10 questions to ask about aged care

On the back of growing community concern regarding the complexities of aged care, the NSWNMA, along with experts in the field, has developed a new resource tool. 10 Questions is a series of leaflets written by nurses, doctors and experts with experience in aged care. Each leaflet focuses on an individual aspect of care – for example staffing, cultural needs, etc – to increase consumer knowledge and make the journey into residential aged care easier. The leaflets are useful when: • Searching for a high quality residential aged care facility • Reviewing the quality of your current residential aged care facility • Deciding between two residential aged care facilities that appear similar. Navigating the process of transitioning a loved one into a residential aged care facility anywhere in New South Wales is no simple task and is often compounded by raw emotion. Unfortunately not all the changes occurring at a state and federal level have been in the interests of delivering a high standard of quality care. Last year, despite contradicting evidence from an inquiry into registered nurses in NSW nursing homes, the NSW Government stated their intention to remove longstanding protective legislation that requires a registered nurse on site at all times. Research shows that those entering residential aged care facilities are older, frailer and have more complex care needs, while staffing and skills mix throughout the sector is reducing. As the aged care sector moves further down the path of a consumer-led care model, the 10 Questions series will assist consumers to ask the right questions when looking for suitable care. The organisations collaborating on the project believe it will improve standards of care and clinical outcomes throughout residential aged care, which can help prevent unnecessary presentations to emergency departments that are already stretched to capacity. For more information and downloads, go to 10 Questions.

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