Anglican Care Reflections Winter Edition

Reflections 2019 WINTER EDITION

Virtual Reality 360’ TRAINING SESSIONS Let’s talk TELEHEALTH Aged Care Industry UPDATE

Our CEO’s message to you Welcome to our latest issue of Reflections. Winter was late coming this year but has arrived with a vengeance. I hope you are all enjoying the season and keeping warm.

We have another jam-packed issue for you. With many changes in the aged care industry at the moment, there is some essential reading for you. Particularly worth reading is our Industry Update, with information on the Royal Commission and the introduction of the new Charter of Aged Care Rights and Quality Standards. We’ve also devoted a page to changes in the Home Care sector, including the upcoming changes to pricing. As an organisation, we are very supportive of these changes, which will make it easier for people to understand what good care looks like and what they can expect from an aged care service.

In line with the introduction of the new Standards, I am pleased to announce a new initiative within Anglican Care, which will further enhance the standard of clinical care provided to our residents and consumers. The Board has established a specialised Clinical Governance Committee which will be chaired by eminent local Geriatrician, Dr John Ward. The Committee will review the clinical care provided to Anglican Care’s residents and consumers to ensure that it reflects contemporary, safe and evidenced-based practice. Committee members will consist of senior Anglican Care clinical staff together with Dr Jennifer Briggs, a Toronto based GP who has a large number of patients residing in aged care settings.

As part of our ongoing strategies to be a leader in the provision of food services, we have established a new project across Anglican Care called ‘Meals Matter’. We have already implemented several initiatives in our Residential Aged Care Homes that include: • • •

Residents are enjoying an enhanced dining experience with the ability to order off of a menu each day.

Our Hospitality Services employees are currently undergoing training to enhance their customer and table service skills.

Research into specialised catering equipment.

Feedback from both our residents and hospitality services employees to date has been very positive and enthusiastic. At a recent meeting, our Board members had the opportunity of sampling the food that is served to our residents and were impressed with both the taste and presentation.

In March this year, I was fortunate to participate in a study tour to examine aged care in the UK, conducted by SAGE Tours. It was fascinating to visit a large number of leading aged care services to compare them with Anglican Care and the broader aged care sector. I was surprised to learn just how expensive access to aged care services in the UK is for most consumers, and the conclusion that I have drawn is that the current structure and funding mechanisms in place in Australia are superior to those in the UK. The structure in Australia depends on contribution to the cost of aged care by both Government and the consumer.

While there might be some conjecture regarding the proportion paid by either party it prompts better outcomes for all stakeholders than my observations of the system in the UK. On a final note, we are continuing to implement some great Sustainability strategies across Anglican Care, which you can read all about in our Sustainability Special on the back page.

I am especially pleased that we have achieved “Bronze Partner” status with the NSW Government’s Sustainability Advantage Program. Congratulations to the many Anglican Care employees involved in rolling out the programs that have contributed to this fantastic acknowledgment.

WHO ARE WE? Anglican Care is dedicated to enhancing the lifestyles of seniors by providing exceptional Residential Aged Care, Retirement Living, and Community and Home Care services to the Newcastle, Central Coast and Mid Coast regions.

Anglican Care is the Aged Care Ministry of the Anglican Church of Newcastle.

Front cover features Janine Andrews and Larissa Robinson at our EDIE VR Training - run by Dementia Australia.

GET IN TOUCH P 1800 733 553 E accareenquiry@anglicancare.com.au www.anglicancare.com.au Anglican Care Corporate Administration 87 Toronto Rd, Booragul NSW 2284

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK /anglicancarelifestyles

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Looking for a career in Aged Care?

We employ a huge range of roles across many fields of employment.

To find out what jobs are available, go to our Careers page on our website.

WANTING TO VOLUNTEER? Colin Osborne, CEO

We have an extensive volunteer program that is vital to supporting seniors in our community. You too could become a valuable volunteer, discover new friendships and sense of community.

To find out more, give our office a call or go to the Volunteer page on our website.

any special requirements, when support can be provided, access to allied health services and clinical expertise. For example, Anglican Care’s clinical and allied health support teams work with you to develop preventative care The Home Care Packages Program continues strategies so that you can stay active and well, whatever your physical circumstances. to be subject to significant reform by the Our highly skilled Nurse Practitioner is there Australian Government as they look at ways of ensuring that the Program evolves to meet to provide an even higher level of health care.

Working collaboratively, our Nurse Practitioner the care needs of older Australians. With can provide on-call symptom assessment people living longer and healthier lives, it is and in consultation with your GP, prescribe essential that as they age, they have choice medications and order tests if required. about where they live and about their care.

For people already receiving a home care As part of this reform, the Government wants to improve the transparency and comparability package, the new pricing schedule will be provided to you and will be included in your of pricing. From 1 July 2019, home care Home Care Agreement over the next few providers will be required to publish their months. Your Care Advisor will discuss pricing information in a new standardised with you if there are different amounts for a home care pricing Schedule on the My Aged particular service (either higher or lower) and Care website. The Schedule will provide detail the reason for the difference within your information on the common services and Home Care Agreement. costs under a home care package, to better

HOME CARE UPDATE

support people to understand and compare home care pricing information. For example, all prices will be published as dollar values, not percentages.

Short-Term Restorative Care

We were delighted to receive approval as part of the 2018-19 Aged Care Approvals Round Providers are no longer able to charge a to deliver Short Term Restorative Care in the separate administration charge for businessMid Coast area from 1 July 2019. Short-term related costs. These costs will need to be restorative care provides a range of care and included within the price for care and services services for up to eight weeks (56 days) to help to ensure you can see the all-inclusive costs prevent or reduce difficulties older people are for delivering the service. Providers will publish having with completing everyday tasks. It aims their prices for package management within to improve wellbeing and independence to help the Schedule. Package management includes them continue living in their own home and activities that are directly related to managing can be accessed twice in any twelve month your Home Care Package. These include period. preparing monthly statements, managing your Our packages can deliver services to people package funds, and compliance and quality living at home in the community and are assurance activities required for home care. delivered by a care team of at least three We stress that it is important to consider a health professionals, one of which must be range of factors when choosing your home a doctor (usually your GP). Anglican Care care provider, not just cost. Other factors will coordinate the services provided by the include quality, location, ability to cater for care team. The types of services provided to

Telehealth Supporting our HomeLife consumers Telehealth is an innovative and highly effective way to manage health care, combining the expertise of health clinicians, allied health staff, and you as the consumer.

From an iPad in the home where you can connect directly through to a health professional via video conferencing, to the monitoring of vital signs such as blood pressure, blood sugar and weight, Telehealth is the way of the future!

We currently have several consumers who are enjoying the benefits of remote monitoring and video conferences, and we are committed to supporting any consumer who is ready to embrace this technology. It is particularly valuable for more frail people or people living alone.

If you are receiving a home care package through Anglican Care and would like to know more, call our Nurse Practitioner, Jacqui Culver on 0418 690 321. Costs can generally be covered through your home care package.

(Image: Jacqui Culver - Nurse Practitioner & Seniors Day attendee)

you through short-term restorative care will be guided by an initial doctor’s assessment.

This will ensure your medical needs are met.

Services will be selected with your input and chosen to meet your needs. They may include, but are not limited to: aids and equipment; nursing; nutrition and meal preparation; allied health; personal care and assistance.

To access short-term restorative care services you need to call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to organise an assessment.

You cannot access if you are already receiving a home care package.

Chris Giles

General Manager, Community Care Services

GO TO OUR WEBSITE TO WATCH OUR VR VIDEO!

VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING - WITH OUTSTANDING RESULTS To gain a greater understanding of dementia, Anglican Care staff recently immersed themselves in the virtual world using VR training developed by Dementia Australia. The Educational Dementia Immersive Experience (EDIE), uses gaming technology to provide staff and carers with the opportunity to build a more significant relationship with individuals living with dementia. Dementia Australia has developed this innovative technology, which is now available to educate and support people living with dementia, families and staff. The training of various employees was rolled out early March through two training session’s on-site at our Booragul offices .Through the 360 degree immersive application, our team were given a greater in-depth understanding of how to best support a person living with dementia, and how these needs can often differ between various people. The experience allowed our team to explore a moment in time as Edie, who has a diagnosis of dementia, in order to identify how best to support him to live well. Dementia can affect an individual’s mood, problem-solving skills, language and their ability to do their daily tasks, and the use of EDIE provides the opportunity to explain its effect on perception.

Learn more via our VR Training Video on our website www.anglicancare.com.au/news

“HORTICULTURE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA STUDY” WITH NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY Anglican Care has partnered with Newcastle University to participate in a landmark study “Horticulture for people with dementia study” investigating whether gardening is beneficial to people with dementia. The study involved a small group of consumers and their carers from Anglican Care’s East Lake Macquarie Dementia Service. Researchers from the University, in association with Twentyman Horticulture, are testing the effectiveness of a horticultural program for people with dementia in reducing unmet needs, improving their quality of life, reducing the frequency of behavioural symptoms and reducing frailty. Recent research indicates that physical and visual access to nature has positive impacts in individuals with dementia. We look forward to sharing the results of this study soon.

INDUSTRY UPDATE There has been an abundance of changes in the aged care industry this year, led by the Royal Commission, which continues to be underway.

As an organisation we want to keep you abreast of the outcomes of the Commission and the new reforms which will soon come into effect.

ROYAL COMMISSION Work on the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety continues. In the previous issue of Reflections, the first round of hearings had been completed with the Commissioners hearing from several different representatives, including the Department of Health, the industry’s peak bodies (ACSA and LASA), the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Health Services Union. There had also been several community forums held, and the first background paper released.

expect from an aged care service - clearly defining what good care should look like.

A copy of the new Charter of Aged Care Rights was sent to all of our consumers to assist them in understanding their rights. The Charter can also be found via our website anglicancare.com.au/charterofagedcare.

We encourage you to talk to the manager of your service should you have any questions regarding the Charter, they will be more than happy to answer your queries.

The new Quality Standards have a greater focus on the consumer and their safety, health and wellbeing and are underpinned by seven key concepts: 1)

Dignity and Respect

2)

Identity, Culture and Diversity

3)

Cultural Safety

4)

Choice

5)

Dignity of Risk

6)

Information

A couple of months on, four more rounds of 7) Personal Privacy. hearings were held during March, May and June in Adelaide, Sydney, Broome and Perth.

The Accreditation process will measure against the new Quality Standards as of The hearings focused on: 1st July 2019. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has identified that as of • Aged care in the home this date, they expect providers to be fully • Residential aged care, with a focus on care prepared for accreditation based on the new for people living with dementia standards.

• Care in remote areas, unique care needs of Indigenous Australians and the issues of During future accreditation visits, assessors access and inclusion are wanting to have more discussion with • The nature of person-centred care, advance consumers, families and carers to ensure they have been included in discussions and care planning and palliative care services. decisions regarding their care.

Three subsequent background papers were released: •

Medium and long-term pressures on the system: the changing demographics and dynamics of aged care

•

Dementia in Australia: nature, prevalence and care

•

Restrictive practices in residential aged care in Australia.

To read these papers or for more information on the Aged Care Royal Commission visit https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au AGED CARE REFORMS As part of the Australian Government’s aged care reforms, they have developed a single Aged Care Quality Framework which includes a single Charter of Aged Care Rights as well as a single set of Quality Standards which cover ALL aged care services. The new reforms come into effect as of 1st July 2019 and include a change in terminology wherein ALL aged care recipients will be known as ‘consumers’.

The documents have been written to make it easier for consumers, their families, carers and representatives to understand what they can

IN THE NATIONAL QUEUE WAITING FOR HOME CARE SERVICES?

OPEN DISCLOSURE

With HomeLife Assist you can start accessing services now!

Open Disclosure within the aged care sector is the principle of holding ‘candid discussions about an incident that happened during care’.

As part of the reforms, Open Disclosure will be introduced into aged care as of 1st July 2019.

If you have had an ACAT assessment and are eligible for a home care package but are still waiting in the national queue - we have the solution for you!

Designed for when things ‘don’t go to plan’, Open Disclosure is to be used to keep consumers, family and carers informed and help them to understand what happened.

Such discussions should inform as to: what is being done to investigate; what happened; explain the consequences of the incident; assist with any support needed and outline the steps that have been taken to make care safer in the future.

The safety, care and wellbeing of our residents and consumers is our primary focus and as an organisation we support the outcomes of the Commission, together with the new reforms.

Wait and worry no longer.

Access services such as personal care, meal prep, shopping, cleaning and in home respite today with our NEW HomeLife Assist package and remain healthy and happy at home.

Don’t delay - let Anglican Care help you to get started.

For more information call 1800 733 553 or visit anglicancare.com.au

property team

update

If you have driven through Booragul lately, you may of noticed the scaffolding surrounding C A Brown has vanished and what remains is impressive. Architecturally designed by Jackson Teece, the development of C A Brown Lodge is exceeding our expectations and is progressing very well.

the DA taking roughly six months once lodged with Council, with the demolition of the current site forecast to commence in mid 2020. We anticipate the completion of the construction phase will take place in 2022. These are very preliminary time-frames at this point and we need to be mindful that they could change.

The builders are on track to hand over the commissioning of the building, which forms the final stages of development, to our Property Team in January 2020. The anticipated date for residents to move into the new home is April 2020.

We are cognisant that the redevelopment of a new facility can be a very unsettling time and are working closely with our residents and their families at Carey Bay Gardens regarding their relocation during the development period, along with staff who will also be transferred to alternative sites during this phase.

The new C A Brown Lodge will consist of 126 single en-suite rooms with 18 of those dementia specific. Along with a purpose built Day Centre, cafĂŠ and several multi-purpose spaces including a Chapel. The lodge will be a fantastic addition to our Booragul campus which hosts our Corporate Administration Building, C A Brown Retirement Living and McIntosh Court residential aged care home.

Our list of development doesn’t stop there as our Gloucester Project, the development of a brand new residential aged care home - the first of its kind in the country town, continues to move forward. We have signed an agreement with Kingston Building and are looking forward to progressing on this exciting development for the Gloucester community, commencing July 2019.

Following the completion of C A Brown Lodge, our next major project is the redevelopment of Carey Bay Gardens residential aged care home. We have engaged the services of CKDS Architects whom are currently working on the concept design, which we are excited to see and share with you. The preliminary timeline of this project will see

Visitors Update OUR CONDITIONS OF ENTRY Anglican Care welcomes relatives and visitors to our homes, centres and services. For your safety and security and the safety and security of our residents, consumers, employees and other visitors we have conditions of entry.

These conditions are displayed in our foyers adjacent to the sign-in register, where all visitors must sign in and out each and every visit.

In the case of an emergency, we will use the information from the sign in system or register to advise emergency services personnel of people within our premise. In the event of an emergency, visitors are to follow the instructions from staff and the signage to the designated muster point.

Anglican Care is committed to protecting the privacy rights of others. To respect the privacy of others, visitors must obtain the consent of residents, consumers, employees and other people before recordings, photos, or videos or images of them which identify them or otherwise capture or transmit those images in public forums, such as on social media, including Facebook.

We take this opportunity to thank all of our visitors as your support to residents and consumers enhance their wellbeing and quality of life.

What’s NEWS? EVENTS JUST GONE SENIORS DAY - LAKE MACQUARIE Our Senior’s Day, held at Club Macquarie on 14 March, was a huge success. We had more RSVP’s than seats, which tells us there is a great demand for these community events. Thank you to everyone who attended including our wonderful speakers – Geriatrician Dr John Ward, Financial Planner Julian Payne, Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist Natalie Pulsford, our General Manager Community Care Chris Giles, PLUS our amazing staff, Lake Macquarie Council and Department of Fair Trading. We hope to have more events like this in the future.

INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The theme for this year was ‘Nurses: A voice to lead – Health for All’. We hope that all of our fantastic, caring employees had a wonderful day – we believe that our employees are highly trained, highly skilled and highly motivated by genuine compassion and that’s what sets us apart!

NEW Podcast

available on our website

MORE VIRTUAL REALITY NEWS

‘Let’s talk about Home Care’

RESIDENTS AND CONSUMERS VR TRIAL On more VR news, we had a fantastic day recently as we trialled the use of Virtual Reality technology within our Lifestyle & Wellbeing programs. 12 brave and fearless residents and consumers tried out the different experiences, conquering roller coasters, dinosaurs and heights, to name a few things. Some of the comments included “What an experience, I was on that ride, I was there. Beautiful and amazing”.

“The animals were real and boat felt like I was in the canoe”. “It was scary, it was fun, I kept lifting my feet to avoid rocks, it was amazing”.

Some of the participants felt it was a great way to tick off some of those bucket list items – visiting some historical destinations they’ve always wanted to see. We hope to introduce more Virtual Reality experiences over the upcoming months. A massive thanks to our awesome participants – your fun attitude and fantastic input was much appreciated.

EVENTS UPCOMING

PAMPER-ME PROGRAM We all love a bit of pampering! Just ask our gorgeous home care package consumers in Taree! They enjoyed a fabulous day on 4 April launching our Pamper-Me program on the Mid Coast. Manicures, foot massages, haircuts and a lot of lippy were the order of the day with everyone looking pretty spiffy by lunchtime. A big thanks to Mid Coast Council Mayor, David West, who joined our General Manager of Community Care Services, Chris Giles for the official ribbon cutting.

SENSATIONAL SENIOR’S - WITH RHONDA BURCHMORE This year’s concerts will be held in July and August with a very special guest, Rhonda Burchmore. Rhonda is famous as a singer, actress & entertainer and is loved by Australians for her vivacious smile, flamed hair and big, bold and colourful voice. We will also be entertained by a variety of fabulous local performers - details to be released soon.

This is a wonderful opportunity to get together with other seniors and enjoy these incredibly entertaining performances. This is a free function and is limited to Anglican Care residents and consumers only.

VOLUNTEER UPDATE NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK 2019 In honour of National Volunteers Week, celebrations were held with our fabulous volunteers from both the Hunter, Central Coast & Mid Coast regions - to recognise the valuable work they do. A special thank you to the Hunter Auxiliary who hosted the Hunter event & provided us with some yummy cakes & slices.

If you want to make a world of difference and are considering becoming a volunteer visit our website for more information or give our office a call on 1800 733 553.

SUSTAINABILITY SPECIAL

We are proud to announce that Anglican Care has been recognised for our environmental sustainability, achieving “Bronze Partner” status with the NSW Government’s Sustainability Advantage Program. We are one of only a handful of aged care organisations in the Hunter to have achieved this acknowledgement.

The benefits of the Sustainability Advantage Program include the ability to: Measure Anglican Care’s carbon footprint and manage emissions Manage environmental risk and ensure compliance Improve productivity Integrate environmental strategies with business planning Use resources more efficiently Engage and mentor staff Ability to engage in social responsibility activities i.e. Lifestyle Resource Van

Deb Matthews is leading this vital project and has recently completed the prestigious Sustainability Practitioner program with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership held in Melbourne. This honour saw Deb become the first aged care recipient of the Practitioner program. Deb and our Sustainability Team will continue to oversee the roll out of our “Sustainable Environment Policy and Sustainability Framework”, as the year progresses.

“We have made significant progress on various projects this year, including the completion of our Bin Trim Assessment at Warnervale Gardens, Carey Bay, Scenic Lodge, Jesmond Grove and McIntosh Court homes. We carried out this project in conjunction with the EPA and their appointed consultants. As a result of the waste assessments, a detailed action plan was prepared and is currently being implemented at all of our Hunter and Central Coast facilities with great results.

We are very pleased to have since been approached by the EPA for inclusion in this program on the Mid Coast, due to commence in July.

We have also completed the EPA pilot program Your Business Is Food Program (YBIF) which gave the organisation, in particular our hospitality team, greater knowledge and skills to avoid food waste within our residential care homes. The upcoming months continue to be exciting, with the further expansion of our Bin Trim Program, the introduction of solar installations across various Anglican Care sites, further supply chain reviews and more!”, stated Deb. To raise awareness of the necessity for sustainability within the Aged Care Sector and to celebrate our achievement of Bronze Partner status, we will be holding a Sustainability Matters Green Day organisation wide.

For more information on our sustainability projects and initiatives go to our website and keep an eye out for our upcoming Sustainability Video to be released August 2019.