Residential Care

So you have decided that moving into a care home is the right option for you. Now that you have made the move, there are a few simple things you can do to help make your new surroundings feel like home. The majority of homes will allow you to bring …

Vicky Graham and her dogs Hunter and Piers are part of Canine Friends, an organisation that has been arranging for dogs to visit rest homes for 30 years. She tells Eldernet why she finds the visits so rewarding, and what makes a good therapy dog. How did you come to …

Has a health problem compromised your wellbeing or ability to live as independently as possible? An interRAI assessment identifies what might bring an improvement and whether support services would help. Sheryl’s father, Alan, was assessed as part of his transition to a retirement village. Here, Sheryl describes what the process …

As we know, it is important now more than ever to keep connected with one another and while many believe the digital world is a foreign place for over 70s, Metlifecare is bringing its residents into the digital age to combat social isolation. Metlifecare has launched its new online activities …

The development of assistance robots within aged care comes with promises to help improve services and the quality of life for older people in aged care facilities and at those living at home. This technology will also assist with and relieve some of the work done by carers who are …

Orientation Visits Orientation visits to specialized dementia and psychogeriatric care facilities began in November 2019. These visits help inform the approach, the assessment criteria and the development of the inspection programme. As they are orientation visits, not inspections, no reports are being produced, or recommendations are being made to facilities …

The Chief Ombudsman’s inspections programme is being extended to include people held securely in privately-run aged care facilities – people who cannot leave when they want to, primarily those in locked care facilities (‘residents’). The new programme will be phased in over the next three years. Our first step is …

Making a decision about residential care often requires the consideration of complex and difficult issues. Should the older person stay at home or should they go into residential care? In some cases the older person makes the decision themselves but often, the family is involved. Each family member will have …

Sometimes older people put up with difficult situations relating to their health and wellbeing when they don’t have to. It may be possible to sort these problems out. This is where an assessment can be helpful. It’s like standing back and taking stock of all the things that might be …

A joint study, from University of NSW, Macquarie University and RMIT, found that aged care staff are often too rushed to properly connect with their residents. Lead author Professor Gabrielle Meagher from Macquarie University said it was structurally difficult for residential and home care services to deliver person-centred care. “The …