I am delighted with the election result, both nationally and in my own electorate where I received a considerable increase in local support. I would be honoured to continue in my role as Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care but that is entirely in the hands of the Prime Minister as he works to ensure the best skills mix and capacity for his Ministerial team that will provide strong leadership for our nation and all Australians. Providing aged care...

By Laura Davy, UNSW This week at the aged care royal commission hearings, the CEOs of three aged care providers called for a change in the way residential aged care is funded to improve the quality of care. This followed a plea from Aged Care Services Australia for the government and opposition to address what it called a “crisis in residential aged care funding”. But while most residential aged care funding comes from government, residents also have to contribute. So...

Grieving for a loved one can be almost unbearably painful. At times, it may even feel as though we will never recover. And yet, death and loss are a part of life, and so the profound feelings that accompany them are, in many ways, inevitable. But just as loss is an inevitability, so too it our ability to overcome it. We all find ways to cope with our loss, and as time passes, the pain dulls, and we realise we are getting...

Grieving for a loved one can be almost unbearably painful. At times, it may even feel as though we will never recover. And yet, death and loss are a part of life, and so the profound feelings that accompany them are, in many ways, inevitable. But just as loss is an inevitability, so too it our ability to overcome it. We all find ways to cope with our loss, and as time passes, the pain dulls, and we realise we are getting...

When people say ‘it’s just like riding a bike’, they’re usually referring to an activity that once learned, will always be remembered. Scarlet House Care Home, in Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom, with the assistance of Wheels for All, has made that expression a practical reality - providing bikes for aged care residents to ride, even though some haven’t ridden for nearly a century! “I loved it,” said resident Marion as she cruised the nursing home corridors, in a...

Right now, in our cinemas there are two films – one American and one British – starring seasoned older actors in roles that mirror their stages in life. And the two have been very differently reviewed by the critics. Interestingly, however, each movie incorporates the same two important messages for those of us who have come to accept that we are on the way out, in one way or another, as we slide down the slippery slope of old age...

  Consent to administer psychotropic medication in nursing homes is not legally required, often leaving families in the dark about the powerful drugs their loved one has been given. An issue that has come up several times during the royal commission is the giving of psychotropic medications to a resident in aged care without the consent of either the individual or their family or guardian. Often the first time family knew their loved one was being administered the powerful drugs was...

Caring for someone living with dementia isn’t always easy - it can be frustrating, overwhelming and even, at times, frightening. Though every case of dementia is different, the changes that take place in a person’s brain when they have dementia can have a range of effects, including apathy, depression, sadness, anger, agitation, confusion, or even aggression. Dementia also changes a person’s senses, their hearing, sight, taste, smell and sense of touch. Some of the challenges you may be experiencing caring...

  One of the nation’s leading dementia experts and a widely respected dementia advocate addressed the royal commission on Friday, explaining the challenges they see in the aged care sector and dementia care, and the solutions they propose. Professor Henry Brodaty, Scientia Professor at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales, said residents in aged care are “very lonely”. “No one sits down and talks to the person” One researcher found that the median...

Staff ratios are one of those issues that divide the aged care industry. There are those who say mandated staff ratios are essential to delivering the standard of care we expect for our senior citizens, and then there are others who say mandated staff ratios will do little to improve quality of care, and may even mean some operators, especially those offering precious services in remote and regional areas, will have to close. In an ideal world, aged care facilities...

The aged care industry in Australia was definitely not built on the back of clear definitions. Words like ‘appropriate’ and ‘care’ are extremely broad by themselves, and the term 'appropriate care’ is almost indefinable without a series of examples and vague assumptions. While there is absolutely no doubt that the vast majority of aged care workers do their best to provide for their residents, there is also no denying that a significant portion of staff feels overworked and unable to...

Changing demographics and social norms in Australia have given rise to a new phenomenon: the 'sandwich generation' - those caught between caring for their own children as well as their ageing parents. Parents are choosing to start their families later. The fertility rate for women aged 35-39 has more than doubled over the last 30 years, while the rate for women aged 40-44 has tripled. At the same time, rising property prices and higher costs of living are enticing adult...