The past year of 2018/2019 has once again caused us to look carefully at what is happening within the Aged Care area of operation. Several factors have contributed to the need to assess where and how we are going

Large organisations such as ECH and ACH have commenced their own group outings in our funded geographic areas. They pick up their clients from the retirement villages that once were a large source of our client base. Although their outings are dearer and fortnightly (fees cover all outing costs) they have had a big impact on us.

Additionally My Aged Care referrals are in the main unable to be used as most of them are high care clients who need trained nursing and our volunteers are not trained in these areas.

Due to the high number of people nationally waiting on packages (129,000 in March 2019) many are being referred to the lower levels to give them some assistance whilst waiting. This results in us losing clients quicker than we can replace them. The loss of clients from our group outings has a very big impact on our overall client hours, and this year that has contributed to 60% of the downturn in our hours again this year. Our total client hours were 4575.

In the past 12 months we lost 11 clients due to passing and health reasons. It is always with sadness when this happens and our volunteer team feel the impact. They continue to work towards ensuring we meet the new standards of quality care.

Data Exchange

This area of the My Aged Care system has continued to evolve from DEX side of things. As a consequence we have had to be vigilant in keeping up to date with changes (in line with government reporting procedures), and at times their system changes have corrupted the figures which need to be accurate by end of January and July reporting periods. Thanks to my assistant Andrea Payne, we are able to stay on top of this and maintain accuracy and timeliness.

The Program

The program continues to service the cohorts of Friendly home visiting, Wednesday Men’s Group Outings and Friday Ladies group Outings. The two outing groups use the bulk of our resources and time being programs much needed in the community. The Department of Health from 1st July 2019 have now made mandatory their new Aged Care Quality Standards. Their focus is now more on consumer outcomes and dignity and choice.

Whilst we have always promoted these values it has become more in depth. There are 8 standards to be met. The main one that applies to us is Standard 1 covering ‘Consumer Dignity and Choice”, (Itself having 7 standards to be met.) There are others that do affect us but as we are not a nursing home many do not.

Due to the changed focus I have attended a training forum to ensure I am aware of the required standards and have also arranged for my volunteer team to do the same forum in August 2019 (delayed until September 2019) so that they also understand the new approach.

Additionally the Craft Group is under my umbrella although LMVA Vice President and volunteer Maxine Henke oversees its success. Maxine has decided to stand down as Team Leader from the end of July 2019 (but maintain a presence as a part of the group) due to health reasons and Penny Kearse has agreed to become Team Leader. We offer our thankyou to Maxine for your dedicated and outstanding contribution to the Craft Group.

Friendly Visiting:

At the end of June 2019 this program currently has 8 clients being visited, with one being lost due to illness. We are slowly rebuilding this program, which has been difficult as many of the referrals coming through My Aged Care continue to be not suitable being in the too high care category, or in areas we are not funded to have clients.

Overall our clients are very happy with the volunteers that visit them. Once again we will need to ensure clients are encouraged to do for themselves as much as they are able to meet the quality standards.

Wednesday Men’s Group:

Overall we operate around 45 weeks of the year. There is a four week break over the Christmas/ New Year period and there are usually two or three weeks where the summer temperatures mean we need to cancel the outings due to our Heat Policy.

As usual there have been a wide variety of venues the group have visited.

We have not been able to maintain the men’s group numbers at 16 this year due to the loss of some, and the previously mentioned difficulties in finding new clients.

All avenues such as advertising, community presence, personal references are being pursued to change this and rebuild our program. The men enjoy it when a new person comes on board and quickly welcomes them.

Friday Ladies Group:

This fun group has seen the decline in numbers during the year. Replacing them is a challenge as referrals are very slow and often unsuitable due to their high care needs. The ladies enjoyment of the outings is due to them wanting to participate and have a great day out, and to the energy of the volunteers ably led by team leader Cindy Shinakis.

The Craft Group:

This group continues its quality and productivity. Team Leader and LMVA VP Maxine has ensured a variety of cards, gift tags etc. and has expanded the range of activities. . Most of the paperboard and materials used by the group comes from generous donors and/or we receive very good discounts on any purchases. The group continues to average around $310per month profit. The cards are sold through Association retail outlets.

NRC assist people from all culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

Here is a snapshot:- Total 31 clients

Quality

Continuous and new training of volunteers around our approach to our clients. This will fit in with the Department of Health focusing on Aged Care and Quality Standards.
Communication with, and re-education of the clients (particularly the outings groups) will be increased around the renewed focus on keeping them independent for as long as possible. New Charter of Aged Care Rights has been given to, and signed, by all clients
Continued presentations in the community will drive home the value of using a local well tried and successful program.
Strengthen the continuous improvement process by the changes developed to assist in better, quicker reporting of statistics to the governing body.
Improved conditions for our clients (e.g. a new fold down step for one of the buses) ensure better satisfaction, greater safety and positive comments.

Training

Training has been offered every second month and will continue this way.
Workshops have included Mandatory Training, Keeping Connected, Dementia,

(Including problem solving with behavioural issues), Aged Care Quality Standards, and training in Advocacy.

In the latter part of the financial year we were joined by several team members from Modbury who gave positive feedback on the value of the training.

Benefits of Northern Respite Care

Focussing on wellness & re-ablement, the care recipients are treated as an ‘ordinary person’ and assisted to lead enriching lives and maintain their independence for longer.
Respite can relieve a person’s isolation and the carer’s anxiety about leaving their loved one alone.
Everyone benefits from this program including the volunteers who feel they make a valuable contribution to the welfare of others and get to benefit from the experience and wisdom of our older citizens.

Statistics

Overall Actual client hours of 4827 were recorded. As mentioned above there were increased hot weather cancellations which affected our hours badly. January 2019 for example saw no ladies outings and this was exacerbated in February 2019 as quite a few of these very warm days fell on the Friday.
Although the number of referrals from the “My Aged Care” websites have improved in the latter half of the financial year, we were unable to process many of them due to their unsuitability for our service. As well we are no longer able to claim any hours used interviewing potential clients and to arrange their meeting of the volunteer. This part of the process is now not considered to be offering a service until they actually start with us.

Our client numbers will need building up to 44 - 50 to create a small waiting list to allow for natural attrition. We have openings with the ladies now, and can utilize two buses instead of one.
Funding for the CHSP has been extended until 2022. We will not know until the first quarter of 2020 whether the program will be extended. This is the normal process every two years.

Future plans & initiatives

Network with other providers to identify people in need

Continue to assist carers in the community
Target our advertising more specifically.
Work with My Aged Care and data exchange to fulfil funding body requirements
Continue to promote the program through various organisations and community groups utilising LMVA’s Community Engagement Program
The possible sharing of resources with like organisations and values.

SUMMARY

Overall, for the year, the program engaged 24 volunteers who contributed 3269 hours. The program requirements continue to evolve and present new challenges. The volunteer team is dedicated and training is continuous throughout the year to enhance their knowledge and skill base. Client feedback is positive, and some of our new clients have been direct referrals from our current base of clients. The future is challenging but positive.