A couple of weeks ago, the team at HelloCare noticed this statement from the Department of Health. “The Department of Health considers the provision of first-aid training to direct care staff a legitimate business expense for aged care providers.” The statement stood out for us because we knew many of our readers, who are mainly aged care workers, pay for their own first-aid training. If first-aid training is a “legitimate business expense”, then surely aged care providers should be...

  Euthanasia has taken centre stage in the upcoming Queensland election, after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said if re-elected, the ALP would introduce voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws early next year. “I believe individuals and families should be empowered to consider all the options available in consultation with their medical professionals,” she said. Ms Palaszczuk said if re-elected, her party would introduce the long-awaited voluntary assisted dying laws in February. The laws were put on hold earlier this year.  Ms Palaszczuk said...

  Constipation is the most common ailment among aged care residents, and it could be in part because providers are spending less on fresh food, researchers say. Researchers Dr Kimberly Lind and Dr Magda Raban, from Macquarie's Australian Institute of Health Innovation, said the finding that constipation had the highest prevalence of all conditions studied was “unexpected”. “Although constipation can be an acute condition, it can also occur chronically, and we found that it was indeed a recurring problem for...

Many find themselves in a situation where a family member or loved one has needed some extra love and care. Whether they fall severely ill, are living with a disability or have developed an age-related condition, stepping up to care for someone you love is often the only decision to make.  Carers Victoria, the peak body representing unpaid carers across the state, wants people to realise that if you find yourself looking after someone in that situation you are...

Aged care homes around the country have been working to come up with new and innovative ways to entertain and engage their residents as their usual routines have been so disrupted due to the virus this year. With many care homes having to keep residents restricted to their homes, and in some cases their rooms, it’s been a challenging year for all.  But one home in Canberra has found a way to bring one of the cities biggest yearly...

My mother was a beautiful woman, marred only – as she aged – by an increasingly curving back. Into their 90s, her older sister constantly berated her, telling her to stand up straight. But she didn’t. And, seeing how it looked, I resolved that wouldn’t happen to me. But it has. And lately it’s been my daughters suggesting that I should straighten my back. Which I’ve tried to do, especially as the mirror doesn’t lie, and I could see for...

According to the Japanese health ministry, as of 2012, around 4.62 million Japanese people were living with dementia. By 2025, that number is expected to rise to more than 7 million. But working out of Tokyo, data analysis company, Fronteo, is aiming to begin clinical trials of a new artificial intelligence program that could drastically cut down dementia diagnosis time.  As soon as early next year, the diagnostic tool will be used to analyse five - ten minutes...

Clear communication can be challenging when interacting with a person living with dementia. Whether the person is non-verbal, or has some trouble maintaining conversational flow, finding ways to engage, interact and entertain someone living with dementia can help social interaction be more enjoyable and effective. Here are some simple ideas for fostering effective communication and engagement to make the most of the time you spend together:  1. Reminisce about the past  People living with dementia will often have memories from...

Family caregivers, particularly those caring for people living with dementia, are suffering from sleep deprivation and a range of related health problems.  New research from Edith Cowan University, published this month, has shed light on the extent of the problem, finding that 94% of participants in the study experienced sleep disturbances.  It’s a problem that can go on for years. An Australian-first study to solve the sleep problem The new Edith Cowan University (ECU) study was led by...

A couple of weeks ago, the team at HelloCare noticed this statement from the Department of Health. “The Department of Health considers the provision of first-aid training to direct care staff a legitimate business expense for aged care providers.” The statement stood out for us because we knew many of our readers, who are mainly aged care workers, pay for their own first-aid training. If first-aid training is a “legitimate business expense”, then surely aged care providers should be...

  Boosting funding to the care sector would deliver huge economic and social benefits and would help to alleviate some of the disadvantages many women face, new research has found. The recent federal budget was criticised for mainly benefiting men. It targeted apprenticeships and traineeships, of which two-thirds are taken by men, construction, and tax breaks, which will mainly affect the mining and manufacturing sectors. The female-dominated care sector – aged, disability and child care, with some of the lowest...

On Tuesday 6 October, I cried at work. I was on a zoom call with a bunch of other CEOs from the sight loss sector in the UK. I cried because things felt hopeless and I didn’t have my shit together and someone asked if I was okay. Do you know what happened? It resulted in us all talking about how none of us were okay. We talked about how we have spent the last six months fighting to keep...