End of Life Project Launched

Caroline Chisholm is one of five homes chosen to roll-out a prestigious End of Life project.

Continuous improvement in the delivery of care services is a driving motivation for Caroline Chisholm’s Director of Nursing, Anne Curnow.

“I was recently advised that Caroline Chisholm was one of only five residential aged care homes on Sydney’s North Shore to be chosen to participate in HammondCare’s ‘Quality End of Life in Residential Aged Care Project’,” said Anne. “I believe it’s a great acknowledgment of the reputation and status the home enjoys in the local health area.”

The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) is an Australian Government-funded outcome and benchmarking program. The primary objective is to systematically improve palliative and end of life care (EoLC) through routine assessment of patient needs and collection of data to evaluate access to care based on assessed needs.

HammondCare has been commissioned by Sydney North Primary Health Network to deliver quality EoLC initiatives in residential aged care homes. This will result in the provision of expert advice, effective training and fostering partnerships between aged care and general practice to deliver better outcomes for patients through quality end of life care. The project aims to upskill staff to ensure that the patient’s physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs are met, that pain is managed appropriately, and that dignity and privacy is respected. The project is based on Australian Palliative Care Standards, ELDAC Model of Care and Aged Care Quality Standards.

“An active, engaged and happy life is the priority for our residents at Caroline Chisholm,” says Anne.

“Having a kind, compassionate and educated EoLC program ensures that our residents are given choices and options that mean the most to them.”

The project has been rolling out as COVID-19 safe, via Zoom meetings and education sessions that bring impressive collaborators and educators directly into the home.

“Our last Zoom session brought collaborators from all over the world, including Japan and London, as well as Queensland and New South Wales participants,” said Anne.

“It’s great to be able to cast the communication net so wide to include these quality educators based around the globe.”

To find out more about the project, contact Anne Curnow on (02) 9428 2466.

Students take the next step at Vaucluse

Staff of Vaucluse Aged Care Home have been helping students put their newly acquired knowledge to good use, caring for Australia’s elderly and frail in real life

situations. By Jacki Downs

Students of Signature Training School based in Parramatta have been enjoying strategic work placements to complete their required 120 hours of practice in the workplace over the past six months, building on the relationship between this training school and the Hall & Prior NSW Organisation.

The students are rostered on with mentor staff at Vaucluse who guide them through regular activities learned about in the classroom in their transition to the workplace.

Skills for aged care such as bed making, hygiene control and manual handling are specifically addressed in the mentoring program helping ensure students are proficient in these, and many more tasks, when they graduate and begin their caring careers.

This program has been a particularly valuable experience for students with the COVID-19 restrictions that have affected all businesses, including all aged care homes. Throughout the training, students have been provided with extra lessons around the virus and the importance of following policies and protocols to ensure the safety of elderly and vulnerable residents. “The relationship and work experience has gone very well for both parties, but most importantly, our students feel they have gained immeasurable experience to help them transition smoothly into the workforce,” said Rajan Khatiwada from Signature Training.

Deputy Director of Nursing, Manezheh Jafari implemented the program through Vaucluse. “Our staff have really enjoyed working with these very receptive and interested students,” said Manezheh.

“The students have excelled in our home and we see real potential for their care careers. The program is set up to help students - but our staff also gain a lot from programs like these. It’s definitely mutually beneficial,” Manezheh said.

The friendly and experienced team at Vaucluse Aged Care Home are looking forward to welcoming more students soon.

For information on Signature Training visit signaturetraining.edu.au.