Aged care News and Research

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Tackling Alzheimer’s and dementia

The latest research into the prevention and treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s is the focus of a major conference in Sydney this week.

20 Sep 2011

Humour as effective as medication in treating agitation in dementia, research shows

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18 Sep 2011

Rehabilitation the ‘great missing link’ in the healthcare system Leading physicians convene in Brisbane today

The lack of publically funded community-based rehabilitation and restorative programs is one of the great missing links in the Australian health care system, according to leading Australian physicians.

13 Sep 2011

Experts to address crucial issues of pain management and disability health reform

Leading Australian and international medical experts will convene in Brisbane next week to address crucial areas of rehabilitation medicine, including health reform, barriers to rehabilitation healthcare services and pain management.

7 Sep 2011

Aged care issues come to light after a Productivity Commission report

According to the New South Wales Council on the Ageing, the Productivity Commission's report on aged care could improve services in the south-east. Poor standards of care throughout the aged care industry have prompted the Productivity Commission to recommend a national independent audit of training standards for personal care workers.

10 Aug 2011

Tunstall Healthcare launch new myclinic@home telehealth solution

myclinic@home is the latest in telehealth solutions, allowing remote patients to easily monitor their vital signs and manage a long term health condition in the comfort of their own home or a clinic setting, all supported by a health professional.

1 Aug 2011

Researchers at Macquarie trial new program to help improve neglected area of aged care

In a world first, researchers at the Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University are developing psychological treatments, which simultaneously target both anxiety and depression in older adults. Despite the fact that symptoms of anxiety and depression are typically suffered together, no program currently exists which is aimed at helping older adults tackle both disorders at once.

21 Jul 2011

Insight into global incidence and prevalence of mild cognitive impairment

New research reported today in Paris at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2011 (AAIC 2011) offers insight on the global incidence and prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – a condition involving problems with memory or another mental function severe enough to be noticeable to the affected person or to others but not serious enough to interfere with daily life.

19 Jul 2011

Video consultation initiative great opportunity for patients and GPs

With the new video consultation MBS items being available from 1 July 2011, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is committed to supporting the profession during the telehealth rollout and highlights the value of the GP in this healthcare model.

29 Jun 2011

Experts to discuss China's aging problem at Retirement Living World China 2011

From the 24th to the 27th of May 2011, retirement industry leaders from China and the rest of the world will meet at Retirement Living World China 2011. The event will be hosted by China Association of Social Workers and in partnership with IMAPAC.

2 Apr 2011

Taking health technology to the top

At the Innovations in Health and Community Care Forum at Old Parliament House on Thursday 3 March, leading health academics and professionals presented compelling arguments supporting the need for integrating assistive technology into health and community models of care.

14 Mar 2011

Economic benefits of enabling people to age at home

There are a number of studies that look at the economics of technologies to enable people to age at home rather than in some other kind of accommodation. In 2010, CSES contributed an economic analysis for the ATSE report written by Greg Tegart drawing in part on these studies and using Australian data on demographic trends and healthcare costs.

9 Mar 2011

Smart technology for healthy longevity

A national policy is required for the research, demonstration, commercialisation and wide-scale deployment of smart technology for ageing-in-place to ensure: a healthy, safe, secure and fulfilling future for the increasing aged population in Australia by enabling them to remain at home longer, by easing the strain on the national healthcare system and providing cost effective solutions to meet the needs of the growing number of elderly Australians.

9 Mar 2011

Nation wide aged care deficits surface in report

According to an Access Economics study parts of the country have the worst projected shortfalls in aged care beds and community care packages. The study has predicted that a nationwide shortfall of 279,000 places needed to care for the elderly and infirm in 40 years’ time, with the lack concentrated on the most populous states of NSW and Victoria.

27 Feb 2011

Proposed health reforms need to be ironed out

There are new questions over the detail of Julia Gillard's $16.4 billion health reform package. According to West Australian Premier Colin Barnett the introduction of an activity based funding system through a national pool by mid next year was achievable, but stressed it needed to be “well understood and easy to administer”.

13 Feb 2011

Australian research reveals more than 70% of hospital patients are malnourished

Many elderly Australians are either admitted to hospital suffering malnutrition, or become malnourished while in hospital, which increases hospital length of stay and health care costs.

8 Feb 2011

Malnutrition: A skeleton in the health care closest

Many elderly Australians are either admitted to hospital suffering malnutrition, or become malnourished while in hospital, which increases hospital length of stay and health care costs.

7 Feb 2011

Nurses start closing hospital beds in protest of staffing levels

The New South Wales Nurses Association warned that it would keep closing-down beds at Royal Prince Alfred hospital in Sydney’s inner west and the Wollongong Hospital until a consensus is reached regarding staffing levels. This Tuesday 40 beds were closed at Wollongong protesting to see a one-nurse-to-four-patient ratio introduced. Beds in the pediatric, intensive care and maternity and emergency wards are spared. Some surgical, rehabilitative and aged care beds are closed.

5 Jan 2011

GST debates continue & heath reforms come under threat

The federal opposition demands more transparency from the Australian government on how much GST the states will have to hand over under a new health plan. Early this year all states apart from WA, agreed to hand over a third of their GST payments for the federal government to take responsibility for 60 per cent of the cost of running, staffing and building public hospitals. This is estimated to deliver $7.4 billion in funding for extra hospital beds, support for GPs, boosted aged care services and training for more doctors and nurses.

17 Nov 2010

Filthy nursing home in Thursday Island – manager fired

The manager looking after an aged care facility in the Torres Strait Islands has been sacked after the nursing home was found filthy and unsuitable for patient care. According to Torres Strait Regional Mayor Fred Gela, the nursing home in question is Star of the Sea on Thursday Island and the incident occurred after the state of affairs was brought to notice by a nurse. He said, “The person that was responsible for the overall administration and overseeing all of that, their employment has been terminated as of Monday.”

8 Oct 2010