11 July 2024  Edition 1258

Hi Mark,

Members of the Government’s hand-picked Aged Care Taskforce have finally begun to speak out, saying the proposed reforms are at risk if the Government doesn’t act soon. Read my opinion piece below.

StewartBrown’s Financial Performance Survey for the March 2024 quarter illustrates just how needed the Taskforce’s recommendations are.

We look at the latest data on the shortage of nurses after the Department of Health and Aged Care quietly released its report on the supply and demand of nurses.

There are new executive appointments at Bethanie and Goodwin.

And we delve into the government's first Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy, released by the Aged Care Minister this week.

Read on.

Finally Aged Care Taskforce members speak out on reform delays 

By Caroline Egan

The continued failure of the Australian Government to respond to its own Aged Care Taskforce recommendations, publicly released in March, has reached the point it could threaten the very passage of the reforms, forcing the closure of aged care homes and further jeopardising the building of desperately-needed new beds.

Aged care home operators chalk up fifth year of losses: StewartBrown

By Caroline Egan and Ian Horswill

As half of Australia's aged care homes continue to operate at a loss, accountants StewartBrown presented "an inescapable fact".

Home Care customers’ care falls to a five-year low: StewartBrown 

By Caroline Egan

The hours of care received by Home Care Package recipients continued to fall in the March 2024 quarter, continuing a five-year trend.

Government’s Aged Care Digital Strategy could slash admin time by one-third

By Caroline Egan

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has released the Government's first Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy, a five-year plan aimed at making better use of aged care data and reducing the administrative burden on staff. 

By Caroline Egan

Only in SATURDAY: 2,000 residential aged care customers trapped in hospital 

Hospitals around Australia are struggling to get seniors whose acute issues have been resolved into an aged care bed or NDIS placement.

Government’s own modelling: aged care short of 17,500 nurse within 12 years

By Caroline Egan

The Australian Government quietly released the results of its Nursing Supply and Demand Study this week, revealing the nursing workforce is growing in Australia, but not quickly enough to keep up with the demands of an ageing population, a situation that is already putting pressure on both the health system and the existing nurse workforce.

By Caroline Egan

Star ratings have “significant limitations”: ACCPA

The Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) has published its submission on the evaluation of the Star Ratings system, noting that consumers are not using Star Ratings to inform their aged care decisions, the purpose for which the system was intended, and that some subcategories are disadvantaging certain kinds of providers.

Goodwin appoints Laurann Yen as Chair to replace Liesel Wett OAM

By Caroline Egan

Not For Profit Goodwin, the largest retirement living and aged care provider in the ACT, has announced the departure of Board Chair Liesel Wett OAM and the appointment of Laurann Yen to the role, effective 1 July 2024.

Mable & TAFE NSW partner so support workers earn Cert III for free while working

By Caroline Egan

Online disability and aged care support platform Mable and TAFE NSW have formed a partnership allowing independent support workers to obtain their Certificate III in Independent Support (Disability and Aged Care) through TAFE NSW - for free - while working in the industry.

Bali dementia resort to welcome first visitors in September

By Caroline Egan

Aashaya Jasri Resort, the Bali accommodation of innovative dementia and disability support specialists Community Home Australia (CHA), is set to open on 1 September 2024 and will be the first southeast Asian property listed on Accessible Accommodation, described as the Airbnb of the disability community.

LDK chooses eeviCare technology platform for Amberfield project in Canberra

By Caroline Egan

LDK Seniors' Living will deploy care monitoring platform eeviCare at its Amberfield project in Yarralumla, Canberra, where Stage 1 is due to go live at the end of September.

COVID-19 and flu have hit aged care hard this winter

 By Caroline Egan

COVID-19 outbreaks were recorded in nearly 400 residential aged care homes as more than 3,000 staff and residents contracted the highly contagious virus in the week to 4 July 2024.

Victorian Gov opens 10-bed expansion of Barrabill House in rural Seymour

By Caroline Egan

The state government has completed a $3.17 million refurbishment and expansion of Barrabill House Public Sector Residential Aged Care Service (PSRACS) in Seymour, 100km north of Melbourne, expanding the facility's capacity by 10 beds and adding new facilities.

WA Not For Profit Bethanie appoints Roulé Jones as CEO 

By Caroline Egan

Roulé Jones (pictured above) has been appointed permanent CEO of WA Not For Profit retirement living, residential aged care and home care provider Bethanie, after serving as Interim CEO since October 2023.

37 Fijians first to graduate for Opal HealthCare under new Gov scheme

By Caroline Egan

Thirty-seven Fijians have graduated with their Certificate III qualifications at Opal HealthCare today, the first graduates for the provider of the Federal Government’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Aged Care Expansion (ACE) program.

Carers like Col Blake, who cares for his wife Shirley who is living with dementia, will become increasingly rare

By Caroline Egan

Australia's reliance on the generosity of unpaid carers is under threat, as demographic changes mean there will be fewer friends and family available to provide unpaid care in the future, says leading Canadian geriatrician and policy advisor Dr Samir Sinha