LASA Summer 2014 issuu

The voice of all aged services Summer 2014 | www.lasa.asn.au

Nutrition Special Edition

– Keeping Residents interested in food – Food or Supplements?

Meeting the Challenge of Evacuation Hall& Prior:

Celebrate a long serving workforce

Keith Reid Skydiving at 90

ACIITC:

Harnessing ICT to create sustainable aged care

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38

58

65

NOW

250WITH WEIG KG HT LIM IT

NOW

250WITH WEIG KG HT LIM IT

The voice of all aged services Summer 2014 | www.lasa.asn.au

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National Update 5 7 8 10 12 14 15

CEO Report Chair Report SA Report NSW-ACT Report VIC Report QLD Report WA Report

GENERAL 17 ACIVA Changes the Guard – 4th AGM 18 LASA National Office Policy Overview 22 Meeting the challenge of evacuation

25 Aged Care Nutrition – Food or Supplements?

28 Keeping meal times interesting – Keeping Residents Interested in Food 33 Hospitality Awards Highlight Outstanding Staff across Age Services 38 Hall & Prior Celebrates staff this Christmas 41 Consumer Directed Care; The ACH Group experience 42 Home Care Reform and the Gateway – the chicken or the egg?

45 Independent Ageing

EDITOR Justine Caines National Government Relations and Communications Manager PRODUCTION Jacqueline Murkins Projects Manager, LASA LASA Federal Patrick Reid CEO Unit 4, 21 Torrens Street Braddon ACT 2612 E: patrickr@lasa.asn.au

LASA Victoria John Begg CEO Level 7, 71 Queens Road Melbourne VIC 3004 E: johnb@vic.lasa.asn.au

LASA WA Beth Cameron CEO Suite 6, 11 Richardson Street, South Perth WA 6151 E: ceo@wa.lasa.asn.au

LASA NSW/ACT Charles Wurf CEO PO Box 7 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 E: Charles.wurf@nswact.lasa.asn.au

LASA SA Paul Carberry CEO Unit 5, 259 Glen Osmond Road Frewville SA 5063 E: ceo@sa.lasa.asn.au

LASA QLD Barry Ashcroft CEO PO Box 995 Indooroopilly QLD 4068 E: barry.ashcroft@qld.lasa.asn.au

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49 Supported Residents in a post reform world 50 Outsourcing Water Savings 55 Continuing Professional Development 57 LASA Wishes Jane Gray a Happy Birthday: Her 112th 58 K eith Reid: Australia’s Oldest Skydiver 65 ACIITC: Digital Care Services 75 Flexible housing 77 Shine a light on culture 81 Research Project 83 Calendar of Events 84 Product news

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DISCLAIMER Fusion is the regular publication of Leading Age Services Australia (LASA). Unsolicited contributions are welcome but LASA reserves the right to edit, abridge, alter or reject

material. Opinions expressed in Fusion are not necessarily those of LASA and no responsibility is accepted by the Association for statements of fact or opinions expressed in signed contributions.

Fusion may be copied in whole for distributed amongst an organisation’s staff. No part of Fusion may be reproduced in any other form without written permission from the article’s author.

The LASA National Congress 2014 is set to become the single most valuable event in your conference and exhibition calendar.

Expect a rich and diverse program embracing all areas of age services in Australia. LASA welcomes you to be a part of it.

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20 – 22 October 2014 Adelaide Convention Centre www.lasacongress.asn.au Enquires: events@lasa.asn.au or 02 6230 1676

National Update | 5

Report from the CEO Moving the Discussion on Ageing into the Public Space Patrick Reid Chief Executive Officer | Leading Age Services Australia

I

n November the Productivity Commission released a research paper An Ageing Australia: Preparing for the Future. The paper outlined that as Australians live longer, governments will be required to develop more strategic policy initiatives in order to meet the needs and demands of older Australians Some of the content was also raised in the 2011 report, Caring for Older Australians. This new paper demonstrates the significance of ageing fiscally and socially and highlights the intergenerational affects/response required. LASA sought support across the industry and released a joint media statement with Catholic Health Australia, The Aged Care Guild and Aged and Community Services Australia.

As a unified industry we offered the Prime Minister the support of key industry professionals and called on the development of an age services implementation taskforce. I do not mean another talk fest or a moribund 20/20 type summit but rather a strategic roundtable with a clear set of objectives and defined outcomes.

While we did not make suggestions as to who might be suitable to chair such an event, LASA Chair, Gen Peter Cosgrove comes to mind as a perfect candidate. It is essential that we turn our mind to the strategic direction of age services policy, the fiscal responsibility of governments to plan for the cost of policy implementation and the operational delivery issues we face with a geographical and culturally diverse nation.

It is essential that any initiatives are developed through the lens of planning projections and technological advancement.

Technology will not save governments from fiscal outlay, nor is it a ‘silver bullet’ for industry but it is a critical element to increase productivity, reduce manual handling, enhancing services to rural and regional Australians; but can also assist every older Australian wanting to live in their own home longer.

Planning and the intergenerational impacts of policy do not feature highly within the modern policy cycle. I believe it is our duty to demand that policy initiatives are established with a strong understanding of the intergenerational effects.

The other key area that requires careful analysis and an innovative approach is the question of funding. The area of co-

contributions enables a number of approaches. The PC report reveals that while many individuals save for their retirement, (noting that many do so without their future care needs catered for within that plan) the majority of them do not draw down on the equity they have acquired in what is usually their greatest asset, their home.

Over 80 percent of older Householders own their own home with the vast majority no longer under a mortgage. The Productivity Commission reports suggests one scheme worth exploration is already in use to allow householders to pay their rates. The government equity release scheme could use a percentage of the value increase in the home. This scheme still allows the individual to retain their asset while making a co-contribution to their care and services. The report suggests a conservative figure of a 30 per cent reduction in current expenditure.

Another area of discussion in the report is greater productivity within the health sector. Whilst much is said about reducing hospital admissions when it comes to age services the differential between the acute setting and an aged care facility or service in cost is staggering. This is a clear example where additional funding can greatly assist age service providers whilst reducing overall costs significantly.

At the time of writing LASA has made or is preparing submissions to the review of Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCHER), Treasurer Joe Hockey’s Commission of Audit and a the federal budget process. Coupled with advocacy in the first sitting weeks of the new parliament LASA continues to advocate strongly for practical support for industry. The announcement from Minister Fifield to simplify accommodation pricing guidelines was a positive first step that LASA’s advocacy is effective and that a productive partnership has been developed with the new government.

I look forward to 2014 and further assisting you to provide care and services to older Australians in a productive and sustainable manner; and promoting a national discussion on how Australia addresses ageing policy and funding now or as the PC research papers says ‘while these near-inescapable trends are in their infancy.’ ■

National Update | 7

Message from the Chair Thought Leadership with a Commitment for Swift Action General Peter Cosgrove AM MC (Ret’d)

A

number of recent media reports have focussed on Australia’s population growth, including commentary that the Australian Bureau of Statistics has underestimated our growth projections by 100%.

In 2003 the ABS projected Australia’s population would be 26.4 million 2101. Just 10 years on the ABS believes that number is 100 per cent larger at 53.6 million.

This population prediction would see a massive increase in our capital cities population. On the projected growth the population at 2050 (compared to 2012) is likely to see; Sydney: growing from 4.7M to 7.7M (64.2% increase) Melbourne: from 4.2M to 7.6M (80.0% increase) Brisbane: from 2.2M to 4.2M (91.5% increase) Adelaide: from 1.3M to 1.8M (40.8% increase) and Perth: a staggering growth from 1.9M to 4.6M (143.9% increase) In Malcolm Turnbull’s maiden parliamentary speech in 2004 he warned that ‘demography is destiny’; while it is a catchy and powerful phrase it is also very accurate. Population alongside operational productivity is the most compelling determinant of a nation’s economic wellbeing and even their ultimate autonomy.

With growth figures like this our cities face total transformation and with it our way of living.

This coupled with commentary regarding the spending habits of the ‘baby boomers’ (of which I am one) suggest that as a nation our policy formation must be developed with a strong emphasis on population planning and a long term visionary approach. Neither ‘side’ of politics is known for this approach. It seems the daily operation of politics has become a short term game of cat and mouse. While this is not optimal I don’t think politicians are the only ones to blame. Our 24 hour news cycle is a major problem, the modern media cycle seems to shun in-depth investigative pieces and long term vision. Our everyday pace does not seem to allow it.

As the industry peak body for all age service providers I feel it is our duty to develop ‘thought leadership’ on the critical components of policy formation now and well into the future.

Unless we keep the conversation rolling, governments into the future run the very real risk of considerable social disruption.

A ‘social compact’ is a positive way to get Australians understanding the intergenerational effects of ageing and the role each of us play.

The compact would be developed between Older Australians and the rest of the community; reflecting that the average person is living longer and that the ‘quid pro quo’ for ongoing community support via health and social services is a new way of thinking about how Older Australians can continue to contribute effectively to the broader good, whether in paid employment, unpaid employment or some other manner.

Whilst industry has been warning governments of both persuasion regarding age services that future planning is essential I believe Malcolm Turnbull’s comment ‘Demography is Destiny’ should stay at the forefront of our thinking. As bureaucrats develop and refine policy they must begin to view their work within the context of a greatly expanded country with metropolitan areas unlike today and with ever greater numbers of older residents relying on healthcare and social services Whilst every Australian is entitled to quality care in order to deliver this care there must be adequate funding by both government and consumers (where possible). Without this a number of issues will emerge ranging from a restriction of choice, through to increased pressure on volunteer carers, decline in staffing numbers, social dislocation and even greater pressure on the public hospital system. The Abbott government has a real challenge ahead. LASA welcomes the initial work on reducing burdensome red tape and looks forward to working through this term of government on priority areas to ensure Older Australians receive high quality care and services. ■

8 | National Update

South Australia Report Paul Carberry Chief Executive Officer | LASA SA

T

he Productivity Commission’s research paper An Ageing Population: Preparing for the Future, released on 22nd November 2013, is a timely reminder of the pressures which our ageing population will increasingly place on the fiscal demands of our governments.

According to the Commission, by 2060, the total population is projected to be 38 million and, 14.4%, almost 5.5 million, will be aged 75 or more.

The Commission says that, as a result of this demographic trend, Australian governments will face additional pressures on their budgets, from health, aged care and the age pension, of around 6% of GDP by 2060.

I have no idea how much money that will be in 2060, however, in today’s terms it would mean that governments, state and federal, would have to find an extra $97.5 billion to fund the growth in these expenditure areas. To put that into context, it’s more than the 2013-14 Federal budgeted expenditure for health and education combined.

This large growth in demand for government expenditure will take place, according to the Commission’s paper, during a period of falling labour participation rates (after 2025), low labour productivity growth, and declining terms of trade.

So far the news is all bad. However, having hit us in the face with the problem, the Commission goes on to suggest some policy solutions.

• They suggest gradually increasing the eligibility age for the age pension from 67, as it will be by 2023, to 70 years.

This would increase workforce participation rates amongst older Australians, prolonging their contributions to taxation, and reducing their time on pensions; • They are proposing a government home-equity-release scheme, whereby people would contribute the real annual increase, or part of it, in the value of their home towards the

cost of their aged care. The PC claims that, even contributing half the annual increase would, conservatively reduce government expenditures by 30%; • They suggest that productivity improvements in health care delivery, e.g. reducing the cost of procedures and treatments, which can vary dramatically from hospital to hospital, and more-effective preventative and early intervention, thus avoiding some procedures and treatments altogether. They claim that a 5% improvement in health sector productivity will reduce government costs by 0.5% of GDP in 2059-60.

Interestingly, the Commission did not specifically propose taxation increases, although they say that this will inevitably be part of the story. Rather frighteningly, they did say that, to close the fiscal gap by taxation alone, would require a 21%, and increase in collections, as a percentage of GDP, by all Australian governments.

The Commission’s proposals will not appeal to everyone.

For example, Michael O’Neill, CEO of National Seniors Australia, believes raising the pension age won’t work unless Age discrimination in the workforce is addressed. Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU, believes that workers should not have to solve this demographic and fiscal problem by being made to work for longer, and that increases to company and high-earner taxation should provide the needed funds.

Whatever different views and proposals there might, this is a debate we are not even having, certainly at the necessary political or community level.

The Commission says that “even with ever more information on trends, the near inevitability of significant fiscal and policy consequences of demographic change seems not to have created much genuine desire for reform”.

Meanwhile, the demographic clock keeps ticking. ■

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10 | National Update

NSW-ACT Report Industry’s culture of assistance, dedication and leadership Charles Wurf Chief Executive Officer | LASA NSW-ACT

T

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In October the commitment, dedication, and leadership within our industry’s ranks was clearly demonstrated during the bushfire crisis throughout New South Wales. The bushfires were especially devastating in the Blue Mountains, which was impacted by three large blazes that collectively destroyed more than 200 homes.

As the fires were burning out of control, eight residential aged care facilities were considered for evacuation. Of these facilities, five would ultimately be evacuated, with hundreds of residents being relocated for up to three days.

During this crisis offers of assistance came from many quarters across the industry, including the capability to care for residents during the evacuation, help through assistance with transport, and support with staffing.

Most noticeable was the spirit in which this assistance was offered – assistance was needed, and quickly – and it says much about our industry’s values and character that the willingness to help was immediate and selfless. While not all offers were taken up, all were appreciated.

After any crisis, our nature is to determine what has transpired, and to learn what might be improved on the next such occasion.

The recent bushfire crisis in New South Wales reveals many outstanding instances where, rather than criticism, there must be praise, for the industry was confronted by unprecedented circumstances, and rose to meet it.

Particular mention should be made of the outstanding leadership across all levels of the industry especially those who assisted in the evacuation, and those who provided care and assistance for the remainder of the crisis. Their leadership helped to make an extremely difficult situation manageable, and ensured staff of different organisations worked effectively side by side.

The commitment, dedication, and leadership demonstrated during the October bushfire crisis is imbued throughout our industry, and is the essence of those countless actions which take place in age services every day. And every day, it begins again.

And every day, our industry continues to provide care for our frailest Australians. ■

12 | National Update

victoria Report Great service, exceptional food: Rising demands of the aged care consumer Frances Mirabelli Acting/Deputy CEO | LASA VIC

T

he imminent shift in our population as the ‘baby boomer’ generation begin to turn 65 is well documented; by 2056 there is projected that 24 per cent of our population will be over the age of 85 in Australia compared to 13 per cent today . In terms of the volume of people requiring care as they age, and the need for increased services, the statistics speak for themselves. It is the higher levels of expectation regarding products, service delivery and options for personalised care where the biggest shift will occur; and one for which our industry needs to begin its preparations.

One area of service provision for which this is certainly true is the food in residential and community aged care, where the demand for providers to offer greater choice as well as innovative and flexible food delivery will increase. ‘Baby boomers’ will place much more emphasis on food choice and quality. It is therefore likely that the way in which aged care organisations provide these services will become just as important as care services.

At a recent LASA Victoria event, delegates heard from Angela Gifford – a leading UK home community care service provider and consultant – who warned of the rising attitude amongst consumers of “if you can’t provide me with the service I want, I will find someone who can”.

The ‘citizen centric services’ described during the presentation included the changing customer expectations around access, choice and control over the care and services they receive – a trend which applies directly to food, and one that all aged care providers need to prepare for in order to stay competitive in our rapidly evolving industry.

Here in Victoria, many organisations are already rising to the challenge to provide even greater choice, quality and flexible delivery of food in residential aged care. At the recent OSCAR Hospitality Aged Care Hospitality Awards five LASA Victoria member organisations were recognised for excellence and innovation in the delivery of food services.

One of these organisations was Southern Cross Care (Vic) who were awarded Facility Catering Service of the Year and Victorian Catering Innovation of the Year, highlighting some exciting initiatives within the organisation, and for our industry.

These include: buffet service allowing residents who are capable to • A have greater choice and control over their meals, leading to increased opportunities to retain independence and the ability to make decisions about what they eat.

• A Natural Food Fortification Program introduced to combat concern about resident’s weight through recipes being adapted to include natural foods such as butter, eggs and full cream milk.

• Offering a 24 hour food service and giving resident’s a say in the foods they preferred to eat.

Another Victorian member provider, Andrew Kerr Frail & Aged Care, was recognised for innovation in food service for an exciting menu provided to residents during the 2012 London Olympic Games called ‘Around the world in 14 days’. The program was an example of a provider going above and beyond to increase resident enjoyment and participation in food during a special event.

Congratulations to these members, and all others, for thinking outside the box and taking the delivery of food services to the next level. Increasingly, the provision of high quality, a la carte and diverse food choices in residential aged care is one of the areas in which care provider organisations will be compared and assessed by prospective residents. We also congratulate the many individuals who are striving for innovation and excellence in aged care food services, including the Victorian Chefs, Food Service Assistants and Cooks recognised at the awards.

The ‘baby boomer’ generation entering the aged care market is not a fad, nor is it a trend that will pass quickly with no impact.

For the next 25 years the influx of these consumers – the largest, wealthiest and most educated group of Australian citizens to ever enter the aged care market – is going to have a huge impact on our age services industry. They are discerning consumers who expect quality, demand choice and will ‘shop around’ to get what they want, when they want it.

Now is the time for change, innovation and for thinking differently to ensure your organisation is ready to provide the choices that the consumer of the future will demand.

See article on page 33 with details of all winners ■ Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3222.0

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14 | National Update

Queensland Report LASA on Leadership, Partnership, Advocacy and Value Barry Ashcroft Chief Executive Officer | LASA QLD

S

everal weeks ago, Queensland members’ came together at an exclusive Executive Breakfast with LASA Leaders to learn more about the Associations’ position and priorities on Leadership, Partnership, Advocacy and Value as we move into the next phase of age services reform.

LASA Chair, General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC, commenced proceedings; reflecting on his extensive leadership experiences and what he thought were the necessary attributes of a leader in the age services industry.

Drawing on anecdotes from his experience as Commander of the Cyclone Larry Taskforce, Peter highlighted that leadership in age services was (also) highly dependent on teamwork, with experienced and effective teams working together to provide “stewardship for the sector as it uplifts and nurtures the dignity of ageing Australians”.

He added that fundamental to being a leader were appropriate skills and motivation, but equally as important was connection; that something else that drives or guides you, and for Peter (as Chair) this is a family member residing in a care facility.

In closing, Peter encouraged members to embrace this time of dramatic industry evolution; a time when dynamic leadership and working collaboratively would be essential for ongoing sustainability.

Echoing these sentiments, LASA Q President, Marcus Riley spoke about the critical importance of partnerships, noting LASA’s unprecedented commitment to relationships was evident across our range of stakeholders.

Within our own federation, Marcus noted that partnering between the national and state offices continued to mature; striving to provide the optimum level of service, support, representation and leadership to all members.

He added that collectively, our Association continued to foster mutually productive and beneficial relationships across the three tiers of government, with a view to increasing our involvement and influence in the broader health, housing, and academic spheres

Most important of all our relationships and partnerships were those with our members’, staff and clients, and Marcus noted that these were built on inclusivity and diversity; allowing the Association to understand and articulate mutual goals and bring together and facilitate lasting and trusted networks.

And it’s those networks that LASA National CEO, Patrick Reid alluded to when he engaged members on the topic of advocacy, and more importantly, what he saw as his ‘riding instructions’ on behalf of the Association.

Patrick described the difficulties in influencing key government stakeholders to make real and lasting change when a politician’s (political) life expectancy is only some 500 odd days (2 years).

This however, will not dissuade Patrick or LASA from its lobbying task.

As was also identified by other speakers, Patrick made mention of the opportunity to lead change, as is currently occurring with deliberations around the reallocation of $1.2bn of ACFI funding (lead by LASA, in partnership with ACSA and Catholic Health Australia). He added that further opportunities existed around the reduction in red-tape, and that feedback from LASA members would be critical in informing the robust and regular discussions planned with Minister Andrews and Assistant Minister Fifield.

In bringing proceedings to a close, I asked members to consider that most elusive quality for any association – Member Value, and even more challenging – how to articulate, embody and communicate that value back to members.

Based on my observations and the feedback I’ve received from LASA Q members, I’m confident we’re achieving a good level of engagement and delivering outstanding service.

As our industry continues to experience rapid and constant change – our members, can be assured that their association is up to the task; appreciative of their membership contributions and ready to support them throughout those changes through good Leadership, strong Partnerships, effective Advocacy and the delivery of exceptional Value. ■

National Update | 15

WESTERN Australia Report Winning in 2014 Beth Cameron Chief Executive Officer | LASA WA

W

elcome to 2014 everyone! It is definitely going to be a good year. I’m sure we have all had lovely breaks and have dreamed up lots of wonderful, eggnog inspired plans for the New Year.

Well, I have a secret that I guarantee will assist you in reaching all of your goals for 2014.

The secret is – you need a team.

Ever since we were single-celled organisms and decided we’d have a better time if we teamed up – and had some cells doing the eating, some thinking, and others respirating – we have gone from strength to strength.

Teams are stronger, more fun, and a team, particularly a diverse team, has a higher collective intelligence than even the smartest individual.

The great NFL Coach Vince Lombardi said – “Individual commitment to a group effort, which is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

As a sector, we have a lot of work to do this year. On top of the most important work, delivering care, we have a still-new government to work with, and the opportunity to negotiate badly needed reform to the regulation of the sector.

And it is going to take a great team to pull together to achieve these goals. Luckily we have one: great members; great directors; and great people within LASA working hard to achieve change.

Each of you makes a critical contribution, and each of you are a key part of the team. If there is something you feel is missing from the sector’s collective strategies and approach, make sure your voice is heard! You matter. You make a difference. And without a strong team we are not going to achieve our goal.

I’ll be watching a LOT of cricket this summer, and any single player wouldn’t be able to win the game on their own. You need to team up and work toward your goals together. Now, despite your best efforts, every now and then some crazy streaker is going to mess everything up for a bit, but like our fine cricketers, we let them run back off and then get on with the game.

According to Michael Jordan (who would know) talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.

We have a great team in WA, and we look forward to working with our inter-state colleagues to make sure 2014 is a winner. ■

15 – 17 June 2014 Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges Fremantle, WA www.wa.lasa.asn.au

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General | 17

ACIVA CHANGES THE GUARD – 4th AGM

By Dr Caroline Lee (Past President)

F

ollowing four years as President of the Aged Care IT Vendors Association, I, Caroline Lee have happily moved into the role of Committee Member and wish to announce that past Vice President, David Loiterton, has accepted the position as President. ACIVA held its fourth AGM on Tuesday 12 November, at which the new Executive and Committee Members were voted in. I wish to thank the Association and especially my committee members for their assistance over the past years but specifically this last year, Emma Pate – Secretary, Sonja Bernhardt OAM – Treasurer, David Loiterton – Vice President, Bart Williams – Public Officer, Joan Edgecumbe – Secretariat and Committee Members Uday Shah, Craig Porte, Peter Staples and John Perkins. Geoff Bowker represented ACIVA with me on NEHTA committee meetings over the past 2-3 years and I wish to thank him also.

Members present discussed a range of topics including the request by Richard Royle, Panel Chair of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) Review, to ACIVA to submit a response in support of the Federal Minister for Health the Hon Peter Dutton MP’s review. Some members indicated they would provide written submissions directly whilst ACIVA will submit a compiled response.

Reflecting on the year, major activities and achievements included: • Aged Care Vendor Panel members achieved access to the PCEHR – support of each other occurred via various forums during development • Pathfinder Project – in Sept 12 members created and supplied to managers of the project consulting firm Doll Martin Associates, details re Event Summary expected content AND information to prepare How to Cards – to date DOH (previously DOHA) has not issued these information forms to the industry but has promised to do so.

• Pulse IT Magazine and ACIVA joined together in promoting the industry • CHIK’s Health-e-Directory – Aged Care IT Directory service continues to involve ACIVA members • Caroline Lee (Leecare) and Geoff Bowker (Epicor) continued to represent ACIVA at all monthly NEHTA Compliance,

Conformance, Accreditation and Governance (CCAG) and ICT Implementation Committee meetings. ICTIIG ceased meeting in June ‘13.

• ACIVA has released their new Website – the Black Nova company has supported us in this venture • Various articles continued to be submitted to various Journals to report our activities • We are yet to hear back from the DOHA ACFI team re a time to meet the ACIVA delegation to discuss the need for timely information delivery, to enable timely software development activities in light of changes We increased membership also over the past 12 months welcoming a variety of software, infrastructure and other support service companies to enrich our Association’s scope and representation for the aged care industry.

Our involvement with the Aged Care IT Council (LASA and ACSA) continues as we work towards aligning the sector’s needs with the possibilities of IT. ACIVA will continue to work closely with the Council.

The new Executive Committee for 2013-2014 include the following respected industry participants:

PRESIDENT David Loiterton – Kalasea

VICE PRESIDENT Geoff Bowker – Epicor

SECRETARY Emma Pate – EOS Technologies

TREASURER Uday Shah – People Point

ACIVA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Caroline Lee (Past President) – Leecare Solutions Ivan Parker – SARAH Aged Care Management Craig Porte – Icon Global. ■

18 | General

LASA National Office Policy Overview: July 2012 – June 2013

By Kay Richards National Policy Manager, LASA

P

olicy development poses numerous challenges and since inception on 1 July 2012, Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) has been able to achieve a leadership position in influencing and challenging policy direction in an era where some of the most significant and far reaching policy changes have impacted age services, specifically in the home and residential care.

In the period July 2012 – June 2013 LASA provided over 26 formal responses and submissions to Government, the then Department of Health and Ageing, the National Aged Care Alliance (NACA), and independent organisations such as the National LGBTI Health Alliance, the Australian Skills Quality Authority and the Advisory Committee on Medicine Scheduling.

Of significance, the LASA submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee and the subsequent political influence, resulted in the repeal of the Workforce Supplement. LASA is currently developing a methodology to support the flow of the monies back into the industry.

The second draft of the Accommodation Pricing Guidelines significantly changed from the original draft and in both instances LASA provided full commentary to the Department with the aim of, if not achieving a complete reversal, where the current system remains, then at least to simplifying processes, that take regard of market forces, resident mix and the prevailing competitive market.

LASA has also provided debate to the draft guidelines outlining requirements for the supplement aligned to significant refurbishments.

In the period of this report LASA expressly influenced proposed changes to the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI). Following

the sweeping changes imposed on residential care in July 2012 the Department was keen to implement further changes that would impact on claiming processes and on documentation requirements.

LASA was successful in ensuring the changes imposed on 1 July 2013 were less severe than was initially proposed.

In late 2012 the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance undertook a review of the Advisor and Administrator Panel Arrangements of which LASA provided a range of suggestions to assist the recruitment and appointment strategy and improve the quality and effectiveness of the functions of advisors and administrators and the sanctions process.

LASA was pleased to see that advocacy to the Prudential and Approved Provider Regulation Branch of the Department was able to influence the permitted use of loans made using bonds and the additional permitted use of deposits of bonds into religious charitable development funds.

There has been a significant amount of work undertaken, numerous committee meetings and a substantial time commitment to the various working group set up through the NACA process. Two areas that will impact the industry in years to come include the review of the Specified Care and Services Schedule as part of the Quality of Care Principles and the development of the ‘Aged Care Gateway’. The Specified Care and Services Reference Group (and sub-groups) met at times on a weekly basis to negotiate between provider, consumer, union and professional body representatives. Presently, the Reference Group is awaiting notification from the new government on how this work will continue and

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General | 19 announcement of the organisation which has been successful to the tender process to undertake a costing of the proposed new schedule.

The Aged Care Gateway, through the new myagedcare.gov. au website and the National Call Centre commenced on 1 July 2013, with little fanfare despite the major changes required to have it up and running. Alongside this work, and as part of the work undertaken by the Aged Care Gateway Advisory Group, LASA has provided expert input into the Home Care Packages Program Guidelines, the Provision of Respite in the Commonwealth Home Support Program and the Home Support Program Design. This also included input into the Concepts of Operations for the Gateway and Business Design as well as the assessment and referral processes that are planned for inclusion in the Gateway from 2014.

Quality indicators for residential care are proposed and are earmarked for publication on the myagedcare.gov.au website from 1 July 2014. LASA has been a strong advocate in setting the policy for the development of meaningful indicators that can be useful to both the consumer and the provider, and in how such indicators might be used in a constructive, non-punitive manner.

LASA believes that advocacy, involvement into research and political action can impact on policy decision with the aim of improving care delivery to older Australians. That is why LASA has played an important role in three important projects; the National Rollout of the Palliative Approach Toolkit (PA Toolkit) for Residential Aged Care Facilities, the Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning Consortium and the Consumer Directed Care Capacity Building Service project.

The outcome of these projects are aimed to support care delivery both in the residential and home care environment. LASA also appreciates the importance of having an appropriately qualified and

skilled workforce for the age services industry and why participation in activities conducted through Health Workforce Australia is important as core activities of the policy work undertaken by LASA. Participation in such groups as the Aged Care Workforce Reform Project Advisory Group, HW 2025 Nursing Update Project Advisory Group, and the HWA National Common Health Competency Resource Project Advisory Group provide valuable input into policy decisions and how care can be delivered.

Although LASA does not contend to provide clinical advice, input into clinical decision making frameworks and workforce structure are also seen as core activities for policy development.

Working with such bodies as the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia in providing policy and clinical decision making tools on wound care and medication management again support improved care delivery across the sector. As does working with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in the development of an electronic medication chart, or the inclusion of advance care planning decisions into a personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR).

There are a myriad of topic areas that LASA has direct input and without the support of member organisations who provide valuable counsel and advice, policy input could be shallow and of little consequence. LASA prides itself on taking a thought leadership role and appreciates the sponsorship and input from across the Australian membership.

Through the array of LASA Committees now being forged this counsel and advice will continue to influence a LASA response to those areas pertinent to the business of providing care and services to older Australians and aims to place LASA as the organisation sought for that input. â–

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General | 21

22 | General

Meeting the challenge of evacuation

By Liz Roberts, CEO, Buckland Aged Care Services

T

he Blue Mountains community, like communities throughout Australia, has a distinct local character. For more than 75 years Buckland Aged Care Services has been a part of this community, and as such we understand that living in the Blue Mountains comes with the threat of bushfires.

The fire which swept through Springwood on 17 October destroyed 192 homes and damaged a further 109. This fire was one of three large blazes which impacted on the Blue Mountains, and would collectively destroy more than 200 homes on that Thursday afternoon.

The Springwood blaze started over half a kilometre from Buckland, and while Buckland was not immediately under threat, there was an impact for some staff, as well as families of residents, who had their homes destroyed or damaged in the fire.

In subsequent days, with the fires still burning out of control, Buckland was one of eight facilities considered for evacuation.

Of these facilities, five would ultimately be evacuated including Principal Endeavour from Springwood, Bodington Residential Aged Care at Wentworth Falls, UnitingCare at Springwood, and the Kurrajong & District Community Nursing Home. Springwood Hospital would also be evacuated.

Following constant liaison with government agencies and emergency services, the decision was made to evacuate more than 400 residents in High and Low Care, and also Independent Living Units from Buckland. This commenced on Tuesday, 22 October. The majority of residents in Independent Living Units self-evacuated and managed their own temporary accommodation.

Those residents in care were relocated to SummitCare Penrith and SummitCare St Marys on the Tuesday.

I cannot praise enough the support, leadership, and professionalism of SummitCare to assist with the relocation of so many residents in such a short period of time. SummitCare Penrith received 77 High Care Residents, and SummitCare St Marys received 63 Low Care and Independent Living Unit residents from Buckland.

Under the superb leadership of Helen Roberts, Facility Manager and Brendon Vos, Maintenance Manager, our nursing, maintenance, and administration staff worked side by side in an incredible feat of logistics and cooperation. Much of the assistance provided by SummitCare was proactive and undertaken with the care and welfare of our residents as the primary focus.

The leadership, energy, and support provided by CEO Cynthia Payne and her team at SummitCare helped to make an extremely difficult situation manageable. While our thank you is sincere and heart-felt, it seems somewhat inadequate in light of the support SummitCare provided for residents and staff during the bushfire emergency.

The evacuation of residents would last for three days and during this time additional assistance came from many quarters. This includes transport assistance from RSL LifeCare which would prove particularly beneficial when returning residents to Buckland. The

General | 23 Whiddon Group have acquired significant experience in managing emergencies in recent years, particularly during floods, we are also grateful for their assistance with registered nursing staff.

The relocation of residents during the bushfire crisis has provided us with experiences which can immediately benefit other providers of age services. Some of these might seem logical to those with extensive experience in the industry, but when planning reaches realisation during a crisis it is important to note what runs efficiently, and what struggles.

A significant challenge was not knowing how long the emergency would last and when residents would be able to return.

This imposed a degree of logistical uncertainty for both Buckland and SummitCare.

Transportation of residents was also a crucial factor, especially as there was a determination to minimise the distance required for transportation during the evacuation. While the NSW Government was able to provide some support and ambulances during the evacuation, access to other transport was needed for the timely return of residents.

The local nature of the emergency meant that some staff members were themselves caught up in the bushfire threat. Issues from local road closures, to staff members protecting their own homes, needed to be taken into account when managing the evacuation of residents from Buckland and their ongoing support and care whilst in the SummitCare facilities.

While the care and welfare of our residents is at the core of what we do, there were areas that worked well during the evacuation that we as an organisation can take some quiet satisfaction in.

The first of these was our preparation and planning. At Buckland as a minimum we annually review and test our emergency and contingency plans. The confidence we had in activating these plans, and also in our team to carry them out, ensured we were able to commence evacuating residents as soon as the decision was made.

Staff also performed magnificently during the evacuation.

There was much pride taken at all levels of the organisation to meet whatever challenges were needed in an extraordinary situation. Buckland and SummitCare staff performed admirably at all levels, while displaying strong leadership skills and resilience.

Clear and co-ordinated internal communications, especially during a time of crowded inboxes and many text messages, also made a difference. This particularly enabled decisions to be made without undue delay.

Communication with family members was also crucial during the bushfire crisis. What was particularly noticeable was the goodwill and patience from the families of residents who understood the need not to apply any undue pressure on Buckland or SummitCare Penrith and St Marys during the evacuation.

Many families, especially those with relatives in the Independent Living Units, made a point of providing their own accommodation and this significantly reduced logistical pressure, and allowed the focus to be on those residents with higher care needs.

Buckland was one of five providers of age services whose residents were evacuated during the recent unprecedented bushfire crisis in the Blue Mountains. While each organisation will have its own experiences and learnings, I know the common sentiment is to thank those from within our industry, and also our local communities, for their support and assistance during this difficult time. â–

INS LifeGuard

24 | General

General | 25

Aged Care Nutrition – Food or Supplements?

By Denise Burbidge, Chief Dietitian, Leading Nutrition – The Dietician Centre

F

or many aged care providers the costs and relative benefits associated with nutrition supplements and food budgets are a contentious issue. Questions are often posed around whether supplements are necessary for someone of advanced age. What is the impact of supplements and food fortification? Should we invest more in food or in supplements?

Malnutrition rates among older Australians are high1 and this is often overshadowed by resources dedicated to population obesity trends. There remains a stigma around overweight older people and weight loss is often encouraged, without stopping to think about the wider implications of weight loss in an older person. Malnutrition risk is present across the weight continuum2 (from underweight, healthy weight to overweight) and for an older person, any unintentional weight loss warrants investigation.

When picked up early, malnutrition can be prevented or easily treated, but once an older person has lost significant body weight, improving nutrition outcomes becomes very difficult. Whilst

malnutrition is recognised once a person becomes visually frail and infirm, early signs of decreased food intake and weight loss are often missed.

Optimising nutrition intake for all older people in our care is crucial to many functional outcomes associated with daily activities. Food and fluid intake, if managed well, can contribute significantly to improved quality of life and various clinical indicators such as bowel management, skin integrity and reduced risk of falls. When food and fluid intake is not managed well, clinical outcomes are poor; recovery from illness is slow, hospital admissions are longer and care needs are higher. All providers of care to the elderly need to recognise the impact of poor nutrition and to optimise intake for all clients or residents, not just those who are obviously frail.

New guidelines around protein intake have been released and indicate that older people need more dietary protein than younger adults to maintain and regain muscle.3 This challenges the myth that we don’t need to eat as much when we get older. As a

26 | General Figure 1

dietitian working with older people, achieving higher protein intake with my clients is really challenging as there are many underlying factors present which reduce oral intake. Therefore I am left with the difficulty of creating meal ideas for someone who does not want to eat much but has high nutritional needs. This dilemma is common among older people living in the community as well as those in residential care.

There are many strategies that can be used to increase total caloric and protein intake for those with low appetites: • increase access to preferred foods and fluids • provide small meals often • incorporate high quality protein ingredients at all meals (e.g. meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, legumes, tofu, lentils) • fortify meals to create higher energy density (add energy and protein foods such as milk powder, butter, cream, honey, sugar or cheese to meals), and • provide high protein drinks and nutritional supplements in addition to foods.

There is clear evidence that nutrition interventions can improve outcomes for those with malnutrition and that oral nutrition supplements and food fortification are both effective strategies for older people in the community and residential care sectors.4 Selecting an appropriate range of strategies to use requires individual assessment. Someone living in their own home who is having difficulty preparing their own foods will likely do well having pre-prepared supplements in addition to meals, whereas for someone in long term care, with a dedicated food service, there will likely be more food based strategies that can be implemented to optimise nutrition intake. In all care settings there are some who do well with supplements and others who do well with foods.

When supplement use and costs become high, it usually relates to individual assessment not being carried out, the underlying causes of weight loss and reduced food intake not being addressed and supplement use not being monitored and evaluated. Many aged care providers now have generic policies in place whereby if a resident loses weight they automatically are commenced on nutrition supplements or food based interventions without adequate consultation with the resident. This often leads to residents being commenced on interventions they do not like or tolerate, increased food and supplement wastage and little or no improvement in resident nutrition outcomes.

Detailed nutrition assessments, monitoring and evaluation of interventions and clinical outcomes is considered best practice.

The question should not be around supplements or food but having a range of interventions available to support increased food intake (see figure 1.0). There is a place for maximising efficiency through streamlining the number and types of supplements available, and streamlining food provision and food fortification; however in most cases a broad and holistic approach to nutrition is required.

Looking at costs in isolation is of limited value; for example there is no advantage in meeting the catering budget if supplement costs increase substantially in order to achieve clinical outcomes. A better strategy is to consider clinical nutrition indicators such as malnutrition screening, weight loss, constipation, and wounds; decide what needs to change (e.g. nutrition provisions vs environmental impacts such as dining environment and assistance with meals); and formulate strategies accordingly.

To offer adequate interventions for managing malnutrition and weight, consider the following: • offer a range of hot and cold protein foods in addition to traditional continental breakfast (e.g. eggs, baked beans, yoghurt, cheese) • provide nourishing mid meal snacks (including all food textures) • offer a choice of hot meals for lunch and evening meals as well as sandwich or salad alternatives • provide ‘ MiloTM or hot chocolate at supper (made with warm fullcream milk, not hot water) • investigate options for providing meals (especially breakfast) at staggered times to fit around individuals morning sleep and hygiene activities • make in-house milkshakes and smoothies or offer commercial flavoured milks and juices as part of hydration breaks • have the option to fortify at least one component of each main meal (e.g. porridge at breakfast, mashed potato at lunch and soup with evening meal), and • have a range of oral nutrition supplements available for those who are unable to meet nutrition requirements through foods alone (milk-based, juice-based and energy dense supplements).

To assist in making decisions around supplements and foods it is recommended that the support of a dietitian is embraced.

A dietitian not only provides individual client assessments but can help ensure residential care facilities and community aged care providers have nourishing menus which incorporate high protein options and can devise systems for meal fortification that suit constraints around food services as well as the needs of clients. The underlying goal, for aged care nutrition, is to improve outcomes and clinical indicators and there are many ways this can be achieved. ■ Author: Denise Burbidge, Chief Dietitian, Leading Nutrition Pty Ltd. Leading Nutrition is a national supplier of nutrition services for aged care providers with a team of expert aged care dietitians. See www.leadingnutrition.com.au or phone 1300 722 712.

References 1. Evidence Based Practice Guidelines for the Nutritional Management of Malnutrition in Adult Patients Across the Continuum of Care December 2009. J. Nutr & Diet.

Volume 66, Issue Supplement s3 Pages S1–S34 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/ndi.2009.66.issue-s3/issuetoc 2. Winter J et al (2013) Nutrition Screening of older people in a community general practice, using MNA-SF. Journal of Nutrition Health and Ageing 17(4).

3. Bauer J et al (2013) Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE study group. JAMDA 2013 (14) 542-559 4. Evidence Based Practice Guidelines for the Nutritional Management of Malnutrition in Adult Patients Across the Continuum of Care December 2009. J. Nutr & Diet.

Volume 66, Issue Supplement s3 Pages S1–S34 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/ndi.2009.66.issue-s3/issuetoc

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28 | General

Keeping meal times interesting – Keeping Residents Interested in Food

By Karen Abbey, Foodservice Aged Care Specialist Dietitian (APD) www.nutcat.com.au

N

utrition is a simple concept you have to eat nourishing foods and drink enough fluids to maintain good health and vitality. Visiting aged care facilities across the country to improve services to residents I am always fascinated by the comment that “residents get fed too much food”. When you look at the typical menu pattern for an aged care facility in Australia as shown below it does look like that residents get feed all day. However, if you really look at what they get feed across the menu it is important to remember that unlike what we do in our homes and go to the fridge for a lot of residents that no longer happens. So trying to ensure that all residents have enough food choices and foods in which they like often means that over the day a variety of food options need to be made available.

Facilities may opt fora range of ways in which meals will be served and there is no rule as to what a menu pattern looks like, it depends on what your residents are inclined to want to eat and when.

Breakfast Lunch

Evening meal Snacks (mid-meals)

Cereals (not cold)

Hot meal (maybe choice)

Soup

Toast

(alternative Hot meal choice)

Yoghurt

Dessert

Salads

Fruit

Soup

Desserts

Fluids

Fluids

Fresh fruit

Foods (bakery, fruit)

Fluids

Fluids So how do you keep the menu interesting for residents and ensure that nutritional intake is maximised. Well it comes down to two simple factors meeting the food preferences and enabling the resident to have some choice. Choice gives residents a sense of power and control and that single fact has been shown to improve food intake. Why because the residents makes the decision not the staff and when you can choose how much you want to eat then most times it is eaten.

The menu is very important in this process but more importantly is ensuring that the residents engage with the food supply. It is very simple for a residents to disengaged with the food supply in aged care homes. After all they no longer prepare or cook meals and the shopping is taken care of. Food is such an important aspect of our lives, it makes up daily processes and being a part of that process is important to enjoying the meal served.

Simple strategies • I nvolve lifestyle into the aspects of the menu planning, have a recipe club, recipe of the month provided by residents, food theme days or gardening clubs where food is grown in the facility.

• When trialling new menu items get the residents to rate the new meals and send your cook/chefs into the dining rooms for feedback.

• Use your communication system to promote foodservices (TV in receptions or dining rooms) displays meals on the menu today.

• One facility I visited had the daily menu printed and on the tables for lunch and the evening meal and the residents sat at their tables and discussed the days meals. It was also a great way if sudden menu change had to be made to communicate those changes to the residents.

• Have a finger food meal where a selection of fingers foods are put down in front of the resident so that they can choose what they would like to eat – this could be using pastry type foods, fruits, toasted sandwiches, pizza the possibilities are endless and you only need a set of tongs.

• Put the protein portion on the plate and let the resident choose from a vegetable plater on the table and poor their own gravy.

A good example when to do this would be roast meals.

A simple meal enjoyed by all residents on a Sunday. Mix up the vegetables from week to week and have a variety to choose from.

• Use a buffet style dining service or a cart/trolley to go around and ask the residents what they would like to eat for example a dessert trolley with options between fruit, yoghurt, ice cream and cake.

General | 29

• M ix up the serving styles for example have lunch served formally but then use buffet trolleys for the serving of soup, salads and sandwiches for the evening meal.

What does this mean to the resident well lots of things, let’s all reflects as to how important it is to have choices what we will eat for a meal. For residents choice can be a surprise and make the meal occasion more exciting. It also means that resident may be tempted to try some different foods. Not all residents want a lot of choices as it can become very exhausting so that’s when staff need to step in and help residents to serve themselves or to make food choices. But this process itself engages the resident with the food supply within a home.

Unless meal ordering is taken as close to the meal as possible often the resident will forget and then what happens if they want the other meal and change their mind. It is tricky feeding a large

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30 | General group of people. Buffet style dinning takes away the need to take meal orders and bring choice front and centre for the residents.

When residents cannot communicate choice is very important to consider. There are many residents who won’t be able to communicate what they would like to eat. The best any home can do is to investigate the food preferences with family and friends.

The next important factor is to observe what the resident does at meal times and make notes regarding foods likes and dislikes.

If a residents does not like peas on the normal menu then they won’t like it when they move to a vitamised/puree menu so make sure that always food like and dislikes are respected.

It is important to remember that food surrounds every aspect of our lives and has meaning, comfort and memory to us all. So it forms a very important role in a home where it becomes an aspect of familiarity and comfort. We all like to eat very tasty food so meal time often are looked forward to and be increasing the interest in the way food is served to residents, by offering choice residents will participate in the food process. ■

Nutrition and Catering Global Hub Free electronic nutrition and catering newsletter which everyone is invited to join nacc@live.com.au www.nutcat.com.au

What’s on the menu?

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Fixed price catering solutions - protection against cost over - run.

Highly nutritious & tasty meals - cooked fresh on-site.

All menus, special diets and modified foods approved by consultant Dietitians (APD)

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Karen Abbey Foodservice Aged Care Specialist Dietitian (APD) nacc@live.com.au www.nutcat.com.au Bachelor of Science, Honours in Human Nutrition, Graduate Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics, Masters in Health Science Management.

Karen has worked in aged care across all industries both here in Australia and overseas.

Her career has stretched across acute geriatric services, HACC, Meals on Wheels and residential aged care both as a clinician and foodservice dietitian. Karen present, writes and trains widely for the aged care and foodservice industry.

Company services include menu reviews, menu design, foodservice and dining room audits. Karen also publishes the Nutrition and Catering Global Hub and everyone is invited to join and receive this free electronic newsletter.

Visit web site www.nutcat.com.au for further details. Karen is currently undertaking a PhD with the University of Queensland examining menu design in residential aged care.

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General | 31

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General | 33

Hospitality Awards Highlight Outstanding Staff across Age Services

By Justine Caines, Government Relations and Communications Manager, LASA

T

he recent OSCAR Hospitality awards in aged care demonstrated the talent, dedication and care provided by so many in our age services workforce. As a judge I found it a difficult decision to decide winners. I was very pleased to see such outstanding individuals nominated and for the winners national recognition.

Nominations were sought across 7 categories including: Catering innovation, facility catering service, chef manager, chef cook, food service assistant, laundry service and facility cleaner.

Chef Cook Shane Hilliard, Southern Cross Care, Newport

Food Service Assistant Tita Nepomuceno, Keith Turnbull Place, Ozcare

Laundry Service Monica Leiva, Andrew Kerr Frail & AC Complex Facility Cleaner Shirani Illesinghe, Monterary Blue Cross

Chef Manager: Kate Brown was described as someone with an overwhelming ability to ‘go the extra mile’ but also motivate others as well. It is this ability that has a continued positive affect on staff and Catering innovation residents at Kate’s facility, Blue Cross Willowmeade.

Whiddon Group Redhead and United Hospitality (Joint) “Not only doesn’t Kate ever complain if she is called upon to do Facility Catering Service an extra shift, she often volunteers before being asked! Even under Southern Cross Victoria, Dandenong difficult circumstances or when presented with complicated dietary Chef Manager requirements Kate continues to go the extra mile.” said her nominator, Kate Brown, Blue Cross Willowmeade Stephen Milsted.

OSCAR Hospitality Award Winners 2013

34 | General

23RD ANNUAL TRI-STATE CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION Aged Care: Breaking Free 23 – 25 February 2014 Albury Entertainment Centre FEATURING

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Australian Performer, Writer & Comedian

Member of the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council, Ambassador for the Australian Peacekeepers Association and Peacemakers Veterans Association, Member of the ANZAC Centenary Commission and serves on the National Mental Health Forum

Jean Kittson

Bruce Bailey

Director, RSM Bird Cameron Proudly co-hosted by

Matina Jewell

Kerry Lehman

Partner and Co-founder, Brand Partners FM

Corrinne Armour

Director, Extraordinary Future

Phillip Mayers Director, Dakin Mayers

Proudly sponsored by

General | 35 Chef: Shane Hilliard scoured recipe books of days gone by and reintroduced old time favourites and tastes familiar to residents, such as Lemon Sago, creamed rice pudding and jam roly-poly. While these deserts have not been ‘in-vogue’ for decades, for many older Australians they were part of life. Importantly what Shane realises is that these foods assist residents in reminiscing and can evoke strong childhood memories. This is essentially part of a philosophy that a resident dining experience should be more than simply serving food on a plate it should be about providing a ‘true sensory experience’, says Shane’s nominator, Ian Burman.

Laundry service worker: Tita Nepomuceno joined Ozcare eight years ago was nominated as a ‘wonderful role model’ and ‘exemplary leader’. Tita’s leadership is evident by the fact that at least seven other staff are well trained to perform laundry duties and Tita’s role if ever she is away. Despite personal tragedy last year when Tita’s husband died her commitment to her role and operational efficiency continued as always. One of Tita’s top priorities is to ensure any unmarked laundry items are returned to their rightful owner; something that prevents resident upset and unnecessary additional cost.

Laundry Service: Monica Leiva Monica has worked at the Andrew Kerr Aged Care Aged Care complex for ten years. Her nomination stated that it was not only the role she performed but also her work ethic, team work and affability that made her worthy of the award. Monica has a smile that absolutely beams and it’s contagious, filtering through to both residents and staff, said her nominator, Debra Reidel. Informal and formal evaluations revealed that Monica showed not only a positive attitude but a dedication and commitment to her role,

something that was evident from both residents and management, with a comment that Monica’s work ethic should be seen as a ‘beacon to other staff members’.

Food Service Shirani Illesinghe ‘Dedication and Commitment with a smile for everyone’ was a comment in Shirani’s Nomination.

Management at Blue Cross Monterey said that the excellence in her role coupled with such a positive attitude was something that is ‘hard to ignore’. Shirani’s leadership qualities were also singled out as a great asset to the organisation. Shirani finds the time to show residents genuine kindness taking the time out to talk with them, making them feel special, all without impacting on her daily ‘to do list’.

The awards ceremony was held in Melbourne on November 5.

LASA was proud to attend and see such dedicated caring staff in aged care facilities. It is important as the industry representative that LASA showcase the winners of these awards providing them with the recognition they deserve, which in some cases is no doubt long overdue.

Guest speaker for the evening was former Ready Steady Cook personality and long term chef, Matt Golinski. Matt was very well received and delivered a humorous and inspiring presentation.

LASA hopes this inspires others out there to ‘go the extra mile’ and for management to nominate outstanding staff. It is clear from the nominations received this year that the dedication and commitment is greatly valued, particularly by residents.

LASA will also showcase the winners on the 3 Million Reasons website. To show support for your industry sign up as a supporter today at www.3millionreasons.com.au ■

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36 | General

Advertorial | 37

Older people a concern to beyondblue

D

epression and anxiety are common conditions in the community, affecting around three million Australians. Older people are not exempt, with around 10 to 15 per cent of people over the age of 65 likely to be affected. However, among older people who are frail and need greater support, the depression rate doubles.1 A recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed that just over half of permanent agedcare residents had symptoms of depression.2 Chronic illness, social isolation, loneliness, grief and loss, financial concerns, chronic pain, and changes in living arrangements are some of the factors that can contribute to depression and anxiety in older people. However, it’s important to know that ageing itself doesn’t cause depression. beyondblue is particularly concerned that many older people are missing out on getting help. Stigma is one of the barriers, with many older people feeling a sense of shame and embarrassment about having to admit to depression, seeing it as a weakness, and keeping it hidden from their doctors and family members. Stigma and ageist views are also found in the community in varying degrees, with the result that older people’s mental health does not receive the attention it deserves within some health care settings. As a result, older people are among the lowest users of mental health services compared to other age groups.3 Additionally, the lack of training on depression and anxiety offered to health care professionals who work with older people worsens the situation. A study commissioned by beyondblue in 2010 comprehensively reviewed the content of courses undertaken by the aged care sector and found there was limited course content specific to older age mental health.

In response to the lack of training options available, beyondblue developed training programs for aged care staff to help them to detect and manage depression and anxiety among older people in their care.

Two training workshops are now available, one targeting staff in the residential care setting, and the other for staff working in community

aged care. The programs are delivered on beyondblue’s behalf by three organisations under license to beyondblue. beyondblue has also developed materials for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) delivering qualifications in aged care, to allow the RTOs to deliver content on depression and anxiety in older people as part of Certificate III and IV in Aged Care. The programs are free to eligible RTOs and consist of a student workbook, a facilitator guide, DVD clips, and a podcast to orient facilitators to the materials.

Details on how to access beyondblue’s educational programs for aged care are available on beyondblue’s website (www.beyondblue.org.au/agedcare).

Overcoming stigma about depression and anxiety is an ongoing part of beyondblue’s work. beyondblue has previously conducted an awareness raising campaign targeting older people and the community at large, with the key message that ‘having depression or anxiety is not a normal part of ageing’. A refreshed campaign is now underway, showcasing two older people (Dale and Brian) who share personal insights into their own experience of depression and anxiety. Radio and print ads are being disseminated nationally, and videos of Brian and Dale can be seen on the on the beyondblue website. beyondblue also makes available printed information materials and resources relevant to older people, and these can be obtained free of charge via the beyondblue website or by calling 1300 22 4636.

For those needing help and advice, beyondblue runs a telephone Support Service (phone: 1300 22 4636), which provides short-term solution-focused support and referrals, and is staffed by trained mental health professionals.

It’s important to remember that there are effective treatments for older people experiencing depression and anxiety and that help is available.

For more information visit www.beyondblue.org.au References 1. National Ageing Research Institute (NARI), Depression in older age: A scoping study, Final Report, September 2009.

2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2013. Depression in residential aged care 2008-2012 3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008), 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of results (4326.0), Canberra: ABS

38 | General

Hall & Prior Celebrates staff this Christmas

T

his year, Hall & Prior celebrated it first New South Wales all staff event on Tuesday 10th December at Taronga Zoo’s Harbourview Terrace. The evening saw the recognition of 108 staff for long service awards as well as distinguished awards for staff who have demonstrated excellence within three special categories.

With the New South Wales region slated for growth over the coming years, it is important to Hall & Prior’s CEO, Graeme Prior, to synergize the New South Wales awards program with that of the Western Australia office. Graeme explained to all staff on the evening, ‘I feel it is very important to recognise our dedicated New South Wales staff in terms of both long service and excellence of professional contribution. These are the people who keep our reputation and care standards at the high level they run at on a day to day basis’.

With the New South Wales division of Hall & Prior is scheduled for growth over the coming years, it is important to Hall & Prior’s Chief Executive Officer, Graeme Prior, to synergise the New South Wales awards program with that of the Western Australia office. Mr Prior explained to all staff on the evening, ‘I feel it is very important to recognise our dedicated New South Wales staff in terms of both long service and excellence of professional contribution. These are the people who keep our reputation and care standards at the high level they run at on a day to day basis’.

The start of the formal proceedings of the evening saw a traditional Aboriginal ‘Welcome to Country’ blessing, kindly performed by the very charismatic ‘Uncle Allen Madden’. The distribution of the 108 long service awards played a large part of the evening with each home staff member being requested to individually walk the ‘red carpet’ to be recognised for their long term loyalty. The MC on at the event was Mrs Jennifer Grieve, General Manager of Health and Care Services in Western Australia.

Hall & Prior’s New South Wales division has a staff count of approximately 360 people at any given time.

Of this number, a staggering 62 staff were recognised for over 10 years’ service, 26 staff for over 15 years of service, 15 staff for over 20 years of service and 5 staff with over 25 years of dedicated service to our homes.

Each staff member was awarded with a commemorative pin and a personalised award certificate.

Outstanding Care and Services Winners

Hall & Prior’s longest serving members; Zora Skubevska and Teresa Rizzuti, both with an impressive 31 years of service each, come from our Menaville home in Rockdale. When asked about her long service achievement, Zora Skubevska stated, ‘I feel like I’m at home in Menaville, I’m appreciated. I like the place, the residents and all the staff. This is why I stay’.

Being able to retain long term staff is something Mr Prior is very proud of. ‘The key to our success both now and in the future, is our people. Having compassionate and dedicated long term employees who truly understand our care philosophy and have the experience to meet our high standards of care, assists us in providing the safe and loving environment for our residents that Hall & Prior is known for’.

Another highlight for the night was the introduction of the Directors Award’s, which is an awards schedule that was introduced in Western Australia three years ago. The Director Awards recipients are selected through a nomination process between Mr Prior and the Senior Management Team consisting of all the homes Directors of Nursing and the Director of Care Services in NSW, Mrs Kris Healy.

The awards are given out under the following three categories: 1. Outstanding Leadership. This award recognises employees in a leadership role that consistently performs above and beyond their job description. The winners of the awards were: • Kris Healy: Director of Care Services.

• Joy Bigelow: Director of Nursing, Vaucluse.

2. Outstanding Care & Services. This award recognises employees who have demonstrated outstanding care and service delivery to Hall & Prior’s residents by way of exceptional delivery of the employee’s responsibilities along with dedication, commitment and motivation to achieving positive outcomes for our homes and the Hall & Prior business in general. The winners of the awards were: • Denise Beverly-Smith: Lifestyle Officer at Sirius Cove.

• Nicole Revuelta: Lifestyle Officer at Vaucluse.

• Margaret Rayner: Lifestyle Officer at Menaville.

• Estella Pazos: Lifestyle Officer at Glenwood.

• Fatima Rida: Cook at Alloa.

• Breda McMenamin: Deputy Director of Nursing at Menaville.

• Angmo Negi (known as ‘Em’): Assistant in Nursing at Sirius Cove.

Outstanding Achievement Winners Tonderai Nyakudanga, Ian Duncan and Kyrsten Grady

Ralph Levy. Rose Levy, Jennifer Grieve and Graeme Prior in background

General | 39 • Christine Grady: Care Documentation Co-ordinator, Resource Team.

• Manezheh Jafari: Deputy Director of Nursing at Vaucluse.

• Li Na Yang: Assistant in Nursing at Caroline Chisholm.

3. Outstanding Achievement. This award recognises employees who continually try to achieve positive outcomes through commitment to our values, goals, mission and vision as well as dedication, commitment and motivation towards positive outcomes for homes and the Hall & Prior business in general.

The winners of the awards were: • Kyrsten Grady: Administration Resource at New South Wales Regional Office.

• Ian Duncan: Maintenance at Glenwood.

• Tonderai Nyakudanga: Assistant in Nursing/Maintenance at Menaville.

Again, after having fun walking the red carpet, each award winner was presented with a specially designed award to keep and display in recognition of their acknowledged contribution to Hall & Prior.

The final formal event for the evening was the presentation of special awards to Rose and Ralph Levy, the previous owners of the Vaucluse Aged Care Home for their commitment and dedication to aged care throughout the last four decades. A special plaque was also presented that will be hung on the wall at the Vaucluse Aged Care Home as a constant reminder of Rose and Ralph’s special connection to the home.

Beautiful floral bouquets were presented to each of the Directors of Nursing from each home from Mr Prior as a final thank you and reminder of how important he feels their role is within the Hall & Prior organisation. Staff from all the homes enjoyed mixing and getting to know their colleagues until the close of the event.

The event was also attended by various stakeholders to the New South Wales homes, who as such gave glowing comments such as ‘Thank You for your invitation to the Hall Prior function – much enjoyed. It was great to see the Staff enjoying themselves, receiving recognition of their service – and the approbation of their peers’.

Hall & Prior is a family-owned organisation that operates six aged care homes throughout the Sydney region and thirteen in Western Australia. In 2005, the Western Australia group, Hall & Prior decided to expand across a second state into New South Wales. The purchase of the Vaucluse home commenced and was soon followed by the acquisition of the Alloa home in Arncliffe. In 2007, the remaining four homes, Menaville in Rockdale, Glenwood in Greenwich, Caroline Chisholm in Lane Cove and Sirius Cove in Mosman were purchased off the Danks Group to complete our New South Wales homes.

At Hall & Prior, our vision is to be a leader in the provision of aged care services in Australia. CEO, Graeme Prior truly believes that this vision is only attainable through experienced and knowledgeable staff that enables us to pursue excellence in providing safe, affordable and quality aged care to older people from all walks of life. A very important part of the conception of this event for all staff is about giving staff the realisation that their individual contribution is important and recognised in the running of our homes and to feel personally thanked for their contribution to Hall & Prior.

The feedback from the staff was extremely positive with all staff having had a wonderful and fun evening celebrating long service achievements and special awards. The highlight was seeing some many staff attend simply to cheer, support and celebrate with their colleagues who were receiving an award on the evening. ■

Christine Grady, Graeme Prior and Kristine Healy

Mrs Jennifer Grieve

Outstanding Leadership winners Joy Bigelow and Kristine Healy with CEO Graeme Prior

Uncle Allen Madden with CEO Graeme Prior

40 | General

General | 41

Consumer Directed Care; The ACH Group experience

By Anne-Marie Gillard, General Manager Health and Community Services ACH Group agillard@ach.org.au

C

onsumer Directed Care (CDC) at ACH Group has been a learning, cultural and transformational change experience involving our customers, our workforce and our business processes and systems.

Over the past 4 years, through several trials and numerous design developments, our model has needed to respond to international research, industry papers and government contracts, individual customer design, input from staff and industry experts and formal evaluations. The change has been complex, testing our beliefs at times and always challenging. It has, however, been widely embraced by our workforce and welcomed by our customers.

Through this time we have gained clarity in how to best approach the transformational change of reform. We have understood that a strategic approach to the new service paradigm required an understanding of the customer experience within the broader context of ACH Group, along with the development of a business model with sound strategies for execution including leadership change capability and communication.

This has involved not only clearly understanding CDC principles and what these might mean for service delivery, but also the interface with organisational mission and values and underpinning service approaches. For ACH Group this included our Good Lives and Good Health approach.

We knew that CDC and the concept of co-production and co-design was a transformational way of thinking about power, resources, partnerships, risks and outcomes. We wanted to involve customers in collaborative relationships with more empowered frontline staff who are able and confident to share power, give power and accept user expertise.

After defining the new customer experience and articulating our service model elements that would facilitate this experience, we commenced a process of clearly communicating what our business model would be and the systems change required to deliver on our vision.

Essentially this involved identifying the core capabilities for responsiveness to the future environment and the new customer experience and included articulating strategies in key focus areas including:

1. Our customers – e.g. Integrated customer planning tools to promote customers making informed decisions within a good health approach and to facilitate best outcomes from Advisors.

2. Our Workforce structure, roles and skill sets to deliver the new service model/s with focus on quality, consistency, language and sustainability.

3. Flexible and responsive business processes focusing on logistics and the ability to deliver to the customer the right person at the right time and place, with the right skill set and tools.

4. SMART and contemporary technology to facilitate real time access to relevant information for both customer and workforce.

The most difficult aspect of implementing the new service approach was, not surprisingly, effective change management and clearly articulating and communicating our vision in a way that was meaningful and inspirational in its delivery.

The culture change required in working in a more transactional business environment whilst building community and individual engagement, participation and capacity to design has required specific attention.

Developing a financial and business model for CDC has required continual shifting of parameters as we review, respond and adapt to new knowledge. Determining our risk appetite and understanding unit costs for future viability have all contributed to a more complex operational environment.

Balancing risk and aspiration has meant paying attention to sustainable structures and supports to enable customers and staff to continually shape the model and create an environment that enables innovation and aspiration to flourish.

At ACH Group we have focused on being more nimble so we can learn from our customers, change and adapt. Articulating a strategic approach with a clearly defined service model and supporting business model assisted us in transforming to a new model. Paying due consideration to all areas of the business impacted by the change has enabled more effective and successful transformation and investment in people and culture has been an essential success element. â–

42 | General

Home Care Reform and the Gateway – the chicken or the egg?

By Paul Johnson, Manager Community Care at LASA Queensland, and Judy Gregurke, General Manager – Policy, Community Living & Rural Health at LASA Victoria

P

aul Johnson, Manager Community Care at LASA Queensland, and Judy Gregurke, General Manager – Policy, Community Living & Rural Health at LASA Victoria, have shared the representation of LASA’s home based care provider members throughout the last 18 months of the reform process across home care and the Gateway.

Providers of home care – packages and HACC – across Australia are now dealing with changes in the home based care system as a result of the former government’s Living Longer Living Better aged care reforms. The pace of change is accelerating for home care packages and HACC, while the Gateway changes that provide integrated access seem to be progressing more slowly.

This disparity prompts the classic question – which comes first?

A reformed home care system or a fully functioning Gateway?

The chicken or the egg?

The current status of Home Care Reforms The HACC Program is moving towards a single national program with Victoria committed to a mid-2015 transition, Western Australia in serious discussions and the remaining states already operating under the Commonwealth’s framework. Particular HACC service types have undergone a formal review process in 2013 to determine how to achieve national consistency. Significant National Aged Care Alliance (NACA) discussions have helped to inform the key structural elements of the Home Support Program to take effect from mid-2015.

The first consumer directed care (CDC) packages allocated under the Home Care Packages Program are being filled with consumers who are more informed and empowered to direct their package of services and care, reflecting their choices in terms of how and when services are delivered and who delivers them.

My Aged Care – the Gateway – is operating as a contact centre for information sharing and some limited referral, as well as an information only website that has had poor service finder functionality to date. Minimal contact information is collected with each enquiry and this is insufficient for capturing data about repeat callers or supporting people with special needs. Providers not directly funded by government continue to be excluded from having a presence on the service finder portal.

Next steps for Home Care and the Gateway The significance of bringing together not only the HACC program but also Day Therapy Centres, National Respite for

Carers and the Assistance with Care and Housing for the Aged programs into one Home Support Program within 18 months should not be underestimated. From those states that transitioned to full Commonwealth management of the HACC program for older people in 2012, experience suggests there are many issues to work through to maintain service continuity and consumer confidence.

The next steps for Home Care Packages will involve the announcement of a new Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR) as this remains the mechanism for increasing the number of CDC packages available for consumers. Many providers of packaged care are engaging with the clients/consumers in preparation for the transition of all existing packages to CDC by the end of June 2015.

In a Communique released by the National Aged Care Alliance (NACA) in October 2013, it was stated that there “has been no indication that the change of government will result in changes to My Aged Care and the project is proceeding. However, the transition of aged care from the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) to the Department of Social Services (DSS) is expected to cause some delays”. Key functionality improvements such as Gateway Assessments, Client Records, Service Matching and Referral are likely to be delayed from July 2014 by a further 6-12 months.

The development of a well-functioning central client record capacity is deemed a key requirement for the delivery of assessment, service matching and real time referral services through both the contact centre and the website.

There has been no indication of any delays or significant changes in the planned reforms in the Home Support and Home Care Packages Programs. However, the delay in delivery of a central client record at the Gateway will lead to a delay and potentially a reconfiguration of the National Assessment Framework elements. This is critical to the success of all home care reforms from 1 July 2015.

The next steps for consumers may have the most impact of all the reforms. The planned introduction of means testing for new clients of Home Care Packages from mid-2014 presents a fundamental shift in the financial arrangements for this program.

While providers have technically always been able to charge more to people with income above the pension, anecdotal evidence suggests this has not been a widespread practice.

From 1 July 2014, new clients will be subjected to an independent assessment to determine their level of income – Pensioner, PartPensioner, or Self-funded Retiree. This will force all providers to

General | 43 charge an additional income tested fee on top of the standard copayment (17.5% of pension) for those with income above the basic pension, with the package subsidy reduced proportionately.

The value of Level 1 and 2 packages will be seriously questioned by those people forced to pay an additional $100 – $200 per week for the same assistance. We anticipate that these people will actively look for options outside the government funded system.

Conclusion – the chicken and the egg The chicken and the egg are both essential – you can’t get an egg without a chicken and you can’t get a chicken without an egg.

In much the same way, the Gateway and the home care reforms are interdependent in the proposed system design. The design and success of one depends on the design and success of the other.

Consumers and their families seeking access to home based care and support have every right to expect a thorough, detailed and integrated pathway from their first inquiry at the Gateway to receipt of their chosen, and affordable, services at home.

As LASA’s representatives on various advisory groups working towards the success of both the Gateway and the home care reforms, we continue to advocate for and represent the needs of home care providers across Australia. We are confident that a single client record with visibility across every part of the home care system will facilitate the successful creation of an integrated, responsive and seamless service pathway for older Australians, from the Gateway to their homes. We look forward to seeing a high functioning My Aged Care website with accurate service finder functionality that supports full client choice of all service options. ■

Key dates for Home Support, Home Care Packages and the Gateway Early 2014 • Consultation paper on Home Support Program design to be released by DSS with national workshops planned for March/April 2014 1 July 2014 • Centrelink introduction of income testing for consumers accessing home care packages • Broadbanded ACAT assessments continue • Quality Agency takes control of Home Care quality reporting • Current due date for telephone assessment to begin through the Gateway 1 July 2015 • Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) takes full effect in ACT, NSW, SA, Tasmania and Queensland • HACC, NRCP (National Respite for Carers Program), Day Therapy Centres (DTC) & Assistance with Care & Housing for the Aged (ACHA) are included • National fees policy introduced • Victorian HACC services begin transition • Greater national consistency • Increased allocation of home care packages due • A full suite of assessment services available through the Gateway

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General | 45

INDEPENDENT AGEING – Supporting Seniors to become Care Participants

By Rod Young, Member Aged Care Industry IT Council and Advisor IRT

Background

A

s the Australian population ages over the next three decades we will experience a profound change in the make-up of our population and the way in which Older Australians access care; the interface between care service provision; the expectations and engagement of Older Australians, their family and Carers in the management and delivery of services.

In 2045 there will be 7.2 million Australians aged over 65 years, roughly a quarter of the total population. Today the over 65 group is 14 percent of the population and 30 years ago approximately 8 percent of the population were aged more than 65 years.

These numbers recognize the truly significant change that is happening in the make-up of our population. Many think that this substantial change is a major cause for alarm. Others consider that it is a cause for celebration, in that the average Australian now lives a relatively healthy life into their mid-eighties; in other words over the past 30 years we have been able to extend the average length of life by almost 20 years on average.

If this trend continues we could see the average 65 year old, in 2045 having an average life expectancy close to 90 years.

The Impact Fiscal The impact of this change in the population structure is considerable. Not least of which is the pressure it will place on the national fiscal capacity. Today there are 5 persons working for every Australian aged over 65 years. By 2045 there will only be 2.7 persons working for every Australian aged more than 65 years.

The burden therefore that will fall on this much smaller tax paying cohort will be considerable unless other components of the Australian economy are changed to reflect the evolving demographic.

Health System Older people are heavier users of the health system with many people making much greater use of medical and hospital services in the last 2 to 4 years of life. So as the population ages you can expect to see substantial pressure exerted on the health system as it strains to maintain the quality and volume of services to which the community has become accustomed.

Aged Care System As the number of people aged 65 and over grows we can expect to see an increase in the number receiving some form of care or service. The expectation is that the people in receipt of home care and institutional care will rise from approximately 830,000 today to 2.8 million in 2045.

In 2012 total Commonwealth outlays in the aged care space were approximately $12B. Which means that in 2045 the Commonwealth Government would need to find, in 2012 dollars, approximately $40B per annum to just continue to provide services similar to current volumes and quality. Is this expense sustainable?

Workforce The Productivity Commission in its 2012 report Caring for Older Australians, estimated that Australia would need to treble its aged care workforce by mid-century if the existing parameters were the same by 2050.

With a declining workforce, relative to the overall population, the economy will struggle to find an additional 600,000 workers to support the growth in the aged care industry over the next 30 years.

Social Fabric Older people do not consider they are a problem. In fact, just the reverse. However, there is a need for some form of social compact between older citizens and the rest of the community.

This social compact needs to reflect that the average person is living longer and that the quid pro quo for ongoing community support via health and social services is a new way of thinking

46 | General about how older people can continue to contribute effectively to the broader good whether in paid employment, unpaid employment or some other manner.

Sustaining Independence Almost without exception Australians want to stay at home, independent and in charge of their own affairs, preferably for all of their lives, and if that is not possible, then for as much of their lives as possible.

This desire to remain independent and in control of one’s affairs meshes well with a change in Government policy across a range of service programs. This change aims to maximise the choice by consumers, support consumers to manage their own affairs where possible and to underpin consumer choice and service management through the engagement of the consumer in the decision making process by ensuring the consumer, their family and voluntary carer are, as far as is possible, fully informed about their care needs, diagnostics and decision support information.

Solutions There is no simple single answer to the issues that an ageing population raises. There are in fact some real possibilities to re-think what and how we do things and to gain significant efficiencies from providing care services and workforce deployment differently in the future.

Some suggestions for the future are: 1. Third Age Volunteering Many older people are not sure how to offer their services and more importantly where their skills may be most useful. There is, in most communities, no central point to enquire about community services requiring assistance from volunteers and what skills may be needed to make a useful contribution.

2. Neighbourhood Communities It is not unusual for people as they age to disengage from their community due to a variety of factors. It is well accepted, that a person who stays engaged with their community will, on the whole, maintain better health and longevity when compared to the person who becomes socially isolated.

Neighbourhood Communities have the potential to link healthy active older people with those who are frailer, with the intent of providing socialisation and support for the frail person whilst supporting the younger fitter older person to benefit from being engaged in social service.

3. The 75+ Club Develop a paid and voluntary visitation program designed to ensure every person aged over 75 years will receive an annual visit with the intent of checking on their welfare and care needs. The visitation would attempt to ensure that the visitee is informed about service/s that would help the person stay independent and at home.

Participation in the program would be voluntary and a person would always have the option of refusing to participate.

4. The Seniors Card Most Older Australians participate in a state jurisdiction managed ‘seniors card’ or equivalent. The service is highly trusted and could be more extensively used to provide information about care and service options, work, volunteering, linkages and community services available in local communities.

5. Virtual Communities Seniors are becoming increasingly connected through internet based technologies. As the baby boomers impact the older

age groups in coming years the technological capability and the evolution of integrated communication systems will have a profound impact on how services are delivered, how this group maintains their social connectivity and how information is streamed to this group via the web.

Virtual Communities can also be created to support older people to create support networks, share information about services, order groceries and a myriad of other tasks which will gradually become more accessible and available via the web.

6. Virtual Care The technology is already available to support a range of services being deployed in the home which will support people to manage their own care and health status. The diagnostic tools can be deployed to: • help a care participant to monitor their health status through the provision of diagnostic tools such as blood pressure monitors, oxygen meters and ECG machines, • install a range of security and safety devices in the home that will assist with remote monitoring and support by family and friends, • link the home diagnostics and safety devices to an external monitoring service, friend or family member, thus enhancing the security and safety of the older person, • link the monitoring devices to a local medical service and provide a graphics data record of the diagnostic information collected, to a persons PCeHR, • maintain strong family and social networks through the provision of video conferencing facilities for older persons using existing technologies such as Skype and Internet TV, • using video conferencing capability to provide a visual connection to a virtual nurses station where medical diagnostic information and remote monitoring of an older persons vital signs and diagnostic data can be viewed and support provided when and where required, • integrate all forms of communication so that television, internet and phone can be readily accessed from common devices such as internal enabled television sets with control mechanisms being either voice or remote control devices.

• provide a local integrated transport service including coordination of various community owned buses and pick-up and delivery services, • liaise with major supermarkets with the objective of providing a coordinated online grocery ordering service with an electronic re-supply system integrated. The system would be supported by a home delivery program if required.

7. Technology Support Many overseas jurisdictions have demonstrated the value of ready access to home based monitoring and medical diagnostic devices. These jurisdictions have clearly demonstrated that the deployment of such devices and system support has a demonstrable saving to the health system through hospital avoidance and better education and training of the individual to manage their own health and care affairs.

Indeed there is a case to be made for Government to agree to the deployment of a range of devices for use by any person over 75 years who has a clinical assessment that indicates that such a deployment would be beneficial.

General | 47 Aged care service providers, Community Care Providers, HACC Providers and Disability Service Providers should be contracted to provide the device delivery and to coordinate remote monitoring and health video conferencing and support.

8. Dementia Dementia treatment and care is the most rapidly expanding component of the aged care system. Until advances in treatment support a cure or at least a treatment that inhibits progression, the number of persons affected will continue to grow over the coming decades.

Many persons suffering from a dementia can be appropriately managed in their own home especially with a range of support tools such as GPS tracking devices and aural and visual message support systems that remind a dementia affected person about a range of activities that need to be undertaken throughout the day.

9. Integrated Transport Modern motor vehicles have been a considerable benefit to older persons maintaining their mobility as their ease of operation makes it possible for very frail persons to still manage to drive a vehicle.

However, as people age the impact of macular degeneration and other diseases lead to more people being dependent on other forms of transport.

There is a need for better integration of various transport modes especially community controlled and managed buses.

10. Shopping Many older people are able to manage their grocery and household shopping needs for all of their lives. However, Some struggle however especially if personal transport is reduced, to access shopping centres and supermarkets.

Technology is available that would support an arrangement between older people and their supermarket of choice to have an automatic ordering system for grocery items as they are used in the household.

The older person would have the choice as to whether the preordered item/s would be collected or delivered.

Conclusion There are a range of options that will help Older Australians to age successfully, remain independent, in their own homes and to be the least cost burden on the publicly funded component of the health/aged care system.

However, these solutions are unlikely to happen by accident.

There is a need for a clear plan which individuals can access if and when required and service providers can recommend and provide knowing how such services will be managed and funded.

Without this clear plan some components of this enhanced offering will occur in the private market but unlikely in a coordinated and integrated fashion. The plan must provide for a national infrastructure, agreed funding arrangements and underpin a mix of public service provision with privately funded services.

The future has the potential to be very exciting but planning, change management and systems re-design work needs to be developed and deployed over the next three to five years after that, due to the rapid growth in the older demographic, the change becomes progressively more difficult. Also, reform needs to be framed in such a way as to maximize future flexibility and new innovation. ■

AGED CARE NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS

An Australian Government initiative supporting nurses and midwives.

ACN, Australia’s professional organisation for all nurses is proud to work with the Department of Health and Ageing as the fund administrator of this program.

Open 11 March 2014 – Close 28 April 2014 AGED CARE NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE FOR: Continuing professional development > What CPD activities will you be doing in 2014? > Is there a conference, short course or workshop you are interested in attending?

DEVELOP AND SHAPE YOUR AGED CARE CAREER

Nurse re-entry > Are you an enrolled or registered nurse

freecall 1800 116 696

whose Australian nursing registration

scholarships@acn.edu.au

has lapsed?

www.acn.edu.au

> Are you intending to undertake nurse re-entry studies? > Would you like to re-enter the nursing profession with a focus on aged care?

Aged Care Nursing Scholarships (ACNS) are funded by the Australian Government.

ACN, Australia’s professional organisation for all nurses, is proud to work with the Department of Social Services as the fund administrator for this program.

48 | General

2014 Executive Study Tour Program Studying and Advancing Global Eldercare

Open for Bookings now

Australian Seniors Living Industry International Study Tours for Executive Managers Our 2013 study tour program sold out in record time. The response to the 2014 program has amazed SAGE partners. Don’t miss your chance to experience a study tour like no other.

Finland/Denmark Northern Lights Tour 29th March - 8thApril

South Africa

28th September - 11th October UBUNTU: The essential human virtues - Compassion & Humanity

Sold Out!

Sold Out!

Canada & NY 14th - 26th June

Technology based Community Care

UK & Netherlands 13th - 27th September Innovation in Care Tour will include attendance at the biannual European Association of Homes and Services for the Aged (EAHSA) conference in the Netherlands.

6 places left!

Care for the elderly varies greatly among countries and is changing rapidly. This tour will incorporate an IT Community Care focus looking at Canada (Toronto) and New York Community Care delivery and how these regions have met the challenges of IT implementation. The tour will also include Residential Care facilities, however, the main focus will be IT in Community Care.

Selling fast!

The tour will be aimed toward looking at innovation in care visiting organisations in South West England. This tour will involve spending a week studying the UK system, engaging at executive level with UK senior managers, local government representatives and peak industry associations. The tour will then progress to the Netherlands for the EAHSA conference.

“What a great range of facilities” “Fabulous tour. Well prepared and conducted.”

“Very professional.”

“Judy was the ultimate tour guide!”

– comments from recent SAGE delegates

Hurry, these tours will sell out soon!

For more information or to book your spot on a tour, visit www.sagetours.com.au or contact study leader Judy Martin via email jmartin@agedcare.org.au or mobile 0437 649 672.

SAGE Study Tours are a partnership between: a specialist design practice.

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Supported Residents in a post reform world

By Rachel Lane, Principal of Aged Care Gurus

T

he aged care reforms due to commence on 1 July 2014 represent a significant change in the calculation of fees and charges for aged care residents, including those who are eligible to be supported. One of the anomalies that the Living Longer Living Better Reforms aimed to overcome was the assessment of assets only to determine a resident’s capacity to contribute towards the cost of their accommodation and the assessment of income only to determine the amount they contribute towards their ongoing cost of care. These stand-alone assessments meant that people with low levels of assets but high levels of income contribute nothing towards their cost of accommodation, while people with high levels of assets and low levels of income contribute towards the cost of their accommodation but not towards the ongoing cost of their care.

To overcome these anomalies a comprehensive means test was developed to assess each resident’s assets and, income to determine their capacity to contribute towards their cost of accommodation and care.

The comprehensive means test Formula is: 50c per dollar above $22,701 plus 17.5% of assets between $40,500 – $144,500 plus 1% of assets between $144,500 – $353,500 plus 2% of assets above $353,500 The resident’s assessed contribution is allocated first towards their accommodation costs and then towards their ongoing cost of care.

The assessment of assets will be as it is now, it will include any asset the resident owns or has an interest in Australia or overseas.

The former home will maintain its exemption if a protected person is living there. A protected person is: • A Spouse or dependent child • A Carer, who is eligible for an Australian Income Support Payment, that has lived there for at least 2 years • A close relative, who is eligible for an Australian Income Support Payment, that has lived there for at least 5 years The assessment of income is a little more complex. While financial assets such as bank accounts, term deposits and shares are subject to deeming rules other forms of income have different assessments.

Rent from investment properties and earnings of Trusts and Companies are assessed based on the taxable income. Income streams, including superannuation, can have a wide range of assessments from a nil assessed income through to 100% assessable.

A resident who has assets below $40,500 and Income below $22,701 will make no contribution towards the cost of their accommodation (they will be fully supported) and their liability to contribute towards the cost of their care will be limited to the basic daily care fee that applies to all residents.

The example of ‘Amelia’ that was provided as part of the Living Longer Living Better reforms shows the calculations of the care

contribution based on assets of $120,000 and assessable income of $19,643. The answer is nil. However, it doesn’t show how the same formula is used to calculate Amelia’s liability to contribute towards her cost of accommodation. The calculation for this is relatively simple, and much like the calculation that is performed now in relation to a high care resident’s liability to pay an accommodation charge.

Amelia can be asked to pay $38.22p.d. The calculation is: $120,000 – $40,500 ($79,500) x 17.5% = $13,912.50 divided by 364 gives $38.22p.d.

The calculation gets a layer added to it when we look at someone who has income and assets above the thresholds.

Let’s assume Shirley has income of $23,500p.a (pension plus other assessable income) and assets of $90,000.

First we calculate her income contribution at 50c for each dollar above $22,701 = $399.50 Then we calculate her asset contribution at 17.5% of assets above $40,500 = $8,662.50 We add the two together and divide by 364 = $24.90p.d The accommodation supplement, assuming that the facility meets the significant refurbishment requirements, will be the difference between the amount the resident pays and $50. In the case of Amelia this is $11.78p.d and for Shirley it is $25.10p.d An interesting question I have posed is: “Given that residents will have the choice to pay for their cost of accommodation through a RAD or a DAP or a combination, how do we calculate the lump-sum equivalent of $38.22p.d or $24.90p.d?”

If the conversion is based on the MPIR (like the DAP to RAD equation was originally set) then $24.90p.d would equate to around $137,327 and $38.22p.d would equate to around $210,789.

Obviously this doesn’t add up as Amelia would only have $120,000 of assets to meet a $210,789 RAD and similarly Shirley would only have $90,000 to meet a $137,327 RAD. If the assessment of the RAD equivalent amount was based on their assets then Amelia could be asked to pay $79,500 and Shirley could pay $49,500 but this assessment would ignore their income assessed capacity.

Forcing supported residents to pay by way of a daily charge may create affordability issues. As we can see the cost of accommodation and care for Amelia will be around $30,500p.a (including the basic daily care fee) but her income is only $19,643. For Shirley, the cost will be around $25,600 while her income is only $23,500.

It is important that all residents have the ability to choose their method of payment for their accommodation to ensure that care is as affordable as possible.

We need an answer that ensures there is a legitimate choice for supported residents in terms of whether they meet their accommodation cost by RAD or DAP or combination that also works for providers. ■

50 | General

Outsourcing Water Savings

By Guenter Hauber-Davidson, Managing Director of WaterGroup

T

oo busy saving energy? Not enough time and resources to worry about water? Not worth the effort because “water is still cheap”? Then outsource it, says Guenter Hauber-Davidson, Managing Director of WaterGroup Pty Ltd, a company specifically set up to help large water is users like age care providers save water and money.

Even if it is just a few thousand dollars that you are literally pouring down the drain, who would not want to save that water? The great news is that there are programs how the savings can be achieved without much input from your facility managers at all. And because the water spend is so much smaller than energy, procurement can be streamlined as well.

Don’t let the excuse of not having time to write tender documents and obtain quotations get in the way of achieving savings. With customised programs aged care facilities can outsource water savings. It will can provide them an early assessment of the savings potential and the associated costs, without you even having to pay for it.

If that whets your appetite (pardon the pun) you can then choose to engage the water savings company to prepare a more detailed engineering report, or you can directly enter into a performancebased implementation contract. The outsourcing partner would then commit to prepare an initial detailed facility study free of charge in return for you committing to implement the agreed water savings measures provided savings and costs are within the range indicated in the preliminary assessment.

How does this work?

GREENING GREY FACILITIES: CASE STUDY OF AN INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM FOR THE AGED CARE SECTOR The ‘Greening Grey Facilities’ Program was an integrated water management initiative of the then Aged Care Association of Australia (NSW), supported by the then NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change’s Climate Change Fund.

Stage 1 of the program provided a free leak detection and a preliminary assessment of possible water savings measures for over 50 Aged Care facilities. Stage 2 was the preparation of detailed water savings assessment reports. Stage 3 comprised the implementation.

The program involved installing permanent smart metering equipment, completing a Water Management Plan and then installing various water savings technology for 50 aged care facilities in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Illawarra. The project achieved its aim of saving 51.6 million litres of water a year at a commercial payback.

Program flow chart

INDIVIDUAL STEPS OF THE PROGRAM Step 1. Agree to participate in the program, qualify through screening process and sign up to for a free water savings assessment.

Step 2. Following a site visit, project partner delivers a Preliminary Water Savings Plan.

Step 3. Commit to implementing the water saving measures subject to a Detailed Water Savings Plan confirming the indicated savings and costs.

Step 4. Implement the agreed water saving measures for tangible early results.

Step 5. Project partner available to provide easy installation services to fast track the process.

Step 6. Water Savings validated using Smart Metering data.

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HOW COULD THE EXPERIENCE OF THIS PROGRAM WORK FOR YOUR FACILITY? The following methodology was refined throughout the course of the program. It proved to be very successful to focus resources on areas where real savings could be achieved at commercial returns.

The components were:

STEP 1: PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY To check whether it is worth the effort trying to save water at your facility with such a program submit two recent water bills, ideally along with a consumption track record of the past two years (but not necessary). Provide site information such as the size of the aged care facilities in terms of number of beds (low care, high care or dementia) and independent living units (ILUs).

The program partner then determines the specific water consumption KPI for the individual facility. Generally, anything in the range of 150-180L/bed/day or below can be judged to be water efficient. However, findings of 200-300L/bed/day are not uncommon.

This coupled with a reasonably sizeable facility, say more than 80 beds, would lead to a water spend in excess of $20,000 per annum, well worth chasing a lazy $5,000 or $7,000 worth of savings.

Example: A facility has • 42 Dementia beds • 136 Independent Living Units and a water consumption KPI of 281L/bed.day. This is considered high for a facility of this type/mix, so this would qualify for participation.

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52 | General

The detailed water savings plan highlights further opportunities to reduce potable water consumption for improved sustainability outcomes.

STEP 5 & 6: IMPLEMENTATION OF FURTHER SAVINGS MEASURES & MONITORING

Site water balance

STEP 2: PRELIMINARY FACILITY VISIT AND ASSESSMENT A preliminary facility visit is carried out. Data gathered/confirmed would include: • Number of residents / beds of different types • Indicative number and flow rates taps, showers and other fittings • Indicative number, flush volumes and types of toilets and urinals where applicable • Other water using practices such as laundry, irrigation, kitchen/food preparation • General site water management practices and water conservation behaviour observed, or their lack thereof • Installation of temporary smart water meter to provide online access to water use data. It identifies straightaway possible leakage issue as well as strange usage consumption patterns.

STEP 3 & 4: COMMIT AND IMPLEMENT EARLY MEASURES, DETAILED WATER SAVINGS PLAN A key part of the success of this program came from achieving early tangible results. Committing to keep the smart metering is a logical first step. It acts like an insurance policy to avoid future undetected leaks and abnormal consumption. It’s typical payback is less than three years.

Other commonly found early action initiatives comprised addressing hitherto unidentified leaks. Sometimes these were as simple as turning off top up valves, in one case even to a rainwater tank. It could also be resetting the trip switch for rainwater tank pump so that it can again deliver water savings. Despite the general care, toilet cisterns were still found to be a major source of leaks.

In several cases, unidentified leaks had been wasting huge amounts of water (over $10,000 per annum) although several thousand dollars had to be spent on repairs underneath driveways or near building basements.

Pools were found to be another major source of water wastage and easy savings opportunities. Were dialysis machines exist this was another key focus area. Naturally, large kitchens and laundries deserve special attention. They were found to often present further very worthwhile savings.

With the program gathering momentum and having already achieved notable success it now becomes easier to implement further and at times more far-reaching measures. The detailed facility report would have highlight the individual measures to be considered, their associated savings both in kilolitres of water and dollars as well as their attached costs and any other aspects.

Post implementation, savings would then be verified through permanent smart metering. This also becomes the key tool for ongoing prudent water management at the site to ensure that new water efficient KPIs will be met into the future leaving behind a truly sustainable water management program.

Often it was found beneficial if an ongoing engagement was entered into that committed the project partner to regularly review the smart metering data and trigger corresponding action. This ensured that savings were maximised and recorded resulting in a vastly improved return on investment.

SUMMARY Water efficiency has slipped off the radar for many aged care facilities in recent times as the focus shifted towards the cost of energy once the drought was broken. However, experience by the author shows that many facilities unknowingly literally tip thousands of dollars down the drain every months.

By employing a program as described in this article, aged care facilities can readily stop that wastage and capture those savings with a minimum amount of input in terms of resources and time of their own. By using the methodology described above, an aged care facility can effectively “outsource achieving water savings”. It permits capturing substantial sustainability outcomes for a good return on investment.

Key is to carefully choose the right partner who understands water use at aged care facilities inside out, who can provide both consulting and implementation services ideally coupled with a performance guarantee, as well as monitoring services to ensure the long-term success of such a sustainability initiative. ■ Smart metering sample Graph showing a possible leak worth $80/day

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54 | General

General | 55

Continuing Professional Development – what does it mean for the health practitioner?

By Kay Richards, National Policy Manager, LASA

T

here are now more than 590,000 health practitioners registered to practice in Australia – an increase in all professions and more than ever before. A consistent theme of any registration process is to ensure community safety through competency of the practitioner..

For several years under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (2009), there have been Registration Standards in relation to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for registered health practitioners. Individual requirements under each National Board of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) are listed on the AHPRA website http://www.ahpra.gov.au.

There appears to be some misconceptions, on not only what CPD is, but how one demonstrates their professional learning and what is required. Many professional bodies, such as the Australian College of Nursing and the Australasian College of Health Service Management have CPD programmes which support membership to the organisation as well as adheres to the requirements under professional registration.

Unfortunately, some people think that all that is needed for the National Law requirements is a certificate of attendance at a workshop/conference with a particular logo on it. Yes, attending a workshop/conference, and receiving a certificate of participation does support CDP requirements but ongoing professional development is much broader and requires a commitment by the practitioner to their professional competencies and in-turn to those they provide care and services to.

The following text outlines in general what CPD is and will describe in particular, the requirements for nurses, given they are the largest profession employed across aged care services.

CPD is described on the AHPRA website as “the means by which members of the professions maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge, expertise and competence, and develop the personal and professional qualities required throughout their professional lives”. It is through professional development that practitioners maintain currency within their discipline, can assist in maintaining competence to practice, improve knowledge, skill and practical experience and are able to practice safely.

Practice, in the context of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) definition, means any role in which the individual uses their skills and knowledge as a nurse. Practice is not restricted to

providing direct clinical care as it also includes “working in a direct nonclinical relationship with clients, working in management, administration, education, research, advisory, regulatory or policy development roles, and any other roles that impact on safe, effective delivery of services in the profession and/or use their professional skills”.

CPD therefore needs to be relevant to a person’s ‘context of practice’, improves and broadens knowledge, expertise and competence as a nurse. Nurses are employed in a range of positions across the aged care sector and they, along other health practitioners, will therefore have a range of activities that are pertinent to the individual’s circumstances to demonstrate they have met the CPD requirements of registration. CPD can involve any relevant learning activity, whether formal and structured or informal and self-directed.

Individual professions differ in the CPD hours and requirements needed to demonstrate adherence to the National Law, for example a Physiotherapist requires 20 hours, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Health Practitioner; 60 hours over a three year period.

Nurses (registered or enrolled) are required to obtain 20 CPD hours and Nurse Practitioners an additional 10 hours relating to prescribing and administration of medicines, diagnostics investigations, consultation and referral. Registered nurses with scheduled medicines endorsement (rural and remote) require 20 hours with an additional 10 hours for scheduled medicines. For full details on CPD requirements and compliance responsibilities see the AHPRA website http://www.ahpra.gov.au.

Reading the website informs us that “each time a practitioner applies to renew their registration, they must make a declaration that they have met the registration standards for their profession.

Practitioner audits are an important part of the way that National Boards and AHPRA can better protect the public by regularly checking these declarations made by a random sample of practitioners. They help to make sure that practitioners are meeting the standards they are required to meet and provide important assurance to the community and the Boards”.

Nurses may be audited at any time and the National Board has the discretion to select nurses at random. The form of evidence required, should a person be selected to undergo an audit, includes documentation that identifies the persons learning needs, a learning plan, the persons participation in the learning activity and the outcomes achieved from the evidence of CPD.

56 | General Although the CDP registration standard does not specify the length of time CPD evidence should be kept the National Boards recommend that evidence, including self-directed learning, be kept for a period of three years.

Records may include participation on the following activities: • Tertiary and other accredited courses including distance education (needs to relate to context of practice), • Conferences, forums, seminars and symposia, • Short courses, workshops, seminars and discussion groups through a professional group or organisation who may issue a certificate of compliance/completion, • Mandatory learning activities in the workplace in the area of practice, • Service to the profession, • Self-directed learning, and • Any other structured learning activities not covered above.

Other practical activities could include: • Reflecting on feedback, keeping a practice journal, • Acting as a preceptor/mentor/tutor, • Participating on accreditation, audit or quality improvement committees, • Participating in clinical audits, critical incident monitoring, case reviews and clinical meetings, • Participating in a professional reading and discussion group, • Writing or reviewing educational materials, journal articles, books, • Being an active member of professional groups and committees, • Reading professional journals or books, • Writing for publication, and • Developing policy, protocols or guidelines.

This article has been written with the health professional in mind, however there are a range of professions that are employed in the aged care industry that require some form of professional development for the professional to remain accredited/certified to practice. For example, A Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) must complete 120 CPD hours every three years and keep up-to-date records of their activities.

CPA Australia, like many other similar organisation, including the Australian College of Nursing conducts CPD programmes which are designed to assist their members to collate their personal portfolio of professional development evidence. These are too numerous to articulate in this article, however each professional would have a College or professional organisation that they could direct their enquiries.

How can LASA assist professionals to meet their CPD requirements?

It is the responsibility of each registered health practitioner to undertake continuing professional development and to maintain their portfolio of evidence; fortunately many employers support their staff with in-house and external opportunities to meet the requirements of CPD and those employers can take advantage of the range of activities promoted through the state LASA offices.

As CPD includes ‘formal’ events, e.g. courses, conferences and workshops, as well as self-directed activities, each state office supports CPD by conducting a range of information sharing and education activities from member sessions, formal workshops, conferences right through to nationally recognised certificate and diploma qualifications (LASA Victoria and LASA Queensland).

Other material that LASA provides such as Fusion or other state based journals, e.g. the Chronicle in NSW, holds information that may be used as evidence of professional development activities.

Both state and national LASA offices coordinate Advisory Committees for a range of speciality areas. Active participation on these committees, responding to calls for feedback in relation to specific issues and participating in industry events may all provide evidence of CPD activities.

LASA advocates for an industry that is dedicated to providing quality aged care and services. This can only be achieved if the people working in the industry are committed to their professional development at a personal level, but also supported by their employers. Continuing professional development is vital, not only to ensure adherence to the National Law but to maintain the commitment the industry makes to the thousands of Australians that receive care on a daily basis.. ■

Australia’s Premier Health, Aged Care & Disability Expo for Managers, Health Professionals, Staff ...

Melbourne CAREX, April 2 & 3 2014, Caulfield Racecourse

Australia’s Premier Hea ATTENDEES

EXHIBITORS A unique industry event, CAREX offers exhibiting organisations an unrivalled chance to engage with managers, health/other professionals & staff working in or with the acute, residential, community care, home care, disability & retirement living sectors.

The attendees at the Expo are a mix of “decision makers & decision influencers” - managers, professionals & staff who purchase, specify &/or utilise your products & services.

Aged Care & Disability E

• FREE ADMISSION - Review, learn, network, compare, invest … all in a unique one stop environment • Attendance can earn CPD Hours • Four (4) quality half day fee paying seminars - all with 2 for 1 early bird special for first 20 registrants • Eighteen (18) free mini workshops REGISTER YOUR FREE ATTENDANCE ONLINE TODAY

All enquiries regarding exhibiting or attending, contact: Wayne Woff, Manager, Total Aged Services P: 03 9571 5606 / 0422 484 209 F: 03 9571 9708 office@totalagedservices.com.au www.totalagedservices.com.au Sponsored by:

Supported by:

Dementia + Recreati National Conferenc

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LASA Wishes Jane Gray a Happy Birthday: Her 112th Australia’s Oldest Person

A

ustralia’s oldest person, Mrs Jane Gray celebrated her 112th birthday on December 1.

Jane has decided that she can now retire, yes that’s right retire! After living independently in the local area for over 83 years she has made the decision to move into SummitCare Smithfield in Sydney’s South-West, where she has lived for just over a year.

Born in Scotland, Jane and her husband migrated to Australia in 1927. They raised their two children, daughter Heather and son Sandy on their property in Prairiewood now the site of Fairfield Hospital.

‘She just worked on the farm along with dad. We were just very, very lucky because they were great parents and were very strict.’ says Jane’s daughter Heather McKenzie, aged 79.

Heather believes her Mum’s longevity can be attributed to good genes, a healthy diet and not smoking or consuming alcohol.

‘These are definitely contributing factors to Mum’s good health. Our diet was just good plain tucker.’ Heather said.

‘Dad used to grow all the vegetables so there was never any preservatives thrown in it like there is now,’ Heather said.

Dad passed away in 1988, he was 92. I thought mum would just drift away but no, no.

‘I have been very lucky in my life’ Jane says ‘I married the man I love and I have two beautiful children, 7 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren, but now I feel ready to take a break.’

Community is very important to Jane, coming from a large family, and then having her own family. Living independently at her home in Smithfield for such a long time made Jane’s decision to move into SummitCare Smithfield an easy one.

Jane says ‘I wanted to stay local and close to my family but living as long as I have lived you lose friends along the way and as much as I love all my family I wanted to have a good old fashioned gossip.’

Leona Calpito, Operation Manager at SummitCare Smithfield says, ‘The team and the residents here are so inspired by Jane, she is truly a fantastic Lady who never ceases to make us laugh.’

Leona goes on to say, ‘From the day Jane came for an initial visit earlier this year she always said a spade was a spade, and how community is very important her. Together we all strive to create an environment that promotes a sense of inclusion and wellbeing and with residents like Jane and her family I feel we achieve this.’

When asked what other activities Jane likes to do, other than have a good old fashioned gossip she said, ’I used to play the violin and love music, mainly Scottish. I also enjoy crafty things and a bit of Young Talent Time.”

Jane proclaims that the secret to a long life is clean living, making the most of every day and being part of a community.

Last year Jane was given the Key to the City of Fairfield this year she will be celebrating with her family and close friends in Smithfield.

Alongside Daughter Heather was Grandson Andrew Betts and a number of SummitCare staff.

When Jane was born in 1901 the telephone was yet to be invented. It is staggering to think of the technological advancement witnessed in Jane’s life.

Jane has almost doubled the life expectancy of a female born in 1901 which was 58.8 years.

Happy Birthday Jane from everyone at LASA! ■

58 | General

Keith Reid:

Australia’s Oldest Skydiver

W

hen Keith Reid’s son Wayne asked him what he wanted for his 90th birthday he never expected the response he received. Keith had never been in a plane and said he would like to go in one.

Despite being ninety that seemed a reasonable request and an experience that should be accommodated. Keith not only wanted to fly in a plane he wanted to jump out of one.

“Skydiving?” replied Wayne in utter disbelief “Yes” said Keith replied with calm resolve.

“Quite frankly I thought he would just forget about it, that the request was a fad and it would fizzle out.” said Wayne

“But he didn’t forget, in fact he repeatedly asked me. Have you arranged it, when am I going?” said his son in law Dave.

Keith’s family and friends had a fairly typical response that he was either ‘brave or crazy’, perhaps both. This did not sway Keith is a resident at Domain Principal’s, Macquarie Place in Newcastle. In a radio interview on ABC Newcastle Keith said he loves the life at Macquarie place and on several occasions stated how well he is cared for and how happy he is with his life and friends at the facility.

On hearing of Keith’s plans staff at Macquarie Place jumped in behind to support it. 10 other residents joined Keith and witnessed his dive and shared a picnic lunch with

General | 59

him once he was safely back on land. Keith enjoys a great relationship with Activities Manager at Macquarie Place, Kim. “She always keeps me busy.” says Keith.

“Keith certainly became the entertainment on the day of the dive. It was a fantastic experience for the group that travelled out with Keith and they are still talking about it.” said Kim As to the dive Keith said he wasn’t nervous. In fact he was more nervous about resultant media interviews than he was about the dive.

The jump took place at 14000 ft. and Keith reported it a very positive experience. Keith suffers hearing loss and the only drawback was he did not hear his instructor request him to lift his legs for landing and suffered a slight injury to his shoulder due to this.

Other than that Keith said “It was so good I would do it again tomorrow. The view was fantastic. I was a little worried about the free fall but it went very fast. First thing I knew the chute was opening and pulling me up.”

Keith was born and bred in the inner Newcastle suburb of Mayfield. He worked at the BHP coal rolling mill for 34 years.

He still enjoys attending the local Friday night meat raffles accompanied by either son Wayne or son-in law David. He spent 4 years in service in New Guinea and the New Britain campaign.

When asked about his 90 years lived he says “I guess I am doing reasonably well. While I don’t feel like I am 15 anymore, however the care I receive at the home is fantastic and if I rely on the nurses I will live to 100.” ■

60 | General

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Who runs HESTA? HESTA’s Directors and staff put all their efforts into maximising the retirement incomes of HESTA members.

About Anne-Marie Corboy, HESTA’s CEO In Anne-Marie’s 15 years as CEO, HESTA’s assets have grown from $1.4 billion to more than $25 billion.

There are 13 Trustee Directors on the Board, with an independent chair and equal appointments from employee and employer organisations in the health and community services fields. This ensures the voices of employers and members are heard and that their views are taken into account when decisions are made.

In addition to leading HESTA, Anne-Marie is a Director of Industry Super Australia Pty Ltd and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors Ltd.

Gender balance at HESTA

In 2011, Anne-Marie was named in the Australian Financial Review’s True Leaders list.

HESTA is recognised as one of only 15 Trustee Boards with females holding at least 40% of seats.

According to the Boardroom Diversity Index, produced by Women on Boards, 26 super Trustee bodies have men-only boards. And, on average, women currently account for only two out of every 10 Trustees.

Out of HESTA’s 13 Directors, 8 are women — including the Chair.

In addition, 60% of HESTA’s leadership team is female, including our CEO and Deputy CEO.

61%

39%

Anne-Marie was recognised in the 2013 Australian Financial Review and Westpac Group Women of Influence Awards. These awards recognise 100 outstanding female leaders from Australia and overseas.

The Fund Executives Association Limited recognised Anne-Marie with its Fund Executive of the Year Award in 2008 for her outstanding contribution — to HESTA, its members and the wider Australian super industry.

Anne-Marie is regularly called on to speak about a range of superannuation issues, including those that particularly affect women.

“More than 80% of HESTA members are women. The amount of super women generate is often impacted by career breaks to care for family, a greater tendency to work part time and because women are still paid less than their male counterparts.

However, women tend to live longer than men, on average — so their need to save for a longer retirement is higher.”

HESTA CEO, Anne-Marie Corboy

HESTA’s Board

National education and advice service for members HESTA Member Education Managers, Superannuation Advisers and Financial Planners can help make super relevant and show you some hassle-free ways to boost your super and protect your future.

Our team meet with members all across Australia — at staff orientations, workplace and community education seminars and in one-on-one advice appointments.

Peace of mind

Family friendly

Easy to manage

Low cost

Benefits of insurance through HESTA

Tailored education programs

Phone advice

Team of Superannuation Advisers

Personal advice

Transition to retirement advice

Full financial planning

Our members are protected with market-leading, low-cost insurance On joining HESTA, eligible members are automatically provided with default Income Protection (IP) and Death insurance.

Default IP through HESTA provides cover and benefits to age 67.

Choice

We negotiated this cover to help protect member incomes right up to the new pension age.

Default Death Cover to age 75 also helps protects our members’ families.

Flexibility

Plus, insurance is at no cost to HESTA members during approved parental leave of up to 12 months. Simply ensure your leave meets any applicable award or industrial agreement, your cover hasn’t ended and your employer notifies us before your leave commences.

Supporting your industry HESTA Awards recognise excellence in your sector The HESTA awards program provides national recognition for individual and team excellence across the spectrum of health and community services.

With awards recognising outstanding graduates, innovation and leadership, we acknowledge success in your sector and promote the importance of work which might otherwise go unrecognised.

There’s now a HESTA awards program for the majority of our 760,000 members, representing key sectors of health and community services.

All proudly supported by

Know someone in health and community services who deserves an award?

Nominate them at hestaawards.com.au

We advocate on your behalf Throughout our history, we’ve advocated for improvements to the super system. More than 80% of HESTA members are women, so we understand the challenges women face in building their super. HESTA CEO, Anne-Marie Corboy, is often called on to speak about women’s super adequacy issues.

Committed to responsible investing Award-winning governance We’re committed to developing sustainable and responsible practices that benefit our members while helping to reduce the impact on our environment and our society.

We recognise that our biggest impact is through our investments.

Our approach to responsible investing is grounded in our key objective to maximise returns for members while minimising risk.

We have been widely recognised for our rigorous governance practices and commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. In 2012, the Melbourne Financial Services Symposium honoured us with the Investment Stewardship Award for Superannuation Funds.

Eco Pool HESTA Eco Pool was the first socially responsible investment option introduced by a major fund in 2000. Eco Pool invests in companies our managers assess as having the best combination of financial, environmental, social and governance performance. By investing in sustainable assets, members can encourage large companies and properties to respond to community expectations for safer, cleaner, more sustainable performance.

A highly-rated fund HESTA has earned some of the highest industry accolades. We continue to maintain the highest rating from all super ratings agencies including SelectingSuper and SuperRatings.

SelectingSuper’s Super Fund of the Year HESTA was named Super Fund of the Year at the 2013 SelectingSuper Awards.

Only SelectingSuper’s AAA-rated funds are eligible for the Super Fund of the Year Award. These funds are considered industry leaders — consistently achieving their objectives, demonstrating a history of strong relative net returns and a high level of innovation. According to SelectingSuper, the winner is the fund with the best overall standing or “the best of the very best”.

SelectingSuper AAA Rating Each year, SelectingSuper compares super funds nationally and awards those of the highest quality with the AAA rating. The AAA rating is given only after a detailed analysis of a super fund’s operation and management. HESTA is continually selected to join their list of exceptional quality super funds.

A platinum-rated fund Independent superannuation research company, SuperRatings continually awards HESTA with a Platinum Rating for our super, the highest rating possible. HESTA is proud to be one of only eight funds to receive SuperRatings’ 10-year platinum performance rating — out of 300+ funds rated.

Infinity Recognised Rating HESTA is one of only a handful of super funds to be awarded an ‘Infinity Recognised Rating’ by SuperRatings. This award recognises our commitment to addressing environmental, social, governance and climate-related issues.

Rated one of Australia’s most trusted brands Australians named HESTA among their most trusted brands in Australia’s Most Trusted Brands 2013, as surveyed by Catalyst Research.

HESTA is LASA’s preferred Super Fund HESTA is a platinum foundation partner of Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) and is proud to support the age services industry with national recognition through the HESTA Aged Care Awards.

HESTA members are more satisfied than members of all other funds CoreData Consulting’s independent Member Engagement Report 2013 found that HESTA members are more satisfied with the fund than all other super fund members.

HESTA 79.5%

Average for all funds

62%

Learn more about HESTA at hesta.com.au or call us on 1800 813 327.

More people in health and community services choose HESTA for their super Issued by H.E.S.T. Australia Ltd ABN 66 006 818 695 AFSL 235249, the Trustee of Health Employees Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA) ABN 64 971 749 321. This information is of a general nature. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or specific needs so you should look at your own financial position and requirements before making a decision. You may wish to consult an adviser when doing this. Product ratings are only one factor to be considered when making a decision.

For more information see hesta.com.au/ratings For more information, free call 1800 813 327 or visit hesta.com.au for a copy of a Product Disclosure Statement which should be considered before making a decision about HESTA products.

64 | General

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Flexible housing: The Cure for Australia’s ageing population?

T

he needs in housing are changing according to University of Adelaide’s, Professor Graeme Hugo AO. Prof Hugo wrote a paper that was recently published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing. The paper addresses the change in demographics experienced in Australia over the last 30 years.

The study was conducted from 1981 to 2011 and includes analysis of population growth, life expectancy, migration, population distribution and household composition. Professor Hugo, is director of the Australian Population and Migration Research Centre and says that issues around ageing are not reflected in policy formation.

“The physical stock of our houses is out of kilter with the reality of our population changes,” Professor Hugo continues to say “What Australia desperately needs is growth in more flexible housing for one-to-two people. This is mostly driven by the baby boomer population – a quarter of our population is either moving into retirement or is already in retirement. They’re at a stage when many wish to be downsizing, moving into accommodation that better suits their needs and lifestyle.

The baby boomer population can play an important role in increasing the population density within Australian cities “By all means, older people who wish to stay in the family home should be enabled to do so, but there is evidence that some baby boomers are seeking a change in housing after their children leave home.” said Prof Hugo This obviously has wider implications, namely allowing younger family’s entry into more established suburbs and could act to reduce the suburban spread that often results in younger families living long commuting distances from the city hub.

The longitudinal study reveals that what we see as a typical household (couple families with dependent children) have experienced the slowest growth. Whereas small households have increased significantly “In 1981, just over 47% of households had one or two people, but by 2011 this increased to more than 58%.

“Australian planning is aimed predominantly at the stereotypical ‘average’ household. However, the figures show a very different picture of our population’s needs, and it’s time we stopped

ignoring those changes so that adequate housing and services can be provided,” Professor Hugo says.

Baby Boomers are beginning to reach the age of 65. The passage of these Australians will produce ‘an unprecedented ageing of the national population over the next two decades.’

• The population aged 65+ will increase by 86% between 2011 and 2031.

• The percentage aged 65+ will increase from 13.8 to 19.9%.

• The characteristics of Australia’s older population will change as baby boomers replace the pre-war generation in their age.

• The spatial distribution of the older population will change as baby boomers replace the pre-war generation.

Naturally with this level of change there are considerable challenges facing our leaders. The ration of workers to dependents is set to decline while the demand for healthcare, pensions and aged care set to rise substantially. ■

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General | 77

Shine a light on culture

By Jo Sleeman, Research Assistant, TOrCCh Pilot Study Western Australian Centre for Health & Ageing, The University of Western Australia

L

ooking for an aged care facility to work in or to place a relative? One of our first questions relates to the atmosphere of the facility, possibly ‘how do the people who live and work here relate to each other?’ Or, in official language, ’What is the Mission Statement or values of this facility?’ Does this set of values translate through the hierarchy to the staff on the floor and influence their treatment of residents?

One of the first statements to be established for a new facility is the mission statement. Managerial staff are employed on the understanding they work towards upholding and developing practices based on this mission statement. Then we add staff. Layer on layer of individuals, each with their own cultural agenda. Each of these people results in a subtle change in the organisational culture, until finally a modified version of the culture emerges. This organisational culture is specific to the facility and will be referred to as the existing culture.

This is what prospective employees or clients are most interested in.

What actually happens at the resident/employee interface?

We question this culture development in our consideration of a facility.

How does an organisation develop a culture?

Is this development a conscious process? Could it be?

How difficult is it to influence organisational culture?

Is it possible to change it?

This is what the TOrCCh Pilot Study Team were chartered to do. To test the feasibility of effecting a culture change, working within the existing culture of an organisation with the currently employed staff. The Pilot Study was called TOrCCh, an acronym for Towards Organisational Culture Change.

The staff employed at any one facility come from different cultural backgrounds and bring additional dimensions to implementing the mission statement into active culture. Many come with a dedication and compassion for the people they care for.

To others it may simply be a job; a way of earning some money to survive. In my assessment, there is a third group of employees.

A group of people who have only ever done this work and know no other way of earning a living. They may once have belonged to the first group but have lost their freshness and energy for the job.

Instead they seem to have settled into a routine which they resist changing. What does this group bring to the culture? Can we reinvigorate them and return them to the caring group or are they too set in their ways?

Whatever mix of staff you have within the facility, it may be the longer serving ones who develop a subtle influence on this culture.

Mostly this will be a strengthening and deepening of the quality of care, but sometimes stronger staff members band together and form an

influential group who resist any change. This group, in some instances, can begin to undermine the active mission statement and the cohesion of the quality of care goals. When this happens the organisational culture becomes adversely affected. Management needs to be able to overcome these influences and retain the integrity of the workplace mission. Is this possible? Could this be achieved? The TOrCCh Pilot Study was designed to test the feasibility of achieving this. I was one of the researcher/facilitators working on this Pilot.

One of the five facilities we recruited for the Intervention portion of the study, was challenged by a powerful, stagnated, “unwilling to change anything” culture. In all the other facilities where cultural change was worked on, progress was made towards the chosen goal.

The TOrCCh Pilot Study was launched to investigate the feasibility of achieving cultural change within the organisational levels of the facilities.

Recruited facilities were asked if they would consider allowing a small team of researchers to spend approximately 10 weeks working with a cross-section of staff on a small cultural change project generated by the staff. The criteria for the study defined that the choice of project needed to invite change in one out of five areas:Communication, Teamwork, Empowerment, Leadership, Family Involvement in Care.

The recruitment phase gained approval to work in 14 W.A. sites and 7 Qld sites. Five of these participated in the Cultural Change Intervention Project, while the rest participated in a Measurement only project. Following recruitment, each Intervention site chose a working group from their staff and suggested possible projects generated at a grass roots level. Any staff could put forward suggestions for the project and the working group members decided on one or two to tackle.

Together, the TOrCCh facilitating team and the working group planned an Action Research based approach towards effecting changes over a 6-8 week period. Each weekly meeting followed the 4 phase action research cycle; Question, Plan, Act, Reflect.

To determine if any change occurred, all staff and resident’s next of kin were surveyed before and after the 6-8 week Intervention Project Phase.

Facilities chose such areas as: Family/Staff Communication Methods, Staff Communication, Teamwork, Empowerment or Leadership, to be the focus for their organisational change, and to comply with the study’s five area brief.

What the facilitation team found was that by setting up a group where a cross-section of staff met each week, we could train and encourage them to follow the QPAR process within the 1 hour weekly meeting.

78 | General Q – Question current practices P – Plan a change A – Action it R – Reflect on the effectiveness of the change (usually at the beginning of each session).

This was a cyclical process for the 6-8 week period the project was active for.

Each Facility involved in the Intervention Study, chose a different project and a different approach to bring about change. Planning the action phase was unique to each facility. The weekly meeting caused a noticeable improvement in mutual communication and respect. Teamwork and empowerment also showed improvement and uncovered the natural leaders within each facility. Surprisingly, without a huge effort by the research team, this unexpected effect of outsiders showing interest in the work the staff were doing and helping to structure the research project, was such a positive one that there was a flow on effect from the improved communication into teamwork, empowerment and leadership.

Was this simply an effect caused by outside interest in the staff and their efforts? Were staff encouraged to this extent by having an outside group listen to their ideas and support their implementation? Whatever the reason, the presence of the facilitation team seemed to unleash an enormous amount of creative energy and an already overworked staff found the extra reserves to work on the change process.

In many facilities, the 6 week period was more than enough to achieve the project goals. The process was self-supporting from these energy reserves. Only one facet required our ongoing

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presence and that was in the role of facilitating the QPAR process at the weekly meetings and structuring the Action Research format.

Most facilities would benefit from an outside person to fulfil this role, simply because of the “halo” effect of their involvement. Even though we attempted to hand over this role to a group member, we found that the skills required to fulfil this role adequately needed further development. A Facilitator’s Training Course for working group leaders, and the publication of a guide for the QPAR process, would enable each facility to run their own culture change project.

Having the ability to format the change project from within the facility would provide a more flexible time-line so more or less time could be planned for each action phase as required. However, having access to trained personnel to assist in facilities where there was an existing change resistant culture, or to assist in selection and development of projects, would be advantageous as this seemed to provide the impetus for staff to muster the energy to commit their time for meetings. These personnel could also provide a modelling session for the newly trained facilitators and debriefing sessions to encourage further development of facilitating skills.

From the point of view of the external facilitator’s time involvement the impact of this Pilot was outstanding. Some facilities have continued to build on their QPAR approach to culture which is currently accepted in their establishment.

To achieve organisational culture change required; working together, the commitment of interested staff, a flexible timeline and the development or enhancement of communication flow.

The satisfaction and support of working as part of a team naturally followed, allowing individuals and groups to feel empowered sufficiently to engage their leadership skills and turn their hopes, beliefs and principles into ACTION. This progression of improved Communication developing into Teamwork, then Empowerment and Leadership, flows smoothly when the project is chosen by the staff to work on together.

The ease with which this happened suggested a willingness of staff to implement change they had input into. In all but one facility the Pilot resulted in a cultural change occurring harmoniously. In the facility with no change, the project uncovered an existing culture that was so ingrained and actively protected by a powerful few, that even staff harmony was not achieved. In this facility the existing culture may have seen the project as a challenge to their power and fought to retain the status quo. Unfortunately the existing culture flourished.

The challenge is to merge this turbulent mass of changing shifts and mindsets, and culturally diverse individuals with variable training, into a likeminded, goal sharing group of people focussed on the quality of resident care. Such a group can then productively work with casuals and agency staff, and because of their cohesiveness, the values of the mission statement can be upheld.

What this Pilot Study has shown us is that although most facilities operate on a top down culture, this may not always be allowed to be effective, and that the pre-existing bottom up culture may dominate the values being transmitted to the residents.

The Pilot also showed that for cultural change projects to succeed, you don’t have to begin with a homogeneous staff, but you do need to have a staff willing to put aside personal agendas and old practices and genuinely strive to work together for the harmonious operation of the facility and the transmission of the facility values through the quality of their resident care. ■

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Go to the ITAC 2014 website for more details on: • Aged Care Industry IT Awards • Exhibition & Sponsorship Prospectus

General | 81

RESEARCH PROJECT: The role of intervention strategies to reduce social isolation among older Australians

A

s Australia’s population ages and as society’s pursuit for privacy, individual self-sufficiency and independence rises, the incidence of social isolation will increase. Headlines such as “Elderly people die alone and unnoticed in Australia”; “she died here all alone in the city. Nobody noticed for eight years” and “more elderly folk are dying alone” will become more common.

While social isolation is a risk across all age groups, it is the older population who are especially vulnerable due to the social, economic and health changes that accompany later life. It is the social interactions we have with other people that are important for health, quality of life, feelings of self-worth and ultimately survival.

While research has explored the causes and consequences of social isolation, less attention has been focussed upon the effectiveness of mainstream services in reducing social isolation.

To help increase our understanding of the value and effectiveness of intervention strategies a consortium of universities (Adelaide, Melbourne, Curtin, QUT and King’s College London) and service providers (ECH Inc, Resthaven, Anglicare SA, Benatas, IRT, Silverchain and COTA Queensland) are launching research that considers: • The effectiveness of low , medium and high intervention programs that address social isolation amongst older people; • Are such interventions more effective or successful with particular groups?

• What are the predictors of success in addressing social isolation?

This project will benefit older people by increasing our understanding of what is needed to help older people feel part of their community and to stay socially connected.

The research team is interested in hearing of services or programs that deal with social isolation, particularly in the states of NSW, Qld, Victoria, SA and WA. The project involves inviting older people who are • about to receive services or are entering a program of social activity for the first time, and • who are identified as being socially isolated, • to participate in three interviews across a six month period. ■

If you would like to know more about the research project or believe your service or program may be eligible and you are interested in taking part in the project please contact Dr Debbie Faulkner on 08 8313 3230 or 08 8313 0641 Address: CHURP, Napier Building, The University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide 5001 SA Email: debbie.faulkner@adelaide.edu.au

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General | 83

2014

LASA Events Develop your skills and knowledge at LASA events across the country throughout 2014.

LASA events cater for all segments of the age services industry to provide you with an opportunity to gain insights from leading experts, understand the age services business environment and share industry knowledge with your peers. Be a part of these fantastic networking opportunities in 2014:

23 � 25 February 2014

1� � 20 June 2014

� � 11 April 2014

� � 11 July 2014

2� � 30 �ay 2014

21 � 23 July 2014

4 � � June 2014

20 � 22 October 2014

Tri-State Conference 2014 Albury Entertainment Centre LASA Q State Conference 2014 RACV, Royal Pines Resort LASA NSW-ACT State Congress 2014 The Westin, Sydney

Community Care Qld Conference 2014 QT Gold Coast

15 � 17 June 2014

LASA WA Conference 2014 Esplanade Hotel Fremantle

LASA Victoria State Congress 2014 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre NIMAC Conference 2014 Jupiters Hotel Gold Coast ITAC 2014 Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart LASA National Congress 2014 Adelaide Convention Centre Visit LASA Events for further information on all of these events plus more:

www.lasa.asn.au/events

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84 | Product News

Product News

Smooth puree foods: Beautifully presented and nutritionally sound Textured Concept Foods (TCF) have restored the dignity of a person requiring texture modified meals.

Our foods are easy to prepare, easy to eat and easy to swallow.

We’ve taken scoops of smooth puree foods and remoulded each individual food to look like their original form. More appealing to the eye, each meal maintains its nutritional goodness and tastes as good as it looks.

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Thomson Adsett In our thirty-five plus years association with the seniors sector we have seen a lot of change in the approach to design. In this period hostels have become low care facilities which are themselves fast becoming a thing of the past. Nursing homes have become high care facilities which are becoming more and more end stage acute care facilities.

The other parallel trend is a desire by some providers to create for more house like rather than institutional settings with smaller social groupings. These are both examples of some of the forces shaping contemporary seniors design.

We are further seeing the boundaries blurring between traditional residential care and traditional independent living. Where does accommodation stop and care start?

Isn’t Ageing-in-Place really about trying to live our life and make our own decisions

for as long as possible? Capital costs are increasing and harder to repay once loans are secured. Operational funding classifications are changing and the traditional reliance on access to bed bonds is less sure. All of this is taking place against a back drop of changing Government policy and funding. It is a dynamic time in the seniors sector.

We at ThomsonAdsett have believed for a long time that well considered and smart strategic and master planning is the key to development and fully realising the potential for a site or for an organisation. That is perhaps more true at this time than before.

We also understand that business drivers, market forces and choices of accommodation solutions for ageing- in- place affect future viability. We have a sound working knowledge of ageing and how the physical environment affects the elderly with regard dementia diagnosis, frailty and palliation. We understand

what to ask, when and why it matters.

We see that existing sites have often grown sites have grown organically as the needs changed or resident care profile shifted. Some of these decisions may have been Matthew Hutchinson, Group made without the Director Seniors Living, benefit of a longer ThomsonAdsett term strategic plan as a reference. If you need assistance with taking the next step in a strategic master plan for your site or of you property portfolio as a whole please free to speak with us. We would love to assist you.

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Product News | 85

Product News

Unique to the Australian Market, TECO Australia introduces 2 Door Bar Fridges with Separate Freezer Following its successes in supplying Split System and Window Wall Air Conditioners, LED/LCD TV’s, Bar Fridges & Small Vertical Freezers to Mining Camp Accommodation and Common Area Portable Building Units, Student Accommodation areas and Hotel/ Motel Rooms, TECO have introduced a unique product to the Australian Market, a range of 2 Door Bar Fridges.

Engineered to Perform with Super Quiet operation and Stylish Design, the TBF84WMTA – 84Ltr Freestanding or Under Bench 2 Door Bar Fridge is suitable for medium to large rooms. It comes with an Internal Light in the refrigerator compartment, Glass Shelving, and handy Vegetable crisper.

The Door Shelf holds up to 2 litre bottles and

with the handy Drink Can Dispenser, easily holds standard sized cans of your favourite beverage. The separate freezer is unique to this type of product. Designed to freeze and store foods, it is ideal for Student Accommodation or single room dwellings such as “Granny Flats”.

To compliment the TBF84WMTA, which comes in brilliant White, TECO have also introduced the 2 Door bar Fridge in Jet Black (TBF84BMTA) and Cherry Red (TBF84RMTA).

For easy installation this model comes with front adjustable feet, Flat Back Design, which eliminates the old style bar fridge dust collecting exposed rear coil, and reversible door to cater for varying installations.

(850Hx485Wx510Dmm)

To complement this range, TECO Australia also has Frost Free Refrigerators, (215Ltr, 258Ltr, 292Ltr & 410Ltr), Chest Freezers (145Ltr, 200Ltr & 300Ltr) and a range of 12 & 14 Place Setting, Freestanding Dishwashers, all with Aqua Stop, which protects from accidental flooding due to split or disconnected inlet hose.

To view TECO Product Range or download product brochures, please visit TECO Australia website, www.teco.com.au

TECO – “The Comfortable Choice”.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE CONVERSIONS & MODIFICATIONS AVA-TIEMAN was formed in 2012 when All Vehicle Accessories (AVA) purchased Tieman Industries’ Wheelchair Accessibility business.

The new venture combines 50 years of experience and expertise in delivering aftermarket accessories, vehicle modifications, equipment and servicing for organisations and individuals in aged care, disability, healthcare, education and transport industries. We have also recently become sales agents for LBSV selling both VW Caddy Maxi Life & Renault Kangoo specialised converted vehicles.

Our mission is to provide the best possible solution including the right products and services to our wide range of customers. We provide an in-depth consultation to understand the specific needs of our clients and then we work together to achieve the best outcome while taking into account cost, reliability, ease of use and OH & S.

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86 | Product News

Product News The Power of Steam Cleaning for Aged Care If you’re looking for a new and better way to clean your aged care facility why not consider steam cleaning? Steam cleaning uses the power of high temperature steam to deep clean and sanitise a huge range of surfaces throughout your facility leaving them hygienically clean and sanitised.

How Steam Works Steam is ideal for aged care facilities and can be used on floors, walls, windows, curtains, bed frames, mattresses, upholstery, bathrooms, kitchens and more. It’s easy to use, will save you time and money and can be used without the need for chemicals and minimal amounts of water.

The SV8d Steam Cleaner by Steam Australia is the ideal light commercial cleaning machine for aged care. It boasts a huge 8 Bars of steam pressure, both steam and vacuum functionality, detergent injection to lift the toughest stains and is fully portable on castor wheels. It comes with a great range of attachments including brushes, detail nozzles, floor and upholstery tools ensuring you’ll always have the best tool for the job at hand. It’s European made and built to last, meaning you’ll have a cleaning machine you can trust for years to come.

The Feedback is Phenomenal Aged care facilities across Australia are embracing the power of steam.

Steam cleaning is proving to be an amazing asset to aged care providers who are experiencing a whole new level of hygiene and sanitisation throughout their facilities at a fraction of the cleaning time and cost. Steam Australia’s customers wholeheartedly recommended the machines citing a superb cleaning job, ease of use and cost savings as just a few of the many benefits. In fact, Pattie from Injilinji Aged Care Centre exclaims it’s “the best investment they’ve ever made”.

A Special Offer for LASA Readers Steam Australia have had such great success with these machines in aged care facilities that they want to show you the difference it can make in yours. They’re offering aged care facilities throughout Australia the opportunity to try a steam cleaner free for 30 days. It’s yours to try out to see how it works in your facility. If you don’t absolutely love the machine you can return it to Steam Australia anytime within the first 30 days with nothing to pay!

To take Steam Australia up on their free steam cleaner offer simply call 1300 79 5050. This special offer is for a limited time only, so call today to secure your cleaning machine. You can check out their full range of steam cleaners on their website, visit steamaustralia.com.au.

GDN consulting The Australian IT industry consolidation trend is accelerating as workforces simultaneously grow, age & proportionally contract.

Aged Care providers should measure how IT translates to greater well- being for clients & tangible value for both staff & organization; they must exercise in-depth due diligence as IT evolves quickly within fast-changing technology & regulatory landscapes; they should also ensure that IT is constantly tightly aligned with business strategy rather than implemented as an after-thought or “because everyone else does it”.

The GDN consulting firm has a considerable footprint of highly successful Aged Care IT implementations all delivered on-objectives or beyond, on-budget or below and on-time or before. GDN services are flexible and closely tailored to each client specific situation. Irrespective of scope, size or complexity, GDN consultants

approach each project with an immersive 360° perspective on the client organization, keeping at all times sight of the broader picture, and bringing together all systems to ensure maximum security, efficiency, continuity, stability, processes fluidity & seamless positive user experience. Each project covers all execution, administration, communication, training & change management aspects as well as sign-offs and decommissioning tasks to ensure smooth execution, optimal transition, risk exposure minimization & maximized outcomes.

Contact the GDN consulting firm at info@giovannidinoto, or via www.giovannidinoto.com, for an unbiased, comprehensive, 360° assessment of your needs, more information on how GDN can help you leverage of all your IT systems to sharpen your competitive edges in a CDC context, develop strategic technology road-maps and strengthen both your operational & governance frameworks.

TRY A STEAM CLEANER For 30 days

FREE This month we are offering an amazing opportunity to try the SV8d steam cleaner in your premises for free. No strings attached*.

We want you to try it, because we know that you’ll love it!

The SV8d steam vacuum cleaner is the world’s best steam cleaner suitable for cleaning and sanitising every surface in your facility.

Clean grout, bathrooms, kitchens, upholstery, spot clean carpet, remove odours, clean curtains, windows and much more.

CALL TO ORDER YOURS NOW

1300 79 50 50

UPHOLSTERY

FLOORS

WINDOWS

DEEP CLEAN and SANITISE with STEAM Steam Australia steam vapour cleaning systems will effectively deep clean and sanitise all surfaces in your facility.

Steam penetrates areas where chemicals cannot reach, detailing every nook and cranny, giving you a deeper and more hygienic clean than ever before.

Anywhere that had to be cleaned with chemicals can now be hygienically cleaned in half the time using steam.

BATHROOMS

Offer Expires 28 Feb, 2014 *Some Conditions apply

CURTAINS

BEDS

Our SV8d is absolutely FANTASTIC!! We've found it's particularly great for deodorising our rooms, cleaning curtains and refreshing carpets. Purchasing the SV8D steam vac is the BEST investment we've ever made for the facility and comfort of our residents.

Pattie - Injilinji Aged Care Centre Just a quick note to let you know that our machines are going great, we are constantly amazed by what they can do.

Tammy—Forster Private Hospital I use the SV8D steam cleaner daily. It's the best machine for spot cleaning stains off carpets, windows, curtains and cleaning bathrooms from top to bottom.

Every aged care facility should have one.

Sherrie– Autumn Lodge Aged Care

1300 79 50 50

Visit our website for video demonstrations

www.steamaustralia.com.au

beyondblue Professional Education to Aged Care (PEAC) Program beyondblue has developed dedicated educational programs for the aged care sector, to assist staff working in aged care better detect and manage depression and anxiety among older people in their care.

Workshops aim to provide participants with a greater understanding of:

There are two programs, one for staff working in residential aged care, and a second for the community aged care sector.

• strategies for working with residents or clients who have depression and/or anxiety

beyondblue has licensed three organisations to deliver this training on beyondblue’s behalf. These organisations are Leading Aged Services Australia, McCarthy Psychology Services and Wise Care and workshops are available in all states and territories. www.beyondblue.org.au

1300 22 4636

• depression and anxiety in older people • how their work can impact upon a resident or client’s mental health

• the process for reporting their concerns • screening tools and referrals/pathways to care • effective management of older people with depression and/or anxiety and/or dementia.

To book a workshop or to find out more visit www.beyondblue.org.au/PEAC