Dec 16, 2020

Residents and families must be able to come together over the holidays, regulator warns

 

All aged care providers must “enable and support” families and friends to be able to visit residents safely over the holiday period, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has said in a statement.

“We are all looking to reconnect with people who matter to us,” the statement said.

It is important that providers take “proactive steps” to enable people in aged care to enjoy the company of their loved ones in person, said Commissioner, Janet Anderson PSM. 

The recent restrictions on visitor access in aged care homes “can lead to loneliness, anxiety and depression,” the statement said.

“The risks of COVID-19 infection are now low when sensible precautions are taken.” 

Anderson has written to all aged care providers requesting they focus on both ensuring best practice infection prevention and supporting the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of residents by ensuring they have regular access to family and friends.

The Commission has started a visitor access campaign this month, which will continue into 2021, to support the transition of the aged care sector into a COVID-normal operating environment. This campaign will provide resources and guidance for aged care consumers, their families and approved providers to manage safe visitor access.

“Doing everything possible to ensure people receiving aged care are safe from the COVID-19 virus is vitally important,” Anderson said. 

“Of equal importance is supporting the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of residents in aged care facilities and ensuring they have regular access to family and friends all year round, and particularly at this time of year.

“Residents, families and the wider community expect that approved providers of residential aged care services are addressing both safety and access imperatives, and the Commission is looking for providers to demonstrate how they are reflecting this in their visitor arrangements.

“When monitoring and assessing providers in relation to the Aged Care Quality Standards, the Commission seeks evidence of how a service assesses the current risks of both COVID-19 and the impact of visitor restrictions on individual residents. 

“The Commission expects that all approved providers will appreciate the risks to residents caused by isolation and ensure appropriate visitor access.

“Where visitor access risks are identified, the Commission will undertake unannounced visitor access spot checks. Further regulatory action may be taken to ensure that the provider is meeting their obligations under the Aged Care Quality Standards.”

The Commission’s visitor access campaign includes:

  • Residential service visitor access survey – a short survey will ask all residential aged care services to reflect on their current arrangements and inform the Commission of their planning and processes for safely managing visitor access in a COVID-normal world.
  • Visitor access case studies – case studies will provide real-life (de-identified) cases of complaints about visitor access and how they can be resolved to the satisfaction of residents, families and services.
  • Focused regulatory activities – the Commission’s ongoing regulatory program will have a focus on visitor access.
  • Best practice resources – the Commission will continue to update its website with information, resources and links about best practice visitor access.
    Ms Anderson has communicated to aged care providers that to meet expectations about visitor access, all approved providers should, as a minimum, be familiar with and apply the following:
    • Public health directives from the relevant State or Territory
    • Industry Code for Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes during COVID-19
  • https://www.cota.org.au/policy/aged-care-reform/agedcarevisitors/
  • Outbreak management planning in aged care
  • Infection prevention and control leads
  • Partnerships in Care fact sheet

For support, the Older Persons Advocacy Network organisations can assist with a range of free Advocacy, Information and Education services. Call them on 1800 700 600.

If anyone has a concern about visitor access to an aged care service, complaints can be made via the Commission’s website www.agedcarequality.gov.au or by calling 1800 951 822.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Will there be a mass exodus of aged care workers? Union urges Friday deadline be extended

With September 17 looming, the Health Services Union is calling on the government to extend the deadline for mandatory vaccines for aged care workers, due to fears there could be an exodus of staff in the already overstretched aged care workforce. Read More

Will aged care staff ratios be one of the outcomes of COVID-19?

  There is a growing acceptance in Australia that greater transparency around staffing numbers will become part of the aged care landscape in the future. The country’s largest peak body for aged care providers has switched its opposition to ratios to support for a new concept: ‘smart ratios’. The pandemic has exposed the weaknesses in our aged... Read More

Tears Flow As Elderly Couple Reunites After Months Apart Due To Lockdown

After 70 years of marriage, partners come to rely on each other so much that time spent apart as individuals can feel like trying to function without a vital organ. Although distance does make the heart grow fonder, footage of an elderly couple being reunited after being forced to spend months apart is proof that... Read More
Advertisement