Clashes between Newmarch House management and various government departments about who had the authority to make decisions and resolve disputes inhibited the aged care facility’s ability to cope with the outbreak, the Royal Commission has heard. “Over the course of the outbreak, there has been a frustrating level of dysfunction in the collaboration between Newmarch House/Anglicare management and the numerous government departments, agencies and hospital employees at both Federal and state level,” said Grant Millard, the CEO of...

Oscar Wilde is credited with the saying “people know the price of everything but the value of nothing. These days almost everything is measured/valued based on its economic cost or benefit. Some would say said that applying such considerations to a contribution to another person’s well-being because of love, compassion, familial responsibility is unworthy and irrelevant. However, it is important. Important because as a country which still hopefully values the belief in a fair go for everyone and a recognition...

During the COVID-19 pandemic we’re constantly being reminded to practise good hygiene by frequently washing our hands and regularly cleaning the spaces where we live and work. These practices aim to remove or kill the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and thereby minimise our risk of infection. But there have been some suggestions using hand sanitiser and practising other hygiene measures too often could weaken our immune system, by reducing our body’s exposure to germs and with it the chance to “train” our immune...

I think we can all agree that it’s important to find things to help lift our spirits and today we have just the thing for you. For the last two years, the residents at Spiritwood Assisted Living in Washington State, USA have been recreating iconic movie moments and compiling them in a calendar to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association.  Someone there clearly has a very well stocked wig collection, and we can’t stop smiling at these ingenious recreations...

Attending university as a mature aged student may seem like a pipedream for some. For others it’s just another part of their everyday lives. For Giuseppe Paternò, it was a dream come true.  Growing up in Sicily in the 1930s, Paternò had always dreamed of attending university, but a world war, poverty and the need to support a family put that dream on hold. But now, almost 100 years later, Giuseppe Paternò has finally achieved that dream, and in...

We at HelloCare were saddened by Val French's recent passing. Here we share Anne Ring's celebration of her life, a story that first appeared in Life Times, the newsletter of OPSO (Older People Speak Out).   On March 12 of this year, just before the world as we knew it was swept away by COVID-19, the redoubtable Val French AM, who had worked tirelessly on behalf of older people, and on many other social issues throughout her life, died peacefully, surrounded...

Australians must change the “ecosystem” of care to incorporate dementia to a greater degree, even if it means we have to do it ourselves, an aged care workforce expert has urged. Professor John Pollaers OAM, former chair of the Australian Workforce Taskforce, said Australians who want to see improvements to the way we care for the older members of our community, including those who are living with dementia, must take some responsibility themselves for the way care is delivered. He...

Maintaining a routine is extremely important for anyone living with dementia. The coronavirus pandemic has inevitably disrupted those routines, regardless of whether the person living with dementia is in a residential facility or at home. Typically, those living with dementia have trouble with processing new rules, information and creating new memories. This proves challenging in normal circumstances, let alone in times like these. We've detailed some of things aged care workers, family and friends can do to help alleviate potential struggles...

Many people are under the misconception that dementia is simply one specific condition - however, this is not true. Dementia is a broad term used to describe the symptoms of a large group of illnesses that affect the brain and cause a progressive decline in a person’s functioning. Symptoms can include memory problems, issues with thinking and communication. There are many kinds of dementia, the most commonly known being Alzheimer’s disease. One of the lesser knows kinds of Dementia with...

An opinion piece by Gareth Mahon, co-founder and CEO of The CareSide In spite of what many people believe, Millennials have not had an easy road. This tech-savvy generation, born between 1981 and 1996, was witness to the global spread of the internet, the invention of social media, and the adoption of smartphones. Millennials have had to learn to adapt to a rapidly changing world more than any generation before them. They have seen and done a lot in their...

  A HelloCare reader recently asked if two people are required to use a hoist when moving an aged care resident, or if it’s okay to use a hoist on your own. Though many of our readers insisted that two people are always required by their employer, there were others who said they have been successfully hoisting their clients or aged care residents alone without problem for years. The online conversation has prompted HelloCare to take a look into this...

Use of face shields and goggles in residential aged care facilities In residential aged care facilities, face shields or other protective eyewear (such as goggles) should be worn for the routine care of suspected, probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19. Guidance on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in areas with significant community transmission is available on the Department's website. The risk of COVID-19 from transmission via the eye is unknown. However, as the predominant mode of transmission is via...