A small team of pharmacists at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne will be responsible for mixing the lethal cocktail of medications that will be used in the first cases of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria. VAD will be legal in Victoria from 19 June, meaning that pharmacists will be able to make the medications, and deliver them in locked boxes, along with instructions, to patients who have been assessed and approved for the procedure. Details of the exact medications used...

  Julie Collins MP will continue in Labor’s Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors, while Ged Kearney has been appointed Shadow Assistant Minister for Aged Care. Ms Collins has also been appointed Shadow Minister for Women. “I thank Anthony Albanese for the opportunity,” said Ms Collins in a statement. “The next period of Government is a crucial time for the future of older Australians,” Ms Collins said. “With the Royal Commission into Aged Care...

  Sue* is a regular commenter on HelloCare articles. Today she shared her story of the sixteen difficult years she spent caring for her husband, John*, at home. Twenty years ago, John had an accident at work which resulted in his spine being fused. Soon afterwards, he was forced to have a quadruple heart bypass, and from that point on, John was bedridden. Sue was forced to give up a job she loved to stay home and care for John...

  Mediation can help to protect older people living in culturally and linguistically diverse communities from becoming victims of financial abuse, according to an expert in the field. Associate Professor Dale Bagshaw will speak about preventing elder abuse in CALD communities at this week’s inaugural Ageing in a Foreign Land conference, being held at Adelaide’s Migration Museum. The AIFL conference brings together expertise in multicultural communities with government, researchers, academics, policy makers and services, and aims to respond to the...

The United Nations (UN) has designated today (15 June) as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The types of abuse to be aware of include financial, physical, sexual, social, psychological and emotional abuse. Financial abuse appears to be the most common. While some older people are enjoying their wealth – travelling the world, their luggage broadcasting that they are spending their children’s inheritance  – others live in aged care homes, with their children keeping their eyes peeled on the ‘Bank of Mum and...

Finance ministers from around the world have heard that governments must prepare for ageing populations, before it's too late. The meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was held in Fukuoka, Japan, last week, as part of the G20. The G20 is being held this year in Japan, where a rapidly ageing population has become a major problem. Japan’s finance minister, Taro Aso, the host of the meeting, told journalists that governments must develop policies to help cope with...

I have been confronted and have challenged staff about several encounters that have directly involved and affected my husband and, consequently, me also. These incidents have included patients’ need for comfort during episodes of delirium, intrusive and aggressive behaviours and patients’ need for companionship. I have sought advice through My Age Care and have researched Dementia Australia advice to understand suitable interventions to disrupt unwanted behaviours, and have learned that proactive procedures and staff interventions are necessary to avoid unnecessary...

Aged care resident Marie Morris says she would be very lonely if she didn’t have the hens to look after at her nursing home. Ms Morris is a resident at Whiddon Kelso, where four Chinese Silky hens live and are cared for by residents, and are incorporated into creative and community activities. The hen-keeping program - HenPower - was featured on SBS’s ‘Insight’ program last night, where Ms Morris explained the importance of the hens to her. “I grew up...

This article was submitted to HelloCare by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. She wrote these words in response to our article about staff ratios. During observations of my husband’s and fellow patients’ care in a secure dementia facility, I have witnessed many complex issues and problems with staffing ratios, staff education and skills. I see that most nursing staff do not have enough daily contact with dementia patients to get to know these patients as individuals that enable them to develop a...

Personal Care Assistant, Gary Cripps, 63, will serve one month in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault against 62-year-old Jeanette Post in the Geelong Magistrates Court last week. The assaults occurred at the Sea Views Manor aged care home in Ocean Grove where Ms. Post lived as a resident in the special needs unit, under the care of her eventual attacker. Ms. Post was living with Alzheimer’s at the time of the assault and died only...

The financial performance of the Australian aged care sector is deteriorating, according to the latest report from consultants in the sector, StewartBrown. “The financial performance of the aged care sector continues to experience significant challenges due to the systemic decline in profitability in both the residential care and home care segments,” the report states. For the three months to 31 March 2019, more than 45 per cent of aged care facilities operated at a loss before tax, an increase...

Pet Therapy is not exactly a new idea in the aged care space, but over the last few years there has been a definite increase in the number of aged care facilities that have begun to incorporate the love and companionship of animals as a way to stimulate residents and combat issues of loneliness and social isolation. Animals can provide a sense of both joy and companionship to older people who are lonely, and it has been proven that interacting...