Published 11th August 2020
The timeframe for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (Royal Commission) has been extended. The Royal Commission’s final report is now due on 26 February 2021.
Public submissions to the Royal Commission closed on 31 July 2020.
More information about the Royal Commission, including upcoming hearings, is available on the Royal Commission’s website.
Older people with advanced and life-limiting conditions face many challenges and may experience a range of psychosocial issues.
When these issues are not identified and addressed, they can have a profound impact on a person’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as on their family, friends, and carers. These issues can also affect the services provided by aged care and at-home palliative care organisations.
palliAGED has developed new evidence-based and practical resources to support Australia’s aged care workforce in providing psychosocial care. These include the:
Psychosocial Care Practice page listing evidence-based tools, links, and other information to guide aged care staff
Evidence Summary page providing a short synopsis of findings of systematic reviews on psychosocial care
Evidence Synthesis page including the latest evidence and research on:
Grant opportunities for the Business Improvement Fund for residential aged care have been extended to 30 April 2021.
The fund provides financial assistance to eligible residential aged care providers with limited access to other financial support. There are three streams of grant funding:
The fund aims to support small to medium sized providers (generally with less than 7 facilities) that have limited access to financial support that are facing significant financial pressures which may impact on care to residents, or there is a risk of service closure.
For more information, and to submit your application form, refer to Grant Opportunity GO3410 on the GrantConnect website.
Applications close at 2:00pm AEST on 30 April 2021.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety found that many people do not receive care that protects their dignity. NARI is interested in residents’ and family members’ opinions about what bladder and bowel health care should be received by people in residential aged care.
You can take part in NARI’s 15-minute survey if you are a resident, carer, family member or friend of a person living in a residential aged care home. You’ll be helping NARI develop a best-practice model of continence care.
You can complete the survey online. NARI can also mail a hardcopy of the survey and postage paid return envelopes on request.
The survey closes on 17 August 2020.
For further information, contact Dr Joan Ostaszkiewicz at
From 1 July 2020, clients accessing Social Support Group services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), and who transition to a Home Care Package (HCP), will be able to continue to access this service type as a CHSP client. These clients should not be charged cost recovery fees or asked to cease the service after transitioning to a HCP. Clients may choose to use their individualised package budget to pay the existing client contribution fee.
To be eligible for this program measure clients must have:
eligible for this program measure clients must have:
All other HCP recipients must continue to access a HCP Social Support Group as per normal program arrangements.
For more information:
see Section 4.1.1 of the CHSP Program Manual 2020-2022
contact your Community Grants Hub Funding Arrangement Manager.
Source:Unknown Author, 2020, Department of Health
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