Opposition leader Anthony Albanese laid down his vision for an ageing population in a speech on Wednesday, invoking memories of his mother. “Having grown up in council housing, I have a deep appreciation of the difference governments can make to the lives of Australians,” he said. “Having seen what my Mum went through in her later years, I want to be able to make a difference for older Australians.” A single mother, Maryanne Albanese raised her son on...

There have been a number of distressing stories recently about aged care homes either in financial distress or even having closed. Some discussion has been around the impact of the new Aged Care Quality Standards which came into force in July last year, suggesting that meeting these imposes additional financial burdens which impact Aged Care Homes’ viability. Organisations may have needed to address staffing, to ramp up training or to contract outside assistance to bring their systems and processes into...

Anyone who has lived through an ailing parent's final months will tell you it can be a harrowing experience. For Karen, nothing could have prepared her for the last 12 months of her mother’s life. Not even a background in law could help her adequately navigate ‘the system’ of acute care, rehabilitation, a traumatic stay in a mental health ward and, ultimately, aged care. Helping Joan maintain her independence Back in 2010, Karen’s mum Joan was still living well and independently. In her late...

Regular readers of HelloCare Magazine will know that – as a longtime pro-ageing activist keen to destigmatise the word “old” – I have a big problem with phrases like “young at heart” and “70 years young”. And I’ve written critiquing both of these phrases, variously, in previous articles. So you can imagine that I was not happy to see the two of them used in one very recent email. It came from that Australian movie goers’ Mecca, the Palace Cinemas...

Anyone who has lived through an ailing parent's final months will tell you it can be a harrowing experience. For Karen, nothing could have prepared her for the last 12 months of her mother’s life. Not even a background in law could help her adequately navigate ‘the system’ of acute care, rehabilitation, a traumatic stay in a mental health ward and, ultimately, aged care. Helping Joan maintain her independence Back in 2010, Karen’s mum Joan was still living well and independently. In her late...

    One of the world’s most respected aged care leaders was in Sydney this week to discuss how her organisation has navigated an increasingly constrained and complex aged care environment. Jane Ashcroft is the chief executive of England’s largest largest not-for-profit provider of care and housing for older people. A highly respected leader and commentator on ageing and aged care, in 2013, she was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2013 for her services...

Three years ago I walked into a memory support facility in Gerringong NSW. I had recently moved to the area with my partner from Tasmania and had graduated with a degree in dementia from the University of Tasmania the year before. So I was eager to specialise in an area I had become passionate about over the past three years.  From the moment I stepped into the door, I was greeted by smiling faces, from the manager to staff...

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29HiTmi-4mc[/embed] This year, International Nurses Day coincided with Mother's Day. Nicky Hondros, a palliative care nurse shared her and her mum's heartfelt story and provided a little glimpse into what it's like caring for someone living with dementia....

  Danish photographer, Sophie Mathiassen, has been awarded the 2019 Bob and Diane Fund award for her profoundly moving body of work that captures her grandparents’ journey through dementia.  ‘But greatest is love’ is the story of Ms Mathiassen’s grandparents, from the time her grandfather was diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, to how his wife stepped up to be his carer, and how she coped with slowly losing her life partner until, eventually, he passed away.  The...

This is likely a longer piece than usual, but I think important as we all consider the place of leadership mid-way through the term of appointment of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. I have been asked many times over the years as a CEO to define leadership. There are of course quotes such as “It is an art, rather than a science”. Or “You can tell if you are a leader when there is someone following...

Nurses and midwives are calling on Blue Care to stop staff cuts at their 100-plus private aged care facilities state-wide. Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) Assistant Secretary Sandra Eales will visit Blue Care headquarters in the Brisbane CBD to call for an immediate job cut guarantee - and to deliver a near-4000-strong petition calling for an end to Blue Care’s secret cuts. Ms Eales said Blue Care was the state’s largest aged care provider - yet continually attempted to slash nurse and...

    One of the world’s most respected aged care leaders was in Sydney this week to discuss how her organisation has navigated an increasingly constrained and complex aged care environment. Jane Ashcroft is the chief executive of England’s largest largest not-for-profit provider of care and housing for older people. A highly respected leader and commentator on ageing and aged care, in 2013, she was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2013 for her services...