Every month we round up some of most popular topics in Aged Care on twitter. This month the twittersphere is calling for more data collection in the aged care industry, a more innovative approach to our industry and improvements in government communications over aged care reform. Plus, a novel approach to treating patients with dementia.
AUDIO: Better data needed to compare aged care
“We still don’t have a single measure of quality in aged care services, and this is critical, because it goes hand-in-hand with ensuring that you can provide quality information to people about what choices they do actually have and how they compare.”
Listen to the full report by clicking the link in the below tweet.
#AgedCare is big business but how do we measure quality of #care? https://t.co/mSnXFqcJXG pic.twitter.com/hvRwaT2Y4C
— Alzheimers Australia (@AlzheimersAus) November 25, 2015
Aged care industry is crying out for an “Uber Moment”
Alongside a change in the discourse surrounding ageing in our society, the aged care service system needs a “disruption”, argues Jane Fonda. That is, we need new service providers who challenge the old paradigms – an “Uber ageing system” if you will. Our sector is ripe for innovators and leaders in the field, so who is ready to step up to the challenge?
#agedcare needs a “disruption”, new service providers who challenge the old paradigms – an “Uber ageing system” if you will. – Jane Fonda — Precise (@PreciseThick_N) November 23, 2015
Thinking outside the box: Retro rooms help dementia patients remember the past
For patients with Alzheimer’s disease, sensory cues involving sight, sound, and touch can be used to rouse otherwise hard-to-reach memories. One elder-care facility in Pennsylvania has tapped into this idea of “reminiscence therapy” using rooms that emulate the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s.
This Nursing Home’s Retro Rooms Help Dementia Patients Remember the Past https://t.co/E60ejvUA8k via @mental_floss #agedcare
— Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite) November 21, 2015
Australia in ‘upper middle’ of aged care globally
Is our “fragmented” healthcare system hindering the adoption of integrated models of care for older people that are currently working successfully overseas?
Chairman of KPMG Global Health Practice, Mark Britnell thinks so. He believes that the Australian Aged Care industry is facing many of the same pressures as other aged care systems around the world – issues like: a lack of clear quality indicators, fragmented small operators, a drive for mergers and acquisitions, and issues around standards of professional accreditation and regulation.
Australia in ‘upper middle’ of #agedcare globally: international expert https://t.co/jjYU8j1oQx — Aust Ageing Agenda (@AustAgeAgenda) December 2, 2015
Does our government communication on aged care reforms need improvement?
A Productivity Commission report concludes that poor public awareness about aged care reforms has affected the implementation of the changes and impeded seniors’ capacity to make informed decisions.
#Agedcare Government communication on aged care reforms needs improvement: Productivity Commission: Poor publi… https://t.co/cWUG92MRKe
— Aussie Aged Care (@aussieagedcare) December 2, 2015
