Aged Care Insite Issue 100 | April-May 2017 | Seite 33

workforce
Growing gains
Australia’s ageing population
presents a challenge to future
generations and an opportunity
for specialist workers with
an emphasis on compassion
and dignity provision.
By Glenys Wensor
T
he number of people needing aged
care services is likely to increase
fourfold by 2047. Australians
are healthier and living longer, thus it is
important to think about the implications a
rapidly ageing population will have on our
essential services.
Over the next 40 years, population
ageing and growing diversity among older
people – their care needs, preferences and
affluence – are expected to pose several
challenges to Australia’s aged care system.
Already in 2017, there is a serious shortage
in aged care workers, both in care facilities
and in home and community care.
The community services and health
industry employs 12 per cent of the total
Australian workforce, which by 2018 will
be the equivalent of one in every four jobs.
However, jobs in aged care and nursing,
specifically, will be the drivers of significant
projected industry growth over coming
years. These trends are propelled not
just by Australia’s ageing population, but
also by the fact that changing patterns
of disease and our ability to treat them
will increase the proportion of frail older
people with more complex care needs.
There is also a noticeable proportion of
wealthy older Australians who will continue
to be eligible for the age pension, allowing
them to leverage services and increase
demand for community care in the home in
alignment with their preference for greater
autonomy and choice in age care services.
Evidently, as more people age and the
nature of their needs and preferences
intensify the demand on support services,
there is a parallel increase in the need for
both labour and more highly qualified
workers. This necessary expansion in
the aged care workforce coincides with
a time of age-induced tightening in the
labour market, accentuated by competing
demands from the acute-care sector.
Clearly, upskilling workers and encouraging
more people to join the sector will be an
important element of the solution to this
impending challenge.
The aged care and health-training
landscape in Australia is rapidly evolving to
keep up to speed with societal changes.
In 2015, the aged care qualification
underwent considerable reform and is now
called Certificate III in Individual Support,
allowing for specialisations in ageing,
home and community, and disability. The
new emphasis on individual support is part
of a broader policy shift towards person-
centred care, whether it be for people who
are ageing in centre-based care, at home,
or for people with a disability.
Significant shifts in the needs of patients
call for developments in aged care training
format and focus to address the challenges
of this next generation. Delivering training
using a blended format, for instance, allows
students to attain essential knowledge and
skills in the classroom while continuing to
learn and apply knowledge in the workplace.
The use of short courses is also a
practical way to encourage aged care
workers to continue upskilling so that
they can keep up to date with the
latest developments in areas such as
preventative care, healthy ageing, grief
and loss, palliative care, dementia care and
administration of medication.
While training institutions are working
hard to keep up with this rapidly changing
industry, it is important that workers
are continually seeking opportunities to
update their training and that people are
encouraged to pursue a career in aged care.
As a registered nurse and teacher, I believe
that careers in age care or nursing are both
in great need and highly rewarding.
The aged care industry is incredibly
diverse and flexible, allowing for many
different employment options. Home and
community care can be very flexible and
is an ideal job for people re-entering the
workforce after taking time out to care for
families or for those who may want local
part-time work. Full-time, part-time and
casual work are all very accessible in this
industry. In addition, people who are either
bilingual or from a non-English-speaking
background are an increasingly valuable
addition in Australia’s multicultural society.
Australia’s rapidly ageing population
is critically mounting pressures on the
aged care sector across care facilities,
community and home care. With
many more options and significantly
greater flexibility, education and training
opportunities in aged care have never
been more accessible. Having support
and flexibility on both the training and
workforce sides of a qualification is
incredibly enticing, and Australian workers
would be wise to take up the challenge. ■
Glenys Wensor is a registered nurse and
head teacher of nursing at TAFE NSW.
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