In 2019 the Australian Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission commissioned the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) to analyse and produce a report from the data gathered from residents during Accreditation and assessment surveys for the period 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The findings included:
- Being born in an English speaking country was most often associated with reporting “a positive experience” of living in a residential aged care home,
- Size and type of organisation was also associated with a positive response
- Those homes that were smaller or operated by a not-for-profit reported more positively than those in larger or privately run homes.
The least positive reported were:
- Having staff to talk to and
- Liking the food
Whilst most respondents also felt safe and respected it was those residents who have “restricted mobility and higher care needs that reported lower satisfactions with personal autonomy”.
This report can be viewed at:
Consumers' experience of residential aged care, Australia 2017–19, Summary - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au)
The Residents Experience Survey is now an embedded regulatory process that will be undertaken across the industry for each home by “third party” providers and this year will run from February to October.
The 14 questions for 2023 are:
1. Do you like the food here?
2. Do you feel safe here?
3. Is this place well run?
4. Do you get the care you need?
5. Do staff know what they are doing?
6. Are you encouraged to do as much as possible for yourself?
7. Do staff explain things to you?
8. Do staff treat you with respect?
9. Do staff follow up when you raise things with them?
10. Are staff kind and caring?
11. Do you have a say in your daily activities?
12. How likely are you to recommend this residential aged care home to someone?
The two open-response questions are:
13.What would you say is the best thing about this service?
14. What is one thing you would suggest as an improvement at this service?
You can find further information and results from individual homes by going to:
Residents' views on their aged care home | My Aged Care
There is no doubt it is terrific that resident surveys are now undertaken independently and annually.
The challenge in the future will be how we can hear the voice of those residents who are living with advanced dementia (as well as other progressive diseases that affect cognition) and how we measure their experience of care.
Author:
Jenny Cotterell, Aged Care Project Officer, Palliative Care Victoria