In the world of disability and dementia care, words carry weight. They shape perceptions, influence attitudes, and can either humanise or dehumanise those in care. Nicole Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Community Home Australia, is tackling this issue head-on with an innovative electronic care management system (ECMS) designed to block “inappropriate” language in staff progress notes.
This isn’t about political correctness for its own sake—it’s about fostering a culture of respect and dignity for people living with dementia or cognitive disabilities. As Smith puts it, “There’s no more time to waste using inappropriate language, because it’s feeding the bias and stigma towards people with dementia.”
Community Home Australia, a registered NDIS provider, offers a unique approach to care, focusing on connection to the local community and enabling individuals to live as active participants, rather than being confined to traditional nursing homes.
It’s within this framework that Smith and her team, led by an idea from staff member Sara, developed a system to gently guide carers toward language that respects the humanity of those they support.
A gentle nudge toward better language
The ECMS, built from scratch by IT specialist Ravinder Singh in India, is tailored specifically for Community Home Australia’s needs. Unlike off-the-shelf solutions, this system is designed to meet the unique cultural and operational nuances of the organisation.
The standout feature? A language filter that blocks stigmatising or limiting terms and suggests alternatives that are more objective and person-centred.
For example, if a carer types “wandering” or “wanderer,” the system prompts, “Please use walking” or “Walked, likes to walk, walking.” Instead of labelling someone as “aggressive,” it suggests, “Describe the event.”
Other blocked terms include “demented” (replaced with “person with dementia”), “nappy” (replaced with “incontinence aid”), and “screamer” (replaced with “vocalised loudly, expressed themselves by shouting”). The system also discourages terms like “old,” “elderly,” or “patient,” suggesting “older adult,” “older person,” or “Guest, Member, Person” instead.
A comprehensive list of restricted words and their alternatives, implemented on 30 May 2025, includes phrases like “suffering people living with dementia” (replaced with “people living with dementia”) and “poor feeder” (replaced with “not wanting to eat much at the moment – consider why?”).
Smith explains the philosophy: “It’s not about punishing the team. It’s gently guiding them to stop and consider, ‘What am I about to write? Why am I writing it like that? What more details do I need to get the bigger picture?’”
The system also features scrolling prompts at the top of the interface, such as “never label,” “be objective,” and “get to the root cause,” reinforcing the importance of thoughtful, objective reporting.
Why language matters
The choice of words in progress notes isn’t trivial – it shapes how carers perceive and interact with those in their care. Terms like “aggressive” or “demented” can reduce a person to a behaviour or condition, stripping away their individuality.
By contrast, phrases like “describe the event” or “person living with dementia” encourage carers to see the person first, fostering empathy and understanding. As Smith notes, “Language affects perception, and that perception will change the way care is done because they’ll be more humanised as opposed to someone just with behaviours.”
This is particularly crucial for Community Home Australia’s diverse workforce, many of whom speak English as a second language. Smith acknowledges the challenge: “If we expect language guidelines to make the world nice and fluffy, but we can’t help our people from Nepal or Punjab understand the why behind it, this system gives them that why.”
By embedding education within the software, it supports carers in real-time, bridging cultural and linguistic gaps without judgment.
A polarising yet powerful idea
The system isn’t without its critics. Some might argue it’s overly politically correct, forcing carers to use longer, descriptive phrases that could complicate documentation. Smith anticipated this pushback: “There will be people who say, ‘This is just politically correct nonsense, and you’re making things difficult.’”
She considered an AI-driven “rephrase” button that would rewrite notes automatically but rejected it, believing it wouldn’t teach carers to think critically. “Nobody’s learning anything that way,” she says. “It looks lovely, but it’s not training anybody to think.”
Instead, the system prioritises education over automation, encouraging carers to reflect on their word choices. While it may slow down note-taking initially, the long-term impact is a shift in mindset that reduces stigma and fosters more compassionate care.
Smith sees this as a ripple effect: “If my 54 team members stop labelling people with dementia, that’s 54 more people not bringing stigma into the workplace. If a couple of NDIS homes adopt this, that’s maybe 300 more.”
Not for sale, but free to inspire
Remarkably, Smith isn’t looking to profit from this innovation. “I’m not selling this software,” she insists. “I’m giving it away. Just steal my idea.” Her goal is to inspire other organisations to integrate similar language filters into their own systems.
Ravinder Singh has already given demos to eight organisations, planting seeds for broader adoption. Smith hopes major providers like Autumn Care or LeeCare will take note and adapt their platforms, forcing a top-down shift in how the care sector talks about people with dementia.
The system’s flexibility is a key strength. It can be customised to reflect an organisation’s specific language preferences, ensuring it aligns with their cultural values.
For example, one organisation might prefer “exploring” over “walking,” while another might choose different terms to describe behaviours or needs. “It’s not Nicole’s language guidelines,” Smith emphasises. “It can be tailored to the individual organisation’s own cultural nuances.”
A step toward systemic change
Smith’s initiative challenges not just individual carers but the entire care sector, including the Department of Health and Ageing and the Aged Care Quality Commission. “Instead of waiting for the Commonwealth to change their language, if we start doing it first, they’ll have to follow suit,” she says.
By aligning the ECMS with NDIS standards while exceeding traditional aged care requirements, Community Home Australia is setting a new benchmark for person-centred care.
The software is still a work in progress, with Smith and her team continually refining the list of blocked words and prompts. But its impact is already clear: it’s a tool that not only changes how carers write but how they think. As Smith puts it, “People with dementia have no more time to waste. This cause is beyond its use-by date.”
For those who dismiss it as word policing, Smith’s response is clear: this isn’t about being “nice and fluffy.” It’s about dismantling systemic biases that dehumanise vulnerable people.
By forcing a shift toward language that respects individuality, Community Home Australia is proving that even small changes in words can lead to big changes in care. And in a sector where stigma can be as damaging as the conditions themselves, that’s a revolution worth talking about.
I like the sentiment behind this software.
Although we need to be careful that we don’t end up with a list of pop up “standard notes” which are limited to “happy stories “ that are favourable to the facility but are useless for the care of individuals.
this is an excellent idea. I work in aged care with NDIS participants in our home as well. Using the system will teach and assist with correcting BEFORE the documentation occurs. well done
Great idea, but it should come down to the education facility that the carers or nurses are trained with, as well as the nursing home/home/hospital they are working at to educate about wording.
I was taught ‘wayfinding’ instead of wandering in 2008 by the nursing home. They were well ahead of the years for a tiny country private home.
And I would cringe if I ever found some one say or write ‘nappy’.
It should just come down to education and how they wmwould feel if in the other shoes.
A great innovation! I hope it becomes standard practice in all care settings, educating staff in real time and ensuring dignity for Australians living with dementia. Congratulations to all!
Perhaps it may motivate the Department Health to discard the terms ” newbie” and “hybrid” used to describe older Australians accessing home support before or after Sept 14 2024. Why not simply call us older Australians entering home care before or after Sept 14 2024????
May-be if the time was spent with the client instead of a typing exercise the care may be directly changed and the term walking and wandering are not interchangable. I can walk and I like walking and I can wander. They all have diferent meanings. Everyone has been on a talk-fest instead of a care-fest and now we are getting a word-fest. Can all of us receive some more well trained face to face care support instead of talk and word support. Comment from an 81 yr old at home care package recipient.