In this article we’ll take a look at how people come to receive aged care services, the circumstances affecting their transition into this new phase of life, and their respective support system or ‘care circle’. We’ll also look into the different priorities of each person and how this impacts the information they need to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions to improve quality of life.
Recipients of Care
Registered Supporters or Advocates
If an older person wants or needs help with making decisions about their care, they can appoint a registered supporter or advocate. Often this person is their child, sibling, spouse or friend. The most important thing is that the older person trusts them as they are tasked with advocating for their loved ones’ quality of care and helping communicate information about services and support. They may even have guardianship or enduring power of attorney for the older person.
Complications for the supporter can result from geographic distance, their own family and work commitments, their personal support network plus their knowledge of and trust in their loved ones care providers. They may or may not have willingly undertaken this role and will be focused on safety, happiness and wellbeing.
Support Workers
Care Managers
In contact with all 3 of the previously mentioned people, care managers lead their support teams, oversee the older person’s care journey, and guide primary representatives through the process. They’re concerned not only with effective person-centred care but operational efficiency, financial sustainability and business success through compliance with the Aged Care Act 2024.
They’ll be looking at making sure their support workers have efficient travel routes, easy to use tools for care notes, logical rosters and good pairings with clients based on the support workers skills, qualifications and preferences.
For the older person, the care manager is concerned with their wellbeing and happiness, their recovery requirements from any period of ill health.
And finally for the primary representative, the care manager is responsible for making sure this person has all the information they need to help the older person make decisions, foresee any possible issues with care and for reassurance that their loved one is in the best hands.
Giving everyone what they need
Satisfaction with aged care services can be greatly improved with solid communication, transparency about pricing, inclusions and care options, tracking tools and regular updates.
This industry is forecast to continue growing over the coming decades and providers are adapting to changes in consumer expectations, government regulations and technological advancements.
The CSIRO and the DHCRC (Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre) released research last year that evaluates the progress made and gaps identified since the Aged Care Royal Commission in 2021. If you like digging into data it’s called ‘The Australian aged care data landscape: Gaps, opportunities and future directions’.
Interoperability is one of the key priorities, making sure systems can exchange vital patient information easily to improve service delivery3. Choosing the right technology for your aged care service is now even more important.
With great tech, aged care providers can give older people the high quality care they deserve, make support work easier and more fulfilling for their staff, and improve their bottom line.
Do you want to ensure your systems and processes can meet the demands of the Aged Care industry? Book a time with our Aged Care team here to have a chat!