Your Aged Care Update # 36/24
Notable dates
Webinar: Residential care funding update
18 September
Nursing Workforce Strategy consultation
Closes 20 October
In this issue
News about the reforms
Ensuring the future of quality aged care
The Australian Government has:
introduced the Aged Care Bill 2024 to Parliament
released its response to the Aged Care Taskforce
announced details of the Support at Home program.
The Aged Care Bill 2024 is for a new Aged Care Act – the main law that sets out how the aged care system operates. This new law will:
improve the lives of older people accessing aged care services in their homes, community settings and residential aged care homes
encourage aged care providers to deliver high-quality care.
The $5.6 billion investment and reform package in response to the recommendations of the Aged Care Taskforce will:
ensure the viability and quality of aged care
support older people to remain independent at home as they age.
1.4 million older people in Australia will benefit from the new Support at Home program by 2035. The program will provide:
more tailored support, with 8 ongoing classifications up to $78,000 per year
support for home modifications
fast access to assistive technology, including a new equipment loan scheme
a no worse off principle for people already in the aged care system.
The new Aged Care Act is expected to commence from 1 July 2025 with the Support at Home program.
Webinar and Q&A sessions: Support at Home program update
Are you looking to learn more about the new Support at Home program?
Join us at our upcoming webinar and Q&A sessions to hear about the final program details and have your questions answered:
Support at Home program update webinar, Thursday 19 September, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm (AEST), Register now
Support at Home Q&A session for in-home aged care providers, Tuesday 24 September 2024, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm (AEST), Register now
Support at Home Q&A session for older people, families and carers, Thursday 26 September 2024, 10:00 am to 11:00 am (AEST), Register now
You can send a question in advance when you register, or ask one during the event. If you are unable to attend, a recording will be made available following the webinar.
Preparing for the new aged care regulatory model
We are working to prepare Australian Government-funded aged care providers for a new single, universal registration process. This is part of the transition to the new aged care regulatory model.
To simplify this process, we will move you to new registration categories when the new Act commences, based on the current services you deliver. This process is called deeming.
This will help you continue to focus on delivering aged care services to older people.
For now, you don’t need to do anything. We will contact you soon to confirm the information we hold about your organisation to support provider deeming.
More information is available on our website.
Sector news
Dementia Action Week
Dementia Action Week is 16 to 22 September and is a reminder to act now for a dementia-friendly future.
You can make your aged care service dementia-friendly by:
talking to people with dementia, and their carers and families to help them feel included and comfortable
upskilling your staff to provide dementia-focused care
making environments more accessible.
Resources can assist in creating a dementia-friendly environment, including:
education opportunities to support individuals and organisations to deliver quality dementia care
free 24-hour personalised dementia behaviour support
Dementia Australia’s Dementia Friendly Communities program.
Learn more about support for people with dementia.
First Nations Aged Care Commissioner update
A September update from Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner, Andrea Kelly is now available.
Ms Kelly has led an extensive national consultation process to hear about experiences from people accessing and engaging with the aged care system, including:
older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
their families and carers
communities
providers.
Formal consultations finished on 21 June. This update provides an overview of what the Commissioner has been hearing and what she will be focusing on next.
Residential care
Monthly Care Statements software pilot
We are seeking residential aged care providers and software vendors to take part in a software pilot to automate Monthly Care Statements.
You can take part in:
the software pilot and research activities
research activities only.
Research activities may include surveys, focus groups and interviews.
The pilot will run from February to April 2025.
Taking part in the pilot is an opportunity for you to be involved in the software design. It will also help prepare you for when Monthly Care Statements become mandatory.
Express your interest by 8 October.
Read more about Monthly Care Statements.
Survey: Palliative care in residential aged care
We are seeking feedback from residential aged care providers to understand changes in the delivery and quality of palliative care.
Take part in the survey, it takes 15 minutes to complete.
The survey is part of an independent evaluation to understand whether the Comprehensive Palliative Care in Aged Care program has supported better palliative care delivery.
The survey closes on 11 October.
Quality indicators: Updated falls and injuries guidance
Residential aged care providers must report falls and major injuries under the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (the QI Program).
In response to sector feedback, we’ve updated our resources to include some additional examples of falls you must report.
A person falls when they inadvertently go down onto the ground or a lower level. This includes falls onto crash mats and from low beds.
You are required to report when a resident has:
one or more falls
one or more falls resulting in major injury.
Accurate reporting can help you to understand how and when falls happen to prevent future falls.
Check our updated guide to help you meet your reporting requirements for falls and major injuries.
Maggie Beer’s free 'Dining with Dementia' course
The Maggie Beer Foundation has released a free online module on Dining with Dementia.
The course is for aged care cooks, chefs and food service staff. It helps address the growing number of residents in aged care who need extra support during mealtimes.
It’s crucial to stimulate the appetite for residents with dementia.
Learn ways to:
create an engaging, sensory experience
create comfort at mealtimes
assist residents to meet their nutritional needs.
In-home care
Quality indicators for in-home aged care pilot
We’re working to introduce quality indicators to in-home aged care.
As part of this we’re running a pilot to test several quality indicators. It will help us decide how to introduce quality indicators to in-home aged care.
The pilot will run for up to 12 weeks from early October.
Public consultation informed the pilot design. We’ll update the Aged Care Engagement Hub with the consultation findings soon.
The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program supports providers to measure and monitor critical areas of care. Quality Indicators for in-home aged care won’t start before 1 July 2026.
To get involved in the pilot:
express interest in being part of the pilot by 30 September
attend a webinar and Q&A session at 2.00 pm (AEST) on 25 September.
Home Care Packages website refresh
We have refreshed the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program information on our website.
The HCP web pages have been restructured to make it easier for providers to find helpful information about:
how the program works
your responsibilities
funding, fees and pricing
delivering care and services
care management
package management
exiting care recipients from your service.