Aged Care

While many older Australians are living longer and healthier lives, many have mental and physical health concerns and lack appropriate access to primary care, as well as opportunities for social interaction and economic engagement.

Our Priorities

• Improving older people’s access to timely and safe care
• Increasing the uptake of advance care planning
• Increasing the amount of GP-led over 75 health assessments
• Increasing the delivery of primary care in residential aged care facilities.

Key Activities

Psychological therapies in residential aged care facilities: A program to support older people living in residential aged care who are living with or at risk of a mental illness.

Compassionate Communities: A project in the Great Southern to increase awareness around end of life and empower people to live and die well in their place of choice.

Social connectedness: A two-year pilot project in Mandurah helping older people to become and remain connected to society through overcoming barriers to accessing community services.

Key Achievements

600 medication management e-learning modules completed by aged care workers.

• Funded psychologists to deliver treatment services for people with, or at risk of, a diagnosed mental illness in residential aged care facilities. From January to June 2019, the service provided 179 consultations to 60 residents.
• Developed and launched e-learning modules for healthcare workers (who support the delivery of nursing care by assisting people with personal care and activities of daily living) in medication management, in collaboration with non-government organisations and WA Country Health Service. This was trialled with aged care providers in the Kimberley and Great Southern and 600 modules have been completed.
• Partnered with service provider Chorus to design, develop and implement the Out and About Social Connectedness Pilot, in Mandurah.