looked at regulation in aged care.
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Bureaucratic ‘red tape’ has contributed to the current crisis in our aged care system. We need a system of accountability that focuses more on residents’ outcomes, and less on processes.
If residents are given poor quality foods that don’t meet their needs or preferences, they’re less likely to eat it.
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Cost-cutting, funding that doesn’t reward good food, and residents not having a voice contribute to poor quality nutrition in our aged care homes. That can be devastating. But there is a better way.
The royal commission has scrutinised aged care staffing.
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As the Aged Care Royal Commission shifts its focus to aged care for Indigenous Australians, access isn’t the only challenge. Often problems arise when services don’t accommodate their cultural needs.
The system is a complex mix of daily and refundable fees, base payments and means tested contributions.
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Sedative medications and restraint belts are too often given to aged care residents with dementia to stop them wandering, prevent falls, or manage “difficult” behaviour.
Visually expressing painful memories and feelings can help let things go.
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Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation e Andrew Donegan, The Conversation
The aged care royal commission begins hearing evidence today about the quality of care in nursing homes. These 10 charts show how the current system works and the challenges it faces.
Home care providers’ profits are growing but many older Australians are missing out on quality care.
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Fron Jackson-Webb, The Conversation e Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation
This week the aged care royal commission heard evidence of long waits for home care, poorly trained staff and high fees. These 10 charts explain how the system works and why it’s under such pressure.
The earlier you start planning, the better.
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If you don’t plan for your aged care and make your wishes known, you may be admitted to a hospital or aged care facility when something goes wrong. That’s where most Australians end up dying.
Many older Australians prefer to stay at home than enter residential aged care – but the process of securing home care is riddled with complexities.
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An elderly lady needs to change the time a carer visits to help her shower. The reality of today’s market-driven home care system means she has to call a centralised 1800 number to arrange this.
In December, more than 127,000 Australians were waiting for a home care package.
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Michael Woods, University of Technology Sydney e Sarah Wise, University of Technology Sydney
The government will keep increasing the number of subsidised home care services, but it needs to find the right funding balance for the system to remain sustainable.
Chemical restraint occurs more often than we think in Australia’s aged care system.
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Antipsychotic drugs are often used to “chemically restrain” aged care residents and control their behaviour. The system needs to change – but lessons from the US tell us it’s not going to be easy.
Many older Australians want to stay at home, but will need help to be able to do so.
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Home care packages are a viable alternative to residential aged care for many older Australians. But the process to secure these packages can be long and complicated.
There are several methods by which elderly people are physically restrained in nursing homes.
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New regulations to stop the use of physical restraint on the elderly recognise a serious problem in our aged care system. But in order to really fix this issue, we need to address what’s causing it.
Around 60% of aged care residents require more than four hours of care per day.
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The Conversation asked readers how they would want a loved one to be cared for in a residential aged care facility. What they said was similar to what surveys around the world have consistently found.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Associate Professor, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre and Occupational Therapy Department, School of Primary and Allied Healthcare, Monash University