Sean Matthews MAICD’s Post

For all residents, the Monthly Care Statement will include information on: - Wellbeing activities, such as social activities, arts and craft or exercise - Changes to medication appointments, hospital or doctor visits - Nutrition and weight When relevant, the statement may also include: - Summary information (diagnoses) - Wound management - Mobility and Falls Data collection will be critical as these statements are implemented nationally. Talius can help support effective data collection and co-design dashboards to support easy access in addition to care minutes. Real-time access to data around Sleep patterns, Heart rate, Blood Pressure, Respiratory rate trends on health, Activities of Daily Living, Falls prediction and prevention. Sensor based and data driven support staff challenges creates efficiencies and transparency for Residents and their families. To find out more, contact [email protected] or jump onto our website www.talius.com.au and we will support your aged care organisation with an effective co-designed cost-effective approach to capturing this data automatically every day, week, month of the year.

The Aged Care Taskforce Report, released this week, focuses on future funding arrangements for aged care, promoting greater transparency of funding to create sustainability for providers and clarity for service users.  The Taskforce has identified seven principles as a foundation for the aged care system and has made 23 recommendations to realise these principles in practice (although greater detail is still required for implementation).  Recognising that most people wish to remain in their own home for as long as possible, the Taskforce endorses the current direction towards greater provision of home-based aged care services, while continuing to develop residential aged care services to the highest possible standard of excellence.  All this is based on ensuring greater choice and control for service users. Importantly, the Report makes explicit what has been discussed in the sector for a number of years: an expectation that those who can afford it should make a co-contribution to their care.  This is a welcome recommendation as it will help to support a sustainable aged care system, and allow future generations to prepare earlier for their own aged care needs. The Taskforce acknowledges that while there is considerable wealth among current and projected older cohorts, there is also a significant proportion of people on low incomes who will require continued government support to access aged care services.  For that reason, the Taskforce proposes a three-tiered payment structure for home-based care: ·      Government continues to pay for all or most of the clinical services people require (for instance, nursing and allied health care) ·      Government and the individual share (to an extent to be determined) the care that allows people to retain their independence as long as possible (such as assistance with personal care or meals) ·      The individual makes a greater contribution (to an extent to be determined) to support for daily living that they would have paid for themselves previously (such as house cleaning or gardening).   For residential care, a similar approach has been proposed, with government assuming the burden for fundamental care needs for residents, and co-contributions expected for more lifestyle services and activities.  Whether this exact approach is adopted or not remains to be seen, however the principle of clarifying who pays for what (and how much) is a good one.  The details of this structural funding reform have still to be worked out, but the fundamental approach of ensuring equitable access to aged care services regardless of ability to pay remains the foundation of the system.  Clarity, consistency and transparency of fees should make it easier for consumers to make informed choices and for providers to create and sustain quality services.  This would be a beneficial outcome for all. Stillpoint Strategy #agedcareaustralia #agedcare

Additional Service in our opinion will become an important part of Residential Aged Care financial viability in the near future. Any services or products on offer MUST provide value and deliver upon the foundations of Access and Derived Benefit. That is why we have worked hard on finding products and services that provide residents with real value that can be accessed by the vast majority of Aged Crae residents. These services also provide viable revenue lines for the Residential Aged Care provider. We have called our program INSITE care PLUS. This program encompasses providing best practice and implementation support to the Aged Care provider. We have done this to give more context and focus this revenue line rather than just referring to it as 'Additional Services'. The services and products are more than that. To further compliment INSITE care PLUS, QI team have developed key services and products. As per the visual we have developed Elderwealth INSITE - this service has been refined with the assistance of our vendor partner to give participating residents an additional service that not only is value for money but can provide further transparency and in some cases additional entitlements. The second product delivered by the QI team is Nostalgi Tab. This simple product gives residents and their families a keepsake for refection and family connection. QI INSITE care PLUS, is a program build that does not rely on finding loop holes or include complex calculators. It sticks strictly to providing value at all times to the resident. Contact us for more. Arcare Aged Care Bupa Calvary Health Care Respect Anglicare Sydney Anglicare Victoria Anglicare Southern Queensland Churches of Christ in Queensland SummitCare St Vincent's Health Australia Palm Lake Care Infinite Aged Care Menarock LIFE Aged Care Regis Aged Care Helping Hand Aged Care

Just read the Task. Force report on aged care: lots of treacly Principles- not a single word about enhanced treatment of aged care residents as having any agency, simply increacing funding to operators (some of it a bit rich from BUPA head getting $8m pa.a- still no full transparency, no engagement for those in aged “care” (the RC made clear what the operators think of “care”, and no transparency into the financial structuring of these enterprises. This report on first reading has a completely one sided view: solely $$$$$ nothing about aged care residents or prospects (I am 82) being given agency, the neccessary transparency, and the autonomy to exercise it. This infantalising of the elderly simply ensures that WE the ELDERLY will demand proper agency and FULL transparency-especially for those operators able to pay $8m pa for a CEO (Id love to see the REAL accounts by auditors (other than the Big4 of course) as to how profit or otherwise is constructed. The proposed system is wonderful for operators: still force people to sell their homes to get entry to the system, then have to pay rental without any agency in the basis for this rental (reliance on the currently clealry inadequate ‘quality’ monitoring by government is already quite clearly a power imbalance totally unmatched by those even more vulnerable to a rental model This note should not be taken as a rejection of the report- just a sustained demand for the transparency, accountability, and agency for those going into it.. not an accident I am quite certain, having been at the last two consultations. The biggest failure is the lack of FULL transparency and any genuine recognition agency by the residents. This report will massively increace demand-justifiably- for home care. The incentives to avoid the enterprises we already know from the RC will take a major jump upwards. My fervent hope is that there are responses by the Government to introduce a better balance. The staffing issues are adroitly avoided by this report-yet its the biggest component of costs! The continuing successful efforts by the industry to avoid full financial transparency and to even recognize full agency for we elderly in their facilities.

Aged Care Taskforce final report released 📄 Elevate your understanding with insights from Baumgartner Financial Services on the Federal Government's Aged Care Taskforce's Final Report. Having knowledge is paramount in shaping sustainable, high-quality aged care solutions — be across the key points by talking with our team. https://lnkd.in/gZHfpP3r #sustainable #highquality #agedcare #agedcareaustralia #agenda2024 #retirementplanning

Download our residential aged care guide to help your clients understand the steps involved in entering residential aged care and how you can help them. #AgedCare #ResidentialAgedCare #AgedCareAdvice

Today is a landmark day for aged care in Australia, with the new Aged Care Act officially becoming law after passing through the Senate last week and the Lower House earlier this afternoon.    The new Aged Care Act will come into effect from 1 July 2025 and will bring a range of improvements for older people including:  ·        a new regulatory model  ·        strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards  ·        a Statement of Rights for older people  ·        easier entry and access to services This new Act - replacing the current Aged Care Act, drafted way back in 1997 - represents once-in-a-generation reform for aged care. It includes vital protections for older people to speak up when they are not satisfied and will better equip aged care providers to handle complaints effectively. A $4.3 billion Support at Home system will improve home care wait times and add 300,000 more places over the next 10 years, with around 1.4 million participants in care in 2035. Participants will be assessed into one of 10 new funding classifications, increased from four, while Support at Home will also provide for home modifications and assistive technology to maintain independence.   To make sure older Australians have more flexibility and choice to meet their needs, there will be no caps to cleaning and gardening. Juniper has long been championing for older people and their supporters to have a greater say and more independent voice about the care and services they receive. We believe all older people should feel safe and protected to speak up, especially when they are not satisfied. It has been a long road to this day since Royal Commissioners published their final report on the quality and safety of Australian aged care on March 1, 2021. We thank the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, and the Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, for their commitment in advancing these reforms and appreciate the bipartisan support from Opposition Leader The Hon. Peter Dutton MP and Shadow Minister Anne Ruston. This Act marks a new beginning in aged care, but the journey doesn’t stop here. These significant reforms will take time to implement. We urge the Government to allow providers enough lead time and funding to ensure we get this right and continue to protect and meet the needs of Australia’s ageing population.

Home care is changing from June 2025, with Home Care Packages changing to the new Support at Home program. While details have been scare, I'll go through what I've found so far: - Current Home Care Packages recipients will be transitioned to the new program at an equivalent level of funding, and have to adapt to the new system. - Funding is only for services, no more purchasing goods and equipment; this will be a separate program similar to the NDIS system to order items. - Most services will have to be routine, such as weekly cleaning or gardening, and care plans will be more service-centric instead of goal-orientated. This means potentially less flexibility. - Budgets are spent every 3 months, if you don't use it you lose it and you can't save up funding for a rainy day or an expensive aid. - Out-of-pocket expenses for each service even for full pensioners, such as paying $8-10 for each cleaning visit, costing more if you have additional sources of income. What can you do it you're on a package now: - If you have a large amount of unspent funds, speak to your care manager about putting in aids or equipment to make you more independent (such as rails, mobility scooter, ramps etc.) - Ask your care manager to list up all your recurring services, and your common trips to give you an outline of what a typical 3-monthly care will look like. - If you are currently struggling to fit in your services under HCP, think about if your needs have changed and consider requesting a reassessment to a higher level before Support at Home comes in. - If you believe you cannot pay out-of-pocket fees, talk to your care manager about applying for hardship provisions. While hopefully most of you will not see any difference to your care plan, being aware and taking steps to prepare will help you ensure you continue to get the care you need. Like and Follow our Facebook page to get regular updates; and visit our website https://buff.ly/3NCqDcL for resources to navigate My Aged Care stress free.

You may or may not have heard in the media recently about the recent release of the aged care task force report. It is great to see this area taking such an important part of the government’s attention. The government is certainly shaking up the sector and making it more sustainable for providers, who have suffered a lot in the last few years with a majority not making profits. At a high level, the proposed recommendations are shifting to a rental style model of accommodation payment, rather than residents paying a lump sum, however this is anticipated to happen in 2035. I have added an article below from our website below outlining the report.   As these are just recommendations and are not yet legislation, there is still uncertainty around how the fees will be means tested. The cap on means tested care fees will be most likely be removed, meaning the wealthier in our community will be more than likely paying more for their care.   We anticipate some of the small changes to be in place by 1st July 2024, which will hopefully start fixing some of the problems. I am pleased to see the government will continue to fund the care of our elderly by either a co-contribution or by fully funding those in the community who cannot afford care.    I will be watching this space very closely. Getting aged care advice before you make any big decisions can make a significant financial difference both in the short and long term. It is so important to completely understand all your options so you and your family can make an informed choice. If you or anyone you know is getting to the point of requiring aged care, I would love to have a chat and explain how I can help- please reach out!    Our summary of the proposed changes can be found here: https://lnkd.in/g49_sgYr  

📢 Big changes in aged care are coming, aiming to improve quality and transparency. While costs may be adjusted, the new system offers clearer contributions and better-tailored services, especially in home care. Residential care reforms will also focus on improving standards and ensuring providers are accountable. Most updates start in July 2025, so understanding these changes early can help you or your loved ones plan ahead. Find out more here: My Aged Care 🏠💡