Mental State Deterioration

If you believe a person is not acutely suicidal and/or high risk, but the individual is not actively planning to harm themselves but has had thoughts of suicide/self-harm, or has verbalised suicide/self-harm thinking

• Implement immediate safety checking;

• Inform the consumer’s GP of the situation and actions and outcomes, and request GP assessment at the earliest possible convenience;

• Ensure the consumer’s care plan has appropriate risk management strategies – and that they are well understood by staff;

• Inform the consumer’s nominated representative; Contact the ‘Older Peoples Mental Health Network’ in your area during business hours for advice and/or assessment.

Definitions

Advance Care Directive: is a legal form that allows people over the age of 18 years to:

• write down their wishes, preferences and instructions for future health care, end of life, living arrangements and personal matters and/or

• appoint one or more Substitute Decision-Makers to make these decisions on their behalf when they are unable to do so themselves.

Consumer: Consumer means a person to whom an organisation provides or is to provide care through an aged care service. A reference to consumer in this guidance for the Aged Care Quality Standards includes a reference to a representative of the consumer, so far as the provision is capable of applying to a representative of the consumer.

Mental Health Service

Specialised mental health services are those with the primary function to provide treatment, rehabilitation or community health support targeted towards people with a mental illness or psychiatric disability. These activities are delivered from a service or facility that is readily identifiable as both specialised and serving a mental health care function.

Definitions

Mental State Deterioration: A change for the worse in a consumer’s mental state, compared with the most recent information available for that person, which may indicate a need for additional care.

Neurological Observations: A neurological assessment involves checking the patient’s level of consciousness, pupillary reaction, motor function, sensory function, vital signs

Neurovascular Observations: assessment of neurovascular status is essential for the early recognition of neurovascular deterioration or compromise. Assessment includes an assessment of pain, sensation, motor function and perfusion of an effected limb. This may include, but is not limited to people who have a fracture, crush injury, internal or external fixation devices, orthopaedic, spinal or plastic surgery, restrictive dressing such as a cast, signs of infection in a limb.

Representative: consumer representative includes both a person appointed under relevant legislation to act or make decisions on behalf of a consumer; and a person the consumer nominates to be told about matters affecting the consumer.

Definitions

Restrictive practice

A restrictive practice is any practice or intervention that has the effect of restricting the rights or freedom of movement of an aged care consumer. Under the legislation, there are five types of restrictive practices:

• Chemical restraint

• Environmental restraint

• Mechanical restraint

• Physical restraint

• Seclusion

Urinalysis: is a test of urine. A urinalysis is used to detect and manage a wide range of disorders, such as urinary tract infections, kidney disease and diabetes.