Oct 21, 2020

Royal Commission survey: only one in four people in residential or home care feel their needs are met

Only around one-quarter of the people living in a residential aged care facility or receiving a home care package feel that their care needs are always met, according to new surveys by the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI). The share of people with care needs at least ‘mostly’ met is 39.0% in residential care and 32.5% in home care. Care needs are met only ‘sometimes’, ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ for 33.4% of people in residential care and 44.1% in home care. The share of people with care needs met ‘sometimes’, rarely’ or ‘never’ are even higher among people who use aged care respite services.

The surveys were undertaken by the NARI for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The findings are presented in Research Paper 13 – Inside the system: aged care residents’ perspectives andResearch Paper 14 – Inside the system: home and respite care clients’ perspectives.

In the surveys people identified concerns across many areas of their aged care. Aged care facility residents are most commonly concerned about staffing, which includes lack of staff, call bells not being answered, high rates of staff turnover, inadequate training, and agency staff not knowing the resident or their needs. The most common area of concern for people receiving a home care package is finance and administration, which includes lack of value-for-money, fee transparency, service coordination and rostering.

NARI’s reports say many of the concerns that people have about their aged care are not raised as an official complaint or even informally because they do not think anything will change, the concerns are seen as too minor, they do not want to be a nuisance, or they are not sure who to report to. Of the concerns that are raised officially, less than 1% are raised with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, and less than half are resolved to the satisfaction of the care recipient.

The authors note that the survey results provide a benchmark that can be used to monitor the progress of aged care reforms over time and ensure public awareness is maintained.

The research paper was prepared for the information of the Royal Commission and the public. Any views expressed in it are not necessarily the views of the Commissioners.

To read the Royal Commission’s research papers, please visit the publications page.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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

  1. Hi, I’m shermyra I’m a former ward of the state in Allambie Victoria I’ve come forward to report against the family perpetrated in frankston Victoria and I’ve also told my story to the royal commission in nsw!

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

ACSA National Summit 2019

One of the highlights of this year’s ACSA National Summit was taking in the exhibition and finding out about the many aged care services and products on offer. Our journalist Jakob Needland got the chance to chat with Gary Thorpe from ‘Silver Memories,’ an aged care specific radio station having a tremendous impact on aged care residents... Read More

Sydney nurse charged with the attempted murder of an elderly patient

  A registered nurse who allegedly attempted to suffocate an elderly patient with a pillow remains behind bars after being charged with attempted murder late last week. Detectives were called to the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in NSW on Thursday after a colleague was forced to intervene after allegedly witnessed 50-year-old nurse, Timothy Owen, attempt to smother... Read More

5 minutes with Pat Sparrow, ACSA and Catherine Walker, Bethanie Group

5 minutes with Pat Sparrow, CEO ACSA and Catherine Walker, GM Organisational Capability Bethanie Group HelloCare’s creative director, Jakob Neeland had the pleasure of sitting down with ACSA CEO, Pat Sparrow. The pair discussed the impact of media on the aged care sector, the recent interim report and the need to remind people of the... Read More
Advertisement