Beginning of a consumer-driven decade: Aged care predictions from industry experts – Part 2

As we look to the year ahead, we asked a few industry experts to share their views on what trends, changes and developments will shape aged care in 2014 and beyond. In this post, the experts answer: In what ways do you see developments in technology playing a greater role in aged care over the coming 12 months?

Beginning of a consumer-driven decade: Aged care predictions from industry experts – Part 1

As we look to the year ahead, we asked a few industry experts to share their views on what trends, changes and developments will shape aged care in 2014 and beyond. In this post, the experts answer: What trends, changes or developments do you see continuing to shape the Australian aged care sector in 2014 and beyond?

Why training and development must be a priority for our aged care workforce

The number of people aged between 65 and 84 years is expected to more than double by the year 2050 and eventually, over 3.5 million older Australians will come to rely on aged care services. A larger, well-trained and well-qualified aged care workforce will be needed to cope with the demands of the ageing population so now, more than ever, aged care organisations are encouraged to make their employees’ skills and career development a priority.

In this post, we explore how a greater focus on staff training and development is essential for improving recruitment and retention, as well as ensuring that people receive the best care and support.

What will aged care look like under the Coalition Government?

Senior executives from Melbourne’s aged care community have turned up in full force for Deloitte and iCareHealth’s first-ever aged care roundtable lunch, to discuss the implications of the 10-year plan for aged care reform ‘Living Longer Living Better’, under the Coalition Government. In this post, we review some of the key issues and concerns that were raised throughout the informative discussion.

Why collaboration in aged care is essential for future success

Throughout the month of October, our team travelled to all states in Australia to host the iCareHealth User Groups. The uptake was overwhelming, with more than 200 clients gathering to collaborate at this year’s user groups.

We believe there is a great opportunity for the aged care sector, industry and government to collaborate in order achieve a deeper understanding of the sector’s needs, articulate those requirements, and importantly, prepare to adapt to the changes that will redefine the aged care landscape.

ACSA 2013: Working together to care for an ‘experienced’ community

Speaking at the Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) National Conference in Melbourne earlier this month, former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett delivered a convincing argument on how the industry must unite in preparing to support a growing “experienced” population. Here, we report on some of the key insights that were covered on this topic.

mecwacare: Planning for a new aged care landscape – Part 2

In the second part of our discussion with Michele Lewis, Chief Executive of mecwacare, she shares more details about how her organisation is responding to staff recruitment and retention issues, as well as the increasing demand for flexible, personalised services.

mecwacare: Planning for a new aged care landscape – Part 1

Economic, demographic, social and technological changes are set to redefine the aged care landscape. In response to these industry-wide changes, aged care providers will face greater challenges and pressure than ever before. We sat down with Michele Lewis, Chief Executive of mecwacare, who shared how her organisation is responding to these emerging challenges and developing strategies to overcome them.

Building the case for electronic medication management

Improving the management of medicines within aged care is a national safety and quality priority. Beyond the obvious risks associated with non-compliance, medication-related errors have the potential to increase the risks to patient safety and at worst, contribute to more serious consequences. The good news is, the majority of medication errors are preventable.

In this post, we explore the ways electronic medication management is helping to support pharmacists to prescribe accurately, care and nursing staff to administer correctly, and ensure residents takes medications safely.

Are we ready to support our growing ageing population?

According to the latest study, the world is ageing so fast that many countries are not prepared for the significant impact of the demographic changes.

While there is no single solution that can solve all the challenges that we’re facing as a country, we expect advances in technology to be the key enabler in helping to identify and meet the needs of a population that is ageing faster than ever before.