Night shift is a common part of many aged care worker’s lives. Some enjoy it and come to prefer to work at night, while others never get used to the disruption night shift causes to the physical, emotional and social fabric of their lives.  There’s a huge amount of interest - both anecdotally as well as in the field of academia - in the topic of managing to get enough sleep while working at night. Here at HelloCare, we became...

    Older people are at greater risk of falling, and when that happens our ageing bodies are more likely to suffer more severe consequences. There is a lot being written about this from various perspectives. These include reasons for increased falls, ranging from domestic hazards to various physical conditions, and ways of preventing falls, ranging from fall-proofing homes to a variety of balance-improving exercises. But in scanning the sorts of advices available I haven’t found the approach that is...

Assistants in nursing are being asked to massage elderly aged care residents, even those who are injured, according to a HelloCare reader. The reader has told us that AINs are expected to massage residents for five minutes in the course of daily personal care, and for a total of 20 minutes each week.  “This was unheard of when I first started (working in aged care),” our reader said. “Only a trained physio was allowed to massage the resident’s...

This Thursday, 11th of July is Cheer up the Lonely Day, which serves as an important reminder that feelings of loneliness are unfortunately a common occurrence for many, particularly senior Australians. So how can we ensure our ageing population feels included and cared for? Unfortunately, loneliness affects a disproportionate number of senior Australians and the issue has become much more than an unfortunate situation – it is a serious health concern, and one which should be a public health priority...

New data reveals almost half of survey respondents aged 65+ years do not feel heard or understood. New research released today by the nation’s peak body for spiritual care and ageing, Meaningful Ageing Australia, shows almost half of Australian survey respondents (41.8 percent) aged over 65 years do not feel their identity is truly heard or understood by their loved ones. The new national online study, comprising 1000 Australians aged over 65 years, indicated 55.6 percent of respondents...

    Older people are at greater risk of falling, and when that happens our ageing bodies are more likely to suffer more severe consequences. There is a lot being written about this from various perspectives. These include reasons for increased falls, ranging from domestic hazards to various physical conditions, and ways of preventing falls, ranging from fall-proofing homes to a variety of balance-improving exercises. But in scanning the sorts of advices available I haven’t found the approach that is...

When a young person is diagnosed with dementia, there are limited options available for them when it comes to the time they can no longer remain living at thome. Many end up living in residential aged care facilities for no other reason than it was the only option available to them. However,  Natasha Chackwick, chief executive officer and founder of NewDirection Care, believes ‘traditional’ aged care facilities are usually not suitable for people with young onset dementia, and smaller...

Online retailer Amazon has come under pressure for selling physical restraints on its website that are intended to be used to restrain people who are living with dementia. Amazon sells several types of physical restraints online, including hand control mittens, belt restraints, upper body jackets, and, perhaps most shockingly, a full body “binding sling”. The online descriptions of the products say they can be used on patients experiencing drug withdrawal, psychiatric patients, and for those living with dementia. Physical restraint...

  People living even with advanced dementia can have periods of remarkable clarity, often to the astonishment of carers and loved ones.  But researchers have found that rather than being an encouraging sign, a return of clarity - a phenomenon that has been reported for thousands of years - can be a sign that death is close. I recall the last time I visited my great grandmother. She was 99, and living in a nursing home in country New...

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety touched down in Cairns on Monday providing those in Far North Queensland with the chance to share their stories and offer possible solutions to a number of the issues currently being faced in the Australian aged care sector.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of Aged Care Royal Commission hearings have been littered with harrowing personal stories of elderly neglect, and yesterday proved to be no different as Johanna Aalberts-Henderson, a nurse...

While there is certainly no shortage of weird and wonderful pets these days, there is a reason that dogs have earned the nickname ‘man’s best friend.’ Dogs can provide a sense of both joy and companionship to older people who are lonely, and it has been proven that interacting with animals, in general, can also have a profound impact on the lives of elderly people who are living with dementia. Over the last few years there has been a...

A Victorian man has been fined $60,000 after being convicted of charges relating to falsely claiming to be a registered nurse. The charges involved four counts of holding himself out as a registered nurse, one of unlawfully using the protected title ‘registered nurse’ and one count of unlawfully claiming to be authorised or qualified to practise in the nursing profession. The charged against the man were laid by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) in the Ringwood Magistrates'...