scholarly journals Reflections of executive staff using the SaferCare Victoria COVID-19 clinical screening tool in a residential aged care service during the pandemic in Victoria, Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonali Pinto ◽  
Zoe Wainer ◽  
Susan Oliver ◽  
Joseph E Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Screening Tool ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Clinical Screening ◽  
Executive Staff

scholarly journals Developing a clinical screening tool for identifying COVID‐19 infection in older people dwelling in residential aged care services

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavitha Gnanasambantham ◽  
Georgia Aitken ◽  
Brett Morris ◽  
Jessica Simionato ◽  
Eu‐Hua Chua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Clinical Screening ◽  
Care Services

scholarly journals Housing and Care for Older Women in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie E. Byles ◽  
Emily M. Princehorn ◽  
Peta M. Forder ◽  
Md Mijanur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Service Use ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Housing Type ◽  
Care Assessment

Background: Housing is essential for healthy ageing, being a source of shelter, purpose, and identity. As people age, and with diminishing physical and mental capacity, they become increasingly dependent on external supports from others and from their environment. In this paper we look at changes in housing across later life, with a focus on the relationship between housing and women's care needs.Methods: Data from 12,432 women in the 1921–26 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were used to examine the interaction between housing and aged care service use across later life.Results: We found that there were no differences in access to home and community care according to housing type, but women living in an apartment and those in a retirement village/hostel were more likely to have an aged care assessment and had a faster rate of admission to institutional residential aged care than women living in a house. The odds of having an aged care assessment were also higher if women were older at baseline, required help with daily activities, reported a fall, were admitted to hospital in the last 12 months, had been diagnosed or treated for a stroke in the last 3 years, or had multiple comorbidities. On average, women received few services in the 24 months prior to admission to institutional residential aged care, indicating a potential need to improve the reach of these services.Discussion: We find that coincident with changes in functional capacities and abilities, women make changes to their housing, sometimes moving from a house to an apartment, or to a village. For some, increasing needs in later life are associated with the need to move from the community into institutional residential aged care. However, before moving into care, many women will use community services and these may in turn delay the need to leave their homes and move to an institutional setting. We identify a need to increase the use of community services to delay the admission to institutional residential aged care.

scholarly journals Identifying the Association Between Older Adults' Characteristics and Their Health-Related Outcomes in a Transition Care Setting: A Retrospective Audit

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo-Aine Hang ◽  
Jacqueline Francis-Coad ◽  
Chiara Naseri ◽  
Angela Jacques ◽  
Nicholas Waldron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Functional Improvement ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Discharge Destination ◽  
Transition Care ◽  
Retrospective Audit ◽  
Health Related

Introduction: Continued evaluation of Transition Care Programs (TCP) is essential to improving older adults' outcomes and can guide which older adults may benefit from undertaking TCP. The aim of this study was to audit a transition care service to identify the association between the characteristics of older adults undertaking a facility-based TCP and (i) discharge destination and (ii) functional improvement.Materials and methods: An audit (n = 169) of older adults aged 60 years and above who completed a facility-based TCP in Australia was conducted. Outcomes audited were performance of activities of daily living (ADL) measured using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and discharge destination. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and linear mixed modeling.Results: Older adults [mean age 84.2 (±8.3) years] had a median TCP stay of 38 days. Fifty-four older adults (32.0%) were discharged home, 20 (11.8%) were readmitted to hospital and 93 (55%) were admitted to permanent residential aged care. Having no cognitive impairment [OR = 0.41 (95% CI 0.18-0.93)], being independent with ADL at admission [OR = 0.41 (95% CI 0.16-1.00)] and a pre-planned team goal of home discharge [OR = 24.98 (95% CI 5.47-114.15)] was significantly associated with discharge home. Cases discharged home showed greater improvement in functional ability [MBI 21.3 points (95% CI 17.0-25.6)] compared to cases discharged to other destinations [MBI 9.6 points (95% CI 6.5-12.7)].Conclusion: Auditing a facility-based TCP identified that older adults who were independent in ADL and had good cognitive levels were more likely to be discharged home. Older adults with cognitive impairment also made clinically significant functional improvements.

scholarly journals The Impact of Musculoskeletal Conditions on Assessed Levels of Care Required by Older Australians

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany K Gill ◽  
Steve Wesselingh ◽  
Maria C Inacio
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Musculoskeletal Conditions ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionMusculoskeletal problems, including conditions such as back pain, neck pain, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and osteoarthritis are common in the population and significant contributors to global disease burden. Age is one of the most common risk factors for musculoskeletal conditions and over 40% of older people accessing residential aged care have a musculoskeletal condition. It is not known whether individuals living in the community with musculoskeletal conditions have similar needs to those in permanent care and this is important to know in order to provide appropriate care. Objectives and ApproachThe objective of this study was to profile individuals with musculoskeletal conditions in different aged care service settings (i.e. permanent care, community care only, transition/ respite care, or no services). Specifically, we examined the concurrent chronic conditions, health risk factors and functional limitations of individuals by service setting. A cross-sectional evaluation of individuals in the National Historical Cohort of the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) between 2004 and 2014 was conducted. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the factors associated with being in different aged care settings. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were determined. Results401,026 (42.5%) individuals with musculoskeletal conditions were assessed for aged care service eligibility during the study period. Of these 197,181 (49.2%) accessed permanent care, 37,003 (9.2%) accessed home care, 54,826 (13.7%) transition/respite, and 112,016 (27.9%) - no care. Individuals accessing community care compared to residential care were more likely to be female, have pain and have difficulty maintaining their home, as were individuals accessing no services compared to residential care. Conclusion / ImplicationsCompared to those in residential care, individuals with musculoskeletal conditions in the community with or without assistance had few differences related to other chronic conditions and functional limitations. But the reasons why some had support, while others did not, are unclear.

Senior staff perspectives of a quality indicator program in public sector residential aged care services: a qualitative cross-sectional study in Victoria, Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam M. Chadwick ◽  
Aleece MacPhail ◽  
Joseph E. Ibrahim ◽  
Linda McAuliffe ◽  
Susan Koch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Executive Staff ◽  
Care Services

Objective The aims of the present study were to describe the views of senior clinical and executive staff employed in public sector residential aged care services (RACS) about the benefits and limitations of using quality indicators (QIs) for improving care, and to identify any barriers or enablers to implementing the QI program. Methods A cross-sectional qualitative study using semistructured interviews and direct observation of key informants involved in the QI program was performed across 20 public sector RACS in Victoria, Australia. Participants included senior clinical, executive and front-line staff at the RACS. The main outcome measures were perceived benefits and the enablers or barriers to the implementation of a QI program. Results Most senior clinical and executive staff respondents reported substantive benefits to using the QIs and the QI program. A limited number of staff believed that the QI program failed to improve the quality of care and that the resource requirements outweighed the benefits of the program, resulting in disaffected staff. Conclusions The QIs and QI program acted as a foundation for improving standards of care when used at the front line or point of care. Senior executive engagement in the QI program was vital to successful implementation. What is known about this topic? QIs measure the structures, processes or outcomes of care and identify issues that need further investigation or improvement. QIs are increasingly being adopted throughout the world. In Australia, the public sector RACS QIs project was implemented in 2006. It is yet to be formally evaluated. What does this paper add? Perceived benefits and limitations of the QI program were identified, together with barriers to successful implementation of the program and recommendations for future improvements. QI data were reported to improve quality culture and assist with identifying clinical areas for improvement. However, the QI program was associated with significantly increased workload and some stakeholders questioned its usefulness. The QI program studied could be improved through better access to education and training for those responsible for data collection and results dissemination to appropriate training and resources; and revision of the QI definitions and reporting methods. What are the implications for clinicians? QI data are useful for identifying opportunities for quality improvement. Despite data limitations, public sector RACS can use data for internal benchmarking, staff education and targeting of quality improvement interventions. At the policy level, revising the QI definitions and simplifying data collection and reporting would improve and strengthen the program. At the clinician and executive level, there is also a strong preference for QI data that allow comparison and benchmarking between facilities.

Four-item fall risk screening tool for subacute and residential aged care: The first step in fall prevention

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Stapleton ◽  
Peter Hough ◽  
Leonie Oldmeadow ◽  
Karen Bull ◽  
Keith Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fall Prevention ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Risk Screening ◽  
Fall Risk Screening

scholarly journals Cohort profile: Dementia in the Registry of Senior Australians

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e039907
Author(s):  
Monica Cations ◽  
Catherine E Lang ◽  
Stephanie A Ward ◽  
Maria Crotty ◽  
Craig Whitehead ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Use ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Assessment Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Psychotropic Medicine ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
The Impact

PurposeClinical quality registries (CQRs) are being established in many countries to monitor, benchmark, and report on the quality of dementia care over time. Case ascertainment can be challenging given that diagnosis occurs in a variety of settings. The Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) includes a large cohort of people with dementia from all Australian states and territories identified using routinely collected aged care assessment data. In ROSA, assessment data are linked to information about aged and health service use, medicine dispensing, hospitalisations and the National Death Index. The ROSA dementia cohort was established to capture people for the Australian dementia CQR currently in development who may not be identified elsewhere.ParticipantsThere were 373 695 people with dementia identified in aged care assessments from 2008 to 2016. Cross-sectional analysis from the time of cohort entry (e.g. when first identified with dementia on an aged care assessment) indicates that individuals were 84.1 years old on average, and 63.1% were female. More than 44% were first identified at entry to permanent residential aged care. The cohort recorded more severe cognitive impairment at entry than other international dementia registries.Findings to dateThe cohort has so far been used to demonstrate a declining prevalence of dementia in individuals entering the aged care sector, examine trends in psychotropic medicine prescribing, and to examine the impact of dementia on aged care service use and outcomes.Future plansThe ROSA dementia cohort will be updated periodically and is a powerful resource both on its own and as a contributor to the Australian dementia CQR. Integration of the ROSA dementia cohort with the dementia CQR will ensure that people with dementia using aged care services can benefit from the ongoing monitoring and benchmarking of care that a registry can provide.

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