news
Growing the sector
Membership open for Aged Care
Industry Reference Committee.
T
he chair of the Australian Industry and Skills Committee,
John Pollaers, has urged the aged care industry to back
the newly established Aged Care Industry Reference
Committee and nominate members.
Pollaers said the Aged Care IRC needed to be driven by industry
members to ensure the success of the sector, and should reflect
the diversity present across the different areas of healthcare.
“Bringing about real change requires a whole of community and
industry effort,” Pollaers said.
“We need to examine entry-level qualifications and
career pathways, along with recognition of the full range of
competencies required as we move towards living well models
of care and recognise the benefits of integrated care.
“As aged care evolves to become more consumer-centred,
service providers and employees will need to strengthen
their workforce with access to a broader range of skills and
competencies, delivered through flexible training options.”
Pollaers, who also heads the federal government’s Aged
Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce, added that the aged care
community had said there was a “clear case for change” in the
education and training of the aged care workforce.
The Aged Care IRC will be tasked with consulting industry and
consumer advocates, and identifying barriers to skilling in areas
such as care planning and management, dementia care, consumer
experience, quality of life, palliative care, nutrition and food,
mental health, pain management and leadership.
“Industry’s feedback highlights a number of areas to strengthen
the current education and skilling programs to produce job-
ready graduates with the right technical and behavioural skills,”
Pollaers said. “The Aged Care IRC is a watershed opportunity that
will help ensure the education and training system stays ahead of
industry and community expectations and provides safe, quality
care for all Australians.”
The Aged Care IRC will be responsible for reforms related to the
qualifications framework in the sector, and will identify the skills
most needed by workers, as well as the changing requirements of
consumers. The structure and membership of the committee will
be open for public consultation. ■
Talking book
on dementia
launched online
The resource is designed for carers
and people who are concerned
about memory issues or who’ve
had a dementia diagnosis.
A
new digital talking book aims to
make healthcare information easily
accessible to carers and those
with dementia.
8
agedcareinsite.com.au
Bolton Clarke’s Information on
Dementia in English was developed in
collaboration with Dementia Australia
and recently released online.
The digital book is the seventh in
a series of publications that support
health literacy across different subjects.
Diversity manager Jaklina Michael
said the project involved 12 months of
consultation and design, and would be
accessible to those with low literacy and
vision impairment, as well as residents
who rely on an interpreter.
“The resource is designed for people
who have concerns about memory
issues or have recently had a dementia
diagnosis and their families and carers,”
she said.
“It includes topics like diagnosis,
dementia and communication;
dementia and behaviour; self-care
information for people with dementia;
safety; how to support people with
dementia with daily tasks; driving and
travel; and planning for the future.
“Dementia is a national health priority
for the Australian government and
has profound consequences for the
health and quality of life of people
with the condition, their family and
friends.
“Bolton Clarke is committed to
assisting people to learn about
and better manage their health,
and Information on Dementia in
English presents information on how to
look after yourself in a way that is easy
to understand.”
The resource is available at https://
www.boltonclarke.com.au/talking-
books/information-on-dementia/
english/. ■