Aged Care Insite Issue 111 | Feb-March 2019 | Seite 37

workforce
aged care providers, they got to understand
the practice and the standards that DSA
works under, and then they took on cases
themselves. So they got the opportunity to
look through a slightly different lens to what
they normally would, within their existing
services of Catholic Homes in Western
Australia and Blue Care in Queensland.
There were four students, I believe. If this
proves successful, do you want to see
this initiative more widely in place?
Definitely. The feedback from these
consultants in what is our first run of the
program – it was a bit of a pilot phase –
has been instrumental in developing the
next part of the program and widening
the scope.
Some of the messaging that’s come back
from the graduates has been around the
ability to translate what they’ve learned in the
program back into practice, and strengthen
their support of people living with dementia
through their aged care facilities.
It’s important that we build that capacity.
Obviously, we’re funded to provide a service
across Australia, 24/7, but with the number
of people with dementia increasing and the
acuity of people going to aged care, we
need to build capacity so there are more
resources available to support people living
with dementia.
We’re looking for participants in the next
rounds of the accreditation program. If
people are interested, they can contact
us through our email address, which is
[e-mail].
Nerida, you’re from Blue Care Metro
South in Queensland, and a recent
graduate of the program, what inspired
you to undertake this course?
NP: I was keen to do the course because of
the high profile that HammondCare has in
the industry, and also I wanted to learn more
about dementia and memory support, and I
was passionate about knowing more about
the consultant role.
What skills has the course added to your
aged care arsenal?
Well, it was really interesting, because I
come from a lifestyle background. Although
I was a nurse years ago, my focus at the
moment is lifestyle, and people living well
in our services. So for me, the big thing
that I got from this training program was
having that clinical view, and being able to
improve and increase my knowledge in the
clinical area so that I can work really well
with our clinical staff. It’s given me a holistic
view in terms of how I partner that lifestyle
approach with making sure people are living
well in their dementia.
The course was excellent. The information
was relevant and user-friendly. Like I said,
I’m not from a clinical background, and they
were aware of that in the training.
It’s given me lots of skills. Because I was
already writing reports for our services and
giving recommendations on strategies for
responsive behaviour, it’s really helped me to
hone those skills and improve my report-
writing. Also, on-the-ground working with
staff has improved all round.
Did it give you cause to re-evaluate the
level of care that we generally afford to
people with dementia?
For Blue Care, the level of care we provide
people living with dementia is a real priority,
but this has just given me more tools for
my toolbox. The component of the training
for me where we were working with the DSA
consultants was very powerful. We went
out with them to care homes, and at first we
were shadowing the consultant, and then
we led the visit. It empowered me to, first,
watch the consultants in action, and then
they supported me in being that consultant
when I went to the care homes.
Also, the peer review process through the
six months’ training was really good. You’re
seeking to get knowledge from experts
in the field and from the consultants who
work every day giving recommendations for
people living with dementia.
We also ran the helpline with DSA. It was
powerful for me because I’ve been a Lifeline
counsellor, so I was used to people calling
in, but this was more about giving practical,
on-the-spot answers to care partners that
are with people living in the community.
Also, HammondCare had dementia
experts train us. Experts in delirium and
experts in pain management came in to talk
to us about how we can improve what we
do back in our services.
HammondCare also took us across the
country to see care homes in different
parts of Australia, and to see the way that
consultants responded. That was a great
learning experience for me too.  ■
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