What Does Quality of Care Mean to You?


Message from Tamar Krebs

The Responsible Care Initiative, is an initiative of Aged Care Report Card, which is helping providers really understand what nursing home residents believe is the most important things in their eyes that reflect quality care. We believe that in order to deliver effective person-centred care, you need to understand the experiences of people living in a nursing home.

The Responsible Care Initiative is about opening up communication channels to contribute to a deeper understanding of “Quality of Care” in nursing homes, which means the most important people in the home to in fact evaluate quality are those receiving the direct care. That’s the residents and their representatives.

We found that the most important factors of “Quality of Care” in the eyes of the consumer are;

  • Living conditions
  • Quality of the nursing staff,
  • Quality of direct nursing care, and
  • Quality of the social environment.

We believe that by improving the “Quality of Care” offered, this can improve the “Quality of Life” of those in aged care.

“Quality of Life” generally refers to an person’s experience of well-being and overall enjoyment of their lifestyle. The Institute of Medicine gives the definition of “Quality of Care” that captures the features of many other definitions and has received wide acceptance. It defines quality as; ‘The degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge’. Although there is no universally accepted definition, it is widely accepted in the healthcare sector that quality care should be: safe; effective, person centred, timely, efficient and equitable.

A number of studies have looked into the concept “Quality of Life” from the perspective of residents in aged care. They found the most important issues in terms of quality of life are choice, participation in meaningful activities, socialising with others, feeling safe and secure and relationships with staff. Other studies have reported residents are looking for a caring attitude, respect for individual differences and emotional support.

Enhancing quality in aged care really starts by delivering what older people want rather than what we think they want.

Let’s work as a community together and get #responsible.  Ask your provider have they made a responsible pledge today?


Founder’s Message – Responsible Care

Leave a Reply

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

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

“My nana has become racist – how can I prevent her from being rude to her carer?”

When a 90-year-old woman refused to be showered by her carer, her embarrassed family asked what they can do to get her bathed, and how they should tackle her emerging racist views. Read More

How to avoid getting scammed when buying a car

Scammers are getting harder to detect as technology gets better. Follow these tips on how to buy a car without being taken for a ride. Read More

What’s The Big Deal With Soft Eggs In Aged Care?

A lot, it seems! When The Lantern Project decided to explore soft eggs in aged care, who would have thought about the complexities, variance and struggles residential facilities face? We found that one risk averse person can affect the outcome for residents.  And there are many points between the hen and resident where risk aversiveness... Read More
Advertisement