Regional WA's aged care homes capping intake amid ongoing staffing crisis affecting country
2 years, 3 months ago

Regional WA's aged care homes capping intake amid ongoing staffing crisis affecting country

ABC  

Elderly residents of a small WA town may be left travelling hundreds of kilometres for adequate care, in what unions say is a growing problem across regional Australia. Key points: Regional aged care homes are having to reduce their intake of patients amid ongoing staff shortages Kojonup's aged care facility will not take any more new patients Kojonup Shire president Edmond Radford says the facility can't run safely without adequate staff The Shire of Kojonup, 250km south-east of Perth, says its aged care facility, the only major one in the town, will not be able to take on any more patients because of limited staff. Limited options for elderly The crisis is not limited to Kojonup, with both the Shire and the union representing aged care workers pointing to similar situations in other towns. United Workers Union's aged care director Carolyn Smith said older Australians in regional towns were being left with limited options when it came to support. While staffing shortages in the aged care sector are being felt across the country, attracting and retaining a skilled aged care workforce in regional and rural areas is challenging, Ms Smith says.

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History of this topic

Desperately needed aged care workers being kicked out of Australia due to their age
1 year, 4 months ago

Desperately needed aged care workers being kicked out of Australia due to their age

ABC  

Permanent residency for aged care workers recruited from overseas is being fast-tracked by the government in a bid to address a jobs crisis in the sector, but at the same time, "high-quality" temporary workers deemed too old are being kicked out of the country. Industry leader Busi Faulkner from Home Care Nurses Australia says the absurdity is plain to see …

Nationwide worker shortages lead to closure of regional Queensland aged care centres
1 year, 5 months ago

Nationwide worker shortages lead to closure of regional Queensland aged care centres

ABC  

An aged care facility in central Queensland that has been flying staff from Melbourne in a last-ditch bid to stay open will close its doors at the end of the year. Key points: An aged care facility in Mt Morgan is closing as it cannot find enough staff It comes as another centre in Tiaro is closing, due to new …

Government's deadline to staff aged care facilities with registered nurses 24/7 will not be met, minister concedes
1 year, 9 months ago

Government's deadline to staff aged care facilities with registered nurses 24/7 will not be met, minister concedes

ABC  

The government will fail to meet its commitment to staff aged care homes with registered nurses at all times by mid-year, the responsible minister has conceded. Key points: The aged care minister admits about one in 20 facilities will not have nurses 24/7 by July The federal government promised to have around the clock nursing in aged care within a …

Aged care design need a rethink and these experts say working with older Australians will help
1 year, 9 months ago

Aged care design need a rethink and these experts say working with older Australians will help

ABC  

Aged care in Australia is at a crisis point. Some say the problems in Australia's aged care crisis could be addressed by considering the experience of older Australians. "This is not a good service model," Mike Rungie, the director of the Global Centre for Modern Ageing and a former aged care CEO, tells ABC RN's Big Ideas. This would prioritise …

Refurbished Rockhampton aged care facility has 22 empty beds due to staff shortage
2 years, 4 months ago

Refurbished Rockhampton aged care facility has 22 empty beds due to staff shortage

ABC  

Though it has up to 80 people on its waitlist, a newly refurbished aged care facility in central Queensland has more than 20 empty beds due to staff shortages. "Through financial prudent management, we were able to deliver this beautiful new residential aged care building, only to find that we can't fill the buildings because we don't have the staff," …

Aged care sector welcomes Pacific workers but needs 35,000 more each year to address shortages
2 years, 4 months ago

Aged care sector welcomes Pacific workers but needs 35,000 more each year to address shortages

ABC  

Australia is pinning its hopes on Pacific workers to help fill shortages across the economy — particularly in aged care — but industry says a history of poor conditions and sheer numbers mean that's unlikely to make a significant dent in demand. Key points: First Fijian workers arrive in Australia to relieve aged care shortages Australia needs an additional 35,000 …

How aged care residents and staff are coping in the face of another COVID-19 wave
2 years, 5 months ago

How aged care residents and staff are coping in the face of another COVID-19 wave

ABC  

For Michael North, life in aged care comes with a sense of isolation from the rest of the community. 'It can be heartbreaking' Alicia Shepherd is the service manager at Uniting The Marion Leichhardt in Sydney, an aged care home that has just come out of lockdown, something she says happens "once every couple of weeks". "It's not normal in …

Aged care homes don't need 'evidence' on food spending to receive government funding, with a third still spending less than $10 a day
2 years, 7 months ago

Aged care homes don't need 'evidence' on food spending to receive government funding, with a third still spending less than $10 a day

ABC  

Aged care operators will receive an extra $3 billion in government funding to improve food, but have been told they do not need to provide "spreadsheets or evidence" of how much they are spending in order to get the cash. Key points: The federal government announced a $10 increase in the basic daily fee it pays to nursing homes for …

SA aged care workers use day off to rally for better work conditions after strike action delayed until after federal election
2 years, 7 months ago

SA aged care workers use day off to rally for better work conditions after strike action delayed until after federal election

ABC  

Hundreds of aged care workers in Queensland and Western Australia have walked off the job in a stand for better pay and work conditions, but South Australian aged care staff remained diligently at work. Key points: Aged care workers have protested in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth They want a pay rise and more staff for each patient The Fair Work …

Nurses, families call for better aged care standards and wage rises ahead of election
2 years, 8 months ago

Nurses, families call for better aged care standards and wage rises ahead of election

ABC  

Families of aged care residents in regional Victorian nursing homes say the major political parties need to make hard promises to lift standards in aged care and increase accountability for those doing the wrong thing. Key points: Families have called on major parties to commit to fixing aged care to their standards The Liberals and Nationals say their plan is …

Staff shortages impacting older Australians on home care packages
2 years, 9 months ago

Staff shortages impacting older Australians on home care packages

ABC  

Angela Dolcetta has lived in the same home in Melbourne's north for more than 50 years, and she's determined to stay in her own home for as long as possible. Key points: Waitlists have decreased significantly, but there are still more than 62,000 people waiting for a home care package at their approved level Staff shortages have also impacted people's …

COVID, staff shortages, sector in crisis force more aged care homes to close
2 years, 10 months ago

COVID, staff shortages, sector in crisis force more aged care homes to close

ABC  

Having access to an aged care home might be a given in metropolitan Australia, but it is not in many rural and regional communities. Key points: Aged care closures threaten the future of small rural areas in NSW The Bombala community is fighting back against the closure of its only aged care home The sector has been under increasing pressure …

Australian Defence Force to be sent into aged care facilities to ease staffing pressures
2 years, 11 months ago

Australian Defence Force to be sent into aged care facilities to ease staffing pressures

ABC  

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the government will send the Australian Defence Force into aged care homes to ease severe staff shortages in the sector. Key points: Up to 1,700 Defence staff will be sent to help aged care workers The ADF will provide clinical and logistical care, as well as carrying out general duties The government maintains the ADF …

Fears of aged care industry exodus as unions slam cash payments for workers
2 years, 11 months ago

Fears of aged care industry exodus as unions slam cash payments for workers

ABC  

The federal government is being warned that one-off cash payments to aged care workers will not stem a flood of staff leaving the industry. Key points: Aged care workers across the country are set to receive two $400 payments Unions have called the payments "insulting" The Prime Minister will announce the payments in a speech at the National Press Club …

Three aged care workers on what it's really like in the industry
3 years, 8 months ago

Three aged care workers on what it's really like in the industry

ABC  

Registered nurse Jocelyn Hofman starts crying when she describes what it is like to work in aged care. "It upsets me because I have dedicated my life to aged care, but my work is being devalued," she says. We don’t have proper breaks, because we are worried.” Aged care nurse Jocely Hofman says nothing has changed in the sector since …

Governments face criticism over aged care residents filling up Melbourne hospitals
4 years, 4 months ago

Governments face criticism over aged care residents filling up Melbourne hospitals

ABC  

The peak training organisation for specialist emergency personnel in Australia has called for a coordinated plan to move non-critical elderly patients out of hospitals, which are reaching capacity. Key points: Australasian College for Emergency Medicine president John Bonning wants non-critical aged care patients out of hospitals as much as possible Australasian College for Emergency Medicine president John Bonning wants non-critical …

Why are there are more COVID-19 cases in private aged care than the public sector?
4 years, 5 months ago

Why are there are more COVID-19 cases in private aged care than the public sector?

ABC  

The tragedy unfolding in Victoria's aged care homes, as coronavirus claims the lives of more older Australians, has prompted questions about the embattled sector. Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck described that as "a really unfortunate comment" and said the public versus private comparison was "a furphy". Victoria COVID-19 snapshot Melbourne's 14-day average: 9.9 Melbourne's 14-day average: 9.9 Regional Victoria's 14-day …

Queensland country town pushes for regional aged care homes so the elderly aren't forced to move to cities
4 years, 5 months ago

Queensland country town pushes for regional aged care homes so the elderly aren't forced to move to cities

ABC  

For older rural Australians, moving to aged care often means leaving their community for a regional centre a long way from home. Key points: Older rural Australians are often forced to leave their communities for care facilities in cities A Queensland town wants to establish a community-run care home for its older population In a town a few hours away, …

Students and overseas workers could fill need for more aged care workers as coronavirus spreads
4 years, 10 months ago

Students and overseas workers could fill need for more aged care workers as coronavirus spreads

ABC  

Visa holders and students could be used to help boost Australia's aged care workforce under a proposal to help the sector deal with coronavirus. Key points: The aged care sector is concerned about a possible shortage of workers as Suggestions include extending the amount of hours of work overseas workers can work in the sector An elderly woman died during …

Aged care in regions a 'death sentence', as royal commission told of neglect and isolation
5 years, 6 months ago

Aged care in regions a 'death sentence', as royal commission told of neglect and isolation

ABC  

Families not being told when elderly relatives have died, old people found surrounded by food scraps and with maggots — this is the picture painted by witnesses at the first regional hearings of the aged care royal commission. "Older Aboriginal people, what they're saying about the residential care is it's pretty much a death sentence to them," Aboriginal research officer …

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