Published 12th November 2020
The Australian Government will roll out a COVID-19 mental health campaign, ‘How’s your head today?’ to urge people to prioritise their mental health, raise awareness about how to identify when something is wrong, and encourage people to seek help.
The campaign encourages all Australians to check in with how they are feeling. The campaign recognises the emotions many people are feeling and illustrates the actions they can take to help themselves feel better.
The campaign will be provided in 15 languages across radio and print including Vietnamese, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Punjabi, Hindi, Khmer, Thai, Turkish, Persian and Macedonian.
For information, advice and support services visit the Head to Health website.
Read the Minister for Health’s media statement.
The Australian Government is funding a program of Residential Aged Care Visitor Assistants (RACVAs). This will help Victorian residential aged care facilities to welcome visitors.
The primary role of the RACVA is to assist residents with visitors and remote contact, including:
Training for RACVAs has included use of PPE, infection control practices, and working with people with dementia.
RACVAs are placed and funded for a maximum of 8 weeks. RACVAs will support residents and relieve the pressure the aged care workforce is experiencing in the pandemic.
Providers in Victoria can contact directly to discuss opportunities for onboarding an RACVA.
See more information on the DHHS guidance for visitors in Victoria.
Australians living in aged care are among those most vulnerable to becoming seriously unwell with COVID-19. Stopping this virus from spreading into Victoria’s aged care facilities is our top priority. Testing gives health authorities the chance to find people with COVID-19 who are working in aged care, before they appear unwell. This will help health authorities identify where community transmission is occurring, before there are COVID-19 outbreaks.
In October, the Australian Government expanded capacity for testing of asymptomatic aged care workers in Victoria. Residential aged care services in Victoria have been or will be contacted to be offered in-reach testing for aged care workers. Services in hotspot locations will be prioritised. We have updated fact sheets to provide further information for aged care workers and aged care facilities in Victoria. Further information for aged care staff in Victoria is available on the Department’s website.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer has issued Aged Care Direction no. 13 which came into effect on 3 November 2020.
Key changes from November 3 include:
Visitors should:
Visitors, staff or volunteers at the facility should not be anyone who:
From 5 November, the Emergency Management (Residential Aged Care Facilities No 12) (COVID-19) Direction 2020 came into effect.
The Direction protects residents, staff and others from the risk of transmission of COVID-19, while supporting the rights and wellbeing of residents and their families.
Personal care workers in residential aged care facilities may work across multiple sites provided they notify the facility operator. The facility operator must also keep a register of any workers who provide care at more than one facility.
Residents of facilities will need to be isolated following a COVID-19 test until the result of their test is known. Nursing, medical, allied health and personal care workers are required to wear personal protective equipment when working within 1.5 metres of any resident awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test.
Operators of residential aged care facilities are required to follow a COVID-19 Infection Control Plan approved by the Department for Health and Wellbeing (SA) relating to all communal areas.
All people providing nursing care or personal care to residents must complete COVID-19 Infection Control Training determined by the Department for Health and Wellbeing (SA). Records of this training must be provided to an authorised officer on request.
View details on the residential aged care direction as well as further directives on Aged care facility visitation and general information on aged care - COVID-19 in SA.
Source:Unknown Author, 2020, Department of Health
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