What Are the 3 Main Types of Aged Care Services in Australia
We explain the 3 main types of aged care in Australia and how you can improve delivery of aged care services in your care home.
When we think of aged care, typically we think of residential care homes, but did you know there are more types of aged care services available?
In this blog, we'll look at each of the different main types and show you how you can make your care operations more efficient and deliver better aged care support services.
Australia’s three main types of aged care services
Short-term care is beneficial for residents that need a shorter stay and don’t have significant illnesses, offering families relief. Respite care is another short-term agreement; however, the person being cared for remains in their home. Home care is the most relaxed out of the options, where a person remains living their normal life at home, but they are looked after by a carer when they need help.
Let’s take a closer look into the different types of cares, as well as their advantages.
1. Residential Care
Residential care refers to the general care and support that is provided in a standard elderly care home. Usually, this is a form of government-funded aged care, however there are a plethora of private residential aged care services as well. This permanent residential aged care can last many years, or as long as the resident needs.
Also known as personal care or assisted living, residential care homes usually have many older people living collectively in single rooms. Services included with residential care can include washing, dressing, administering, and giving medication. Depending on the personal needs of a resident, aged care service can also include helping with eating and exercising.
On a day-to-day basis, staff help to support residents through all times of the day:
Morning care will typically involve assistance with waking up and preparing, bathing, administering medications, practising good hygiene and of course dressing.
Day care can involve support getting around the care home by supporting them upstairs or pushing wheelchairs where necessary. It can also involve assistance with eating, helping with social interaction and ensuring residents are hydrated.
Evening/nightly care helps residents to get ready for bed and get into a comfortable sleeping position, changing continence pads if applicable and taking care of other health related complications such as a catheter bag.
2. Short-term Care
Short-term care describes a care arrangement for a shorter period. This is usually applicable for residents that have just come out of a hospital stay following a period of illness or surgery. However, it can also be a relief for families that may not have the resources to provide care for a specific time. This aged care system can be broken down into 2 different categories:
Respite Care
Home respite care is a short-term agreement in which a person is cared for by a professional carer whilst remaining in their own home. It allows families to take a break from caring for a specific period.
Intermediate Care
Intermediate care is more suited to provide support for a short time to enable recovery and rehabilitation from an illness/hospital treatment. It may also be suitable for those that are lining with specialist conditions that affect older people.
The intention behind intermediate care is to achieve specific goals over a shorter time while minimising disruption to routines and avoiding spending time in hospitals.
3. Home Care
Home care allows for everyday living in a senior's own home, while still receiving all the health care support services they need. It can be a great option for residents that needs extra help in and around the house, where they can still live independently and happily and remain in familiar surroundings. It's also a convenient option if family members are not easily accessible as it can provide them with relief.
Home aged care programs also help seniors to get out of the house, whether it's doing exercise, pursuing hobbies or even socialising. Should you request, home carers can even visit family members or accompany you on holidays to ensure your safety and wellbeing needs are met.
How to deliver outstanding aged care services to residents
Delivering outstanding residential aged care can be achieved with the help of expert carers who are trained in accommodating an individual's need and provide them with the right service at the right time.
However, for carers to work most efficiently, the latest up-to-date technology is paramount. With communication and management systems in place, it can make coordination between carers much simpler, and residents will be able to communicate faster when they have an issue. There are many great tools to help caring for residents more convenient, while helping to maximise residents’ daily happiness and comfort.
Discover Centrim Life
Centrim Life is an all-in-one operations management and community engagement software that makes all aspects of care life more convenient. It offers a complete suite of modules that you can specifically pick and choose, based on your facility's needs. Some of the features include:
How can Centrim Life help residential aged care providers
A carer's primary focus is to provide support to residents and ensure their needs are being met at a fast pace. If they're wrapped up in admin work, things can take a lot longer and some residents aren't always able to receive the right treatment when they need it. Utilising Centrim Life will allow for a much quicker communication, where a resident can either order food directly online or communicate that they need assistance at a specific time. This will instantly notify a carer who will be able to address the issue in the shortest space of time possible.
Visitor management services can also make it much quicker to plan for family visits and prevent pointless time being wasted on admin work, making the process quicker for both the family and the resident.
Request a Centrim Life demo
At PCS, we aim to provide only the best quality of life to all residents and using the best monitoring and management tools available is a great way to help achieve this goal. If you wish to trial the software, you can book a demo on our Centrim Life page. If you have any additional queries or are interested in setting up the best management tools for your care home, don't hesitate to contact us.
Speak to us about Centrim Life and how it could work for you
