The aged care sector is continuing to respond to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety by taking positive steps to upskill its workforce about mental health.
More than 1,300 people registered for The National Webinar Series: Improving mental health for older people in Residential Aged Care Services, which began on Wednesday 6 March, exploring how to access the puzzling web of mental health services for people in residential aged care.
World-wide the mental health of older people is increasingly being recognised as a key area of concern with social isolation often a key contributor to poor mental health.
Here in Australia, the words ‘mental health’ appeared 15 times in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Recommendations and are included in the definition of high-quality care, through the education and training of the aged care workforce.
Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) CEO Tom Symondson says that improving the mental health outcomes of older people requires a holistic approach – and that begins with well-informed and skilled aged care professionals.
“Aged care leaders are ramping up efforts to train their teams in how to quickly identify areas of concern and access appropriate supports,” Mr Symondson said.
“By investing in continuous education and training, our members are empowering aged care teams to better understand, identify and take steps to lessen the unique mental health challenges faced by older people.
“Our members are committed to prioritising the mental health needs of older people and ensuring that their teams have the tools and knowledge necessary to deliver high-quality care.”
The webinar series is a joint collaboration between Uniting AgeWell, Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, La Trobe University, Binational Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age, the Department of Psychiatry at University of Melbourne, School of Psychiatry, University New South Wales, Dementia Support Australia, Australian Association of Gerontology, Residential Aged Care Communiqué, and Occupational Therapy Australia.
Uniting AgeWell CEO Andrew Kinnersly said Uniting AgeWell had been supporting the initiative over the past few months in partnership with Professor Joe Ibrahim and Latrobe University.
A series of 6 webinar sessions are planned for 2024, he said. Episode 2 of the series will be held Wednesday 8 May 2024 at 1pm and will focus on wellness and social inclusion.
ACCPA is also running a series of professional development workshops and webinars which focus on specific mental health training for the aged care sector.
“The sector is working hard to create an environment where older people feel valued, heard and supported in their mental health journey,” Mr Symondson said.
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