In nursing home kitchens all around Australia, chefs are mastering the art of using food moulds in determined efforts to improve the dining experiences of aged care residents. Their creativity is not only enabling older people in residential care to gain greater enjoyment from their food, it is also providing residents' health and wellbeing with a much-needed boost. We spoke to two chefs about the moulds they use, their tips for success (and what to avoid), and along the way we...

 Just over two months ago, I wrote in Part One about my decision to get professional help to reverse the curve in my back. At that time I had a scheduled appointment, to follow three weeks of doing the recommended exercises, for my second visit to a local posture physiotherapist – whom I’d found through Google (remember back to the days when that would have been through the Yellow Pages?). And I was going to report back in HelloCare...

  The aged care watchdog may be given additional powers that allow it to impose fines on providers that fail to comply with new rules about reporting neglect and abuse in aged care homes. The proposal to increase the powers of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which will be debated when parliament resumes next month, comes as data reveals an estimated 39.2 per cent of aged care residents experience some form of abuse. Between July and September, the regulator...

Each year, individuals of all ages all around the world are diagnosed with feeding or swallowing difficulties (dysphagia). Put simply, dysphagia can be described as difficulty moving food, liquid, saliva or medication from the mouth to the stomach. The consequences of dysphagia include dehydration, malnutrition, aspiration and asphyxiation, and a negative impact on quality of life and social participation in eating and drinking. IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative) suggests that over 590 million people worldwide are currently living with Dysphagia. Dysphagia...

When you think about an aged care facility, the last thing you expect is the sounds of young children in playgrounds running around. But at Chaffey Aged Care in Merbein, Victoria, that’s exactly what you’ll get.  A brand new early learning centre has opened on the grounds of the care facility near Mildura in Victoria’s north-west, breathing new life and bringing a lot of fun to the facility.  “We opened on the fourth of January and I have...

A new press release from Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors, Julie Collins, has revealed the incredible numbers on home care waiting lists. These new figures allege that across the country, almost 100,000 older Australians are still waiting for home care packages. “This is yet more evidence of the Morrison Government’s neglect of our broken aged care system,” Mr Collins says in the press release.  “Older Australians are fed up with waiting for care at home when...

Residents from Ryman Healthcare’s Nellie Melba Retirement Village have been treated to an operatic experience like no other during Australia’s first virtual reality (VR) opera trial. With doors to theatres across Melbourne closed, and a cloud of uncertainty caused by COVID-19 still hanging over much of the industry, eight village residents, including Australian opera icon Nance Grant, and residents living with dementia, attended the exclusive trial. Ryman Healthcare Operations Quality Manager Joanne Wang said the VR opera pilot developed by...

As former England rugby player Steve Thompson revealed his diagnosis of early onset dementia, the world's eyes have turned to the class action being brought against World Rugby.  "It's the rugby that's put me through this," the 42-year-old said in an interview with The Guardian. "I finished up with nothing really at the end of it. "I have no recollection of winning the World Cup in 2003 or of being in Australia for the tournament," he said...

  There is a history of Alzheimer’s disease in the family of Iranian photographer, Jalal Shamsazaran. Both his father and his aunt had it, and his grandfather too. This thread running through the family history led Shamsazaran to begin documenting his father’s journey with Alzheimers’ in a project titled ‘The loss of oral history (The agony of remembering)’. “Perhaps the character and behavior of my father is a part of my character and behavior in future. I can say that...

  Whether it’s 50 Shades of Grey, Mary Poppins or Top Gun, residents should have a say in the movies being shown in their homes, and they should be able to make their own choices, says a highly experienced dementia and wellbeing consultant.  Yet, it has come to HelloCare’s attention that some aged care homes are only showing children’s movies to residents, regardless of the viewers’ interests, histories, cultural backgrounds or preferences. Disney favourites such as Frozen are routinely...

  Australians will begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations in a matter of weeks, however some key recipients of the vaccine – aged care workers – are nervous about the new drug, fearing it hasn’t been tested properly in the rush to stamp out the virus as it rages across the world, killing almost 2 million. HelloCare’s ‘Aged Care Worker Support Group’ Facebook page contains several posts and dozens of comments expressing concerns about inadequate testing, side effects, and whether or not...

Aged care workers have been carrying more than their fair share of the nation's burdens in 2020. Quietly going about their work, it is these dedicated staff who have been doing their utmost every day to keep older Australians living in aged care homes safe, and helping them endure periods of isolation away from family and friends. We should be recognising our aged care workers right now, and yet we are not: they remain underpaid, overworked and, as though that...