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Aged Care Assessment Teams

ACAT Chat - November 2011

Volume 33 of ACAT Chat - Information for ACATs

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Welcome to Volume 33 of ACAT Chat

In this edition we highlight the ‘Conversations on Ageing’ currently being conducted by the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP.  The Minister is currently visiting capital cities and regional towns across Australia to listen to the views of older Australians, their families and carers on building an aged care system that supports positive ageing.  

An update is also provided on the Home and Community Care (HACC) reforms taking place under the National Health Reforms.

Good news!! Continuing Education Points can now be gained for undertaking the Refresher Courses of the ACAT National Training Resources.  Note that the Australian Association of Social Workers is offering double hour credit.

This edition also promotes the ACAP Toolkit which is currently being distributed to ACATs and is now available on the Moodle website plus other tips to support the role of the ACATs. 

These are but some of the articles in this Spring edition of the ACAT Chat.  The newsletter aims to provide ACAT members with updates on the program from a national perspective.  However, we would also like to encourage our regional members to share information of interest from their local area.
 
The ACAT Chat editorial team is therefore pleased to share an article provided by the Western Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) on ‘Demystifying Aged Mental Health’. The article reports on a Seminar which was developed as a joint project between the Western ACAS and Aged Psychiatry Assessment & Treatment Team (APATT) to address the need for mental health up skilling identified by community based aged care workers. 

We hope you enjoy reading this article and others in this edition of the ACAT Chat.

Inside this issue:
National Conversations on Ageing
Have you heard about the HACC Reforms?
The ACAP Toolkit
Continuous Professional Education Points for Refresher Training
Pressure to approve Respite
Demystifying Aged Mental Health
Department of Human Services - Medicare is extending online access to the eACCR
Guidelines for a Palliative Care approach in the community
Update on Consumer Directed Care
Moodle Tip
Aged Care - Preventing Vision Loss
Useful contacts

National Conversations on Ageing

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, is currently visiting capital cities and regional towns across Australia to listen to the views of older Australians, their families and carers on building an aged care system that supports positive ageing.

Minister Butler’s ‘Conversations on Ageing’ provide an avenue for community response to recommendations from the Productivity Commission’s Final Report Caring for Older Australians, as well as ideas for positive and healthy ageing.

The Productivity Commission’s report, released on 8 August 2011, contains an analysis of the aged care sector and recommends an integrated package of reforms for the future of aged care in Australia.

The Australian Government has indicated that the Commission’s recommendations will be considered as part of its broader ageing agenda.

In formulating its response, the Government will be guided by four overarching principles.

• Older Australians have earned the right to be able to access quality care and support that is appropriate to their needs, when they need it.
• Older Australians deserve greater choice and control over their care arrangements than the system currently gives them.
• Funding arrangements for aged care must be sustainable and fair for both older Australians and for the broader community.
• Older Australians deserve to receive quality care from an appropriately skilled workforce.

Further information on Minister Butler’s ‘Conversations on Ageing’ is available on the Minister’s blog at http://agedcareconversations.govspace.gov.au
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Have you heard about the HACC Reforms?

The Home and Community Care (HACC) reforms are a part of the changes taking place under the National Health Reforms.

Under the National Health Reform Agreement the Commonwealth will take full funding, policy, management and delivery responsibility for a consistent and unified aged care system covering basic home care through to residential care.

The HACC reforms involve transitioning services for older people, that is non-Indigenous people aged 65 years and over (50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), and their    carers, to Commonwealth funding agreements.

The HACC reforms, in all states except Victoria and Western Australia, are being  implemented in two stages:

From 1 July 2011, the Commonwealth is funding basic community aged care services, through an agreement with state and territory governments. The state and territory governments are continuing to administer the program. Service providers will continue to receive their funding through the state or territory government.

From 1 July 2012, the Commonwealth will fund and administer basic community aged care services. This will involve direct funding agreements between the Commonwealth and service providers who deliver services to older people and their carers.

State and territory governments will still operate and fund basic community care and disability services for people aged less than 65 years (less than 50 years of age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people).

The Commonwealth, state and territory governments are working together to implement these new arrangements. This includes working with stakeholders in the aged care sector to ensure they are aware of the changes and have a chance to provide feedback on the changes taking place.

To date, more than 2500 service providers have attended consultation sessions about these changes in locations around Australia, from Adelaide to Alice Springs and from Cairns to Canberra. These sessions will continue throughout the transition.

Industry briefings will be held in November and December to support service providers to enter into new contracts with the Commonwealth. These sessions will provide advice on the new program  manual for HACC aged care services, funding arrangements and the new service provider portal.

For more information about the HACC reforms visit www.yourhealth.gov.au and click on the aged care tab, or email HACC.Reform@health.gov.au

Aged Care Assessment Program (ACAP) Toolkit

The Aged Care Assessment Program (ACAP) Toolkit has been developed in recognition of the need to improve consistency of Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) assessments and decision making, as well as improve outcomes for clients and service providers.

The Toolkit was developed by the National Ageing Research Institute on behalf of the Australian Government.  The content of the toolkit was based on recommendations by the Aged Care Assessment Program Expert Clinical Reference Group (ACAP ECRG) who  identified a set of validated assessment tools appropriate for use by ACATs in the comprehensive assessment of frail older people.

The ACAP Toolkit may be used by both new and experienced ACAT assessors and includes tools to assess a person's cognitive and physical function (which will be common to all assessments) and follow up tools when the need for more in depth assessment is     identified.  The assessment will be able to cover the needs of both the aged person and the person who cares for them (the carer).

It is not compulsory for ACATs to utilise the ACAP Toolkit.  However, its use will improve the national consistency and quality of comprehensive assessments of frail older people and ensure that decision making by delegates is consistent and transparent.  We would therefore strongly encourage using the ACAP Toolkit to improve outcomes for clients and service providers.

The ACAP Toolkit is available in both hard copy and web-based format.  Each ACAT has received one ACAP Toolkit, and ACAT Education Officers have also received an ACAP Toolkit for Assessment Training - Facilitator’s Guide for training assistance. 

In addition, training resources associated with the ACAP Toolkit are available on the Moodle website at www.acat.moodle.com.au.

If you have any queries, please contact your state/territory training coordinator.
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Continuous Professional Education Credit - National RefersherTraining

Recognition of completion of the National ACAT Training Resources for continuing professional education (CPE) credit has been obtained from four peak professional  organisations representing core delegate disciplines:

Physiotherapy – Australian Physiotherapy Association
Occupational Therapy – Occupational Therapy Australia
Social Worker – Australian Association of Social Workers
Nurse – Royal College of Nursing, Australia

Credit can be claimed for completing a refresher training course after the approval dates of the courses as listed in the table below. The number of hours that can be claimed is also listed in the table. Note that the Australian Association of Social Workers is offering double hour credit.

Course	Professional Organisation	Approval Date	CPE Hours
Generic	APA	01/07/11	3
Assessor	APA	01/07/11	3
Manager	APA	01/07/11	2
Delegate	APA	01/07/11	4
Generic	AASW	01/08/11	2 x 3
Assessor	AASW	01/08/11	2 x 3
Manager	AASW	01/08/11	2 x 2
Delegate	AASW	01/08/11	2 x 4
Generic	OTA	01/08/11	3
Assessor	OTA	01/08/11	3
Manager	OTA	01/08/11	2
Delegate	OTA	01/08/11	4
Generic	RCNA	07/10/11	3
Assessor	RCNA	07/10/11	3
Manager	RCNA	07/10/11	2
Delegate	RCNA	07/10/11	4

Separate Certificates of Completion for the Refresher course will be made available on ACAT Moodle site for each of these peak professional organisations. Each certificate will contain    information as specified by the peak body, including the continuing professional education hours achieved.

The credit hours that can be claimed for the initial National ACAT Training Resources and the approval dates when they can be claimed were provided in the Volume 32, July 2011 issue of ACAT CHAT.

Pressure to approve Respite

Residential respite care is provided as an alternative care arrangement with the primary purpose of giving a carer or care recipient a short term break from their usual care arrangement. 

Residential respite care places should be made available to appropriate clients on a planned or emergency basis to help with carer stress, illness, holidays or the unavailability of the carer for any reason.

Some aged care service providers are refusing to accept residents, who have been approved for permanent residential care, unless they have also been approved for residential respite care.

Aged care service providers have the ultimate discretion to accept or not accept clients into their care. If a facility only wishes to accept residents who already have an assets assessment then they are able to do so. However, this decision should not mean that they put pressure on ACATs to approve clients for a type of care which is inappropriate.

An ACAT assessment is designed to assess the care needs of a frail older person, in order to   assist them gain access to the most appropriate types of care.  It is not undertaken for the benefit of the aged care provider to gather information about clients prior to admitting them on a permanent basis.  Facilities should not be directing ACATs to approve a client for respite care, where this care is not appropriate for them and they require permanent care.

Section 8-3 of the Aged Care Act 1997 indicates that in determining the suitability of people to  provide aged care, the Secretary takes into consideration a number of key issues. These include the applicant's conduct as a provider, compliance with its responsibilities as a provider and its   obligations arising from the receipt of any payments from the Commonwealth for providing that aged care.

If an ACAT is affected by this, and wishes to lodge a complaint about a Service Provider, they can contact the Aged Care Complaints Scheme on 1800 550 552 (toll free) or can visit the Scheme's website at  http://agedcarecomplaints.govspace.gov.au.

The Scheme provides a free service for people to raise concerns about the quality of care and  services provided to people receiving Australian Government subsidised residential or community aged care services.
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Demystifying Aged Mental Health

It was a shock to the 152 strong audiences attending the “Demystifying Aged Mental Health” Seminar on 17 August at Western Hospital Footscray to hear of Western Bulldogs AFL Coach Rodney Eade’s surprise sacking.  But for plenary convener Senior Consultant Geriatrician  Dr Richard Whiting aged care & football are primary passions where goals, team work, stamina and keeping your eye on the ball are fundamentals.

The Seminar was developed as a joint project between the Western Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) and Aged Psychiatry Assessment & Treatment Team (APATT) to address the need for mental health upskilling identified by community based aged care workers.  Western Health clinician’s contributions ensured the content was rigorous and challenging.

So ACAS & APATT set out to provide a morning to tackle the key concerns for community service providers in negotiating the mental health system and covering the top presenting issues for APATT of Depression, Late Onset Psychosis, BPSD and Anxiety.  Mental Health services in District Nursing, General Practice and in the Community Sector were flagged as options for case managers struggling with complex client needs and the direct service and consultancy roles of Western APATT made clear.

Western ACAS has a track record of successful half day seminars aimed at aged care providers at the coal face; in 2009 the topic of Hoarding & Senile Squalor generated a lively response with the Fire Services and RSPCA providing graphic and at times moving examples of the predicaments of Hoarders and those living with them.  This has evolved into a service working group intervening with this complex problem.

In 2010 Western ACAS presented on “Less Well Known Forms of Dementia” covering the particular issues for People with Fronto Temporal and Alcohol Related Dementia.

Apart from the Bulldogs fortunes, the concluding plenary session was not without controversy, with the limited access for psycho geriatric consultation for Western Health inpatients highlighted and the impact of both the ageing profile & rapid expansion of the West’s population.

There are indeed challenges ahead in providing mental health services that meet this ever growing area of need, this inter team collaboration has help forge better partnership between the 2 services to continue to recognize, plan and respond.

As for 2012’s seminar the topic area still yet to be decided, the enthusiastic community response and feedback for further training will ensure a topical & thought provoking session, with no doubt room for sporting culture references close to the West’s heart.

Written by the Western Aged Care Assessment Service Victoria 

Department of Human Services - Medicare is extending online access to the Electronic ACCR

Access to the electronic Aged Care Client Record (eACCR) through the Department of Human Services - Medicare’s Aged Care Online Claiming system is currently available to aged care service providers of residential and community care.

Medicare, in a project funded by the Department of Health and Ageing, will be extending this access to providers of:

• Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH)
• Extended Aged Care at Home with Dementia (EACHD)
• Transition Care
• Multi-Purpose Services (MPS)
• Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres (CRCC)

For an eligible provider to gain online access to the eACCR, they must be registered in Medicare’s Online Claiming System.

Further information on how to register will be released in the coming months.

Guidelines for a Palliative Care Approach for Aged Care in the Community

The Guidelines for a Palliative Approach for Aged Care in the Community are now available.

They have been developed by experts in palliative care and evidence-based medicine and approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Topics in the Guidelines include advance care planning and directives, symptom management, psychosocial care and spiritual support. Sections relating to specific approaches for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and other adults with specific needs or perspectives are also included.

Four documents have been developed as part of the guidelines package including:
• The main guideline document - Guidelines for a Palliative Approach for Aged Care in the Community Setting;
• A reference document which includes evidence to support the Guidelines for a Palliative Approach for Aged Care in the Community Setting (note – this document is only available electronically);
• A supporting booklet for care workers; and
• A supporting booklet for older people receiving care, their families and friends.

The two supporting booklets are written in plain English and are additional resources that summarise points from the main guideline document.

The Guidelines for a Palliative Approach for Aged Care in the Community Setting are available:

• for downloading at www.health.gov.au/palliativecare   or
• by contacting palliativecare@health.gov.au

Update on Consumer Directed Care

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, announced the successful applicants for round two of the Consumer Directed Care (CDC) initiative on 30 June 2011.

In round two, 500 CDC packaged care places and 200 Consumer Directed Respite Care (CDRC) places were released.  This brings the total number of places available over the two rounds of the initiative to 1,000 CDC package care places and 400 CDRC places.  All places are funded until 30 June 2012.

Overall, a total of 60 Approved Providers will deliver the 1,000 CDC packaged care places across 67 aged care planning regions nationally.  Thirty six Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres (Centres) will deliver the 400 CDRC places across 36 Home and Community Care (HACC) planning regions.

An evaluation of both types of CDC is being conducted on behalf of the Department of Health and Ageing by KPMG.  As part of the evaluation, KPMG is seeking feedback and information from care recipients, carers and service providers.  The evaluation includes surveys, interviews and data collection, all of which are well underway.  An Evaluation Reference Group is also meeting on a regular basis to assist in the evaluation.

Further information about CDC, including the evaluation, and details of the Approved Providers and Centres, is available on the Department of Health and Ageing website at: http://www.health.gov.au/cdc
 

Moodle Tip

Have you not logged into ACAT Moodle for some time?  OR

Has some of your profile information changed, e.g. email address, name, ACAT?

To ensure that your records are kept up to date and that you receive any automatic messages sent from Moodle, take a few minutes to update your personal profile.

Go to your profile page and click on “edit profile”. Check that the General Information is  current and scroll down to Additional Information to update your ACAT and whether you are a  delegate.

Moodle site:  http://www.acat.moodle.com.au
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Aged Care - Preventing Vision Loss

Vision Initiative

A partnership promoting eye health and vision care

Aged care workers know that good vision assists healthy ageing, prevents falls and enables older people to remain active and independent.

75% of vision loss is avoidable or preventable in Australia.

The Victorian Vision Initiative and learning seat have developed online eye health education for health professionals to assist them to reduce vision loss among their clients.

It is titled "Introduction to Eyes".

The interactive education includes:

• an overview of the anatomy and physiology of the eye
• the five common causes of vision loss in Australia
• the impact of vision loss from these conditions
• the risk factors associated with each condition
• referral pathways and how to prevent vision loss.

The education takes about one hour to complete and has built-in self assessment.

The education and supporting resources can be accessed via the health professionals tab of the Vision Initiative website http://www.visioninitiative.org.au

ACAT Information Sheet Translated Versions

The ACAT Information Sheet  - ‘How ACATs can help you’ - is now available in 18 different languages and can be downloaded from the ACAT specific website. 

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-publicats-multi.htm

Alternatively, go to www.health.gov.au  > click on the “For Consumers” tab > scroll down to “Ageing” > and click “Support for people with special needs” from the menu options on the left.

The languages include:
Arabic
Chinese
Croatian
Dutch
French
German
Greek
Hungarian
Italian
Macedonian
Maltese
Polish
Russian
Serbian
Spanish
Tagalog
Vietnamese

Your feedback on these translated documents would be greatly appreciated, especially if you find any discrepancies with the actual translations.  Please contact acats@health.gov.au

If you would like to order hard copies, please contact
National Mailing and Marketing.
Telephone: (02) 6269 1080 Fax: (02) 6260 2770     
e-mail: NMM@nationalmailing.com.au

ACAT Chat contacts

ACAT CHAT provides ACAT members with updates on the program from a national perspective. We would like to encourage our regional members to share information of interest from their local area.

Informative articles and experiences give members a chance to connect with their interstate
counterparts.

Your feedback, contributions and suggestions for articles to ACAT CHAT are most welcome.  Staff of the Department of Health and Ageing respond to all correspondence promptly. 

Please forward any contributions to either of the following contact points:
E-mail: acats@health.gov.au
Mail: ACAT CHAT
Aged Care Assessment Program Section
Department of Health and Ageing
MDP 600
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA  ACT  2601

The information booklet 5 Steps to Entry into Residential Aged Care is available on line at: www.health.gov.au

Select “For Health Professionals | Aged Care | Publications” and choose 5 Steps to Entry into Residential Aged Care from the “In this section” box.

Or call 1800 200 422

The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing provides the 5 Steps to Entry into Residential Aged Care booklets as a free service to older Australians who may need to access residential aged care.

The booklets should only be provided to ACAT clients who will be recommended for approval to enter residential care.

The Commonwealth has noted that the number of booklets provided to ACATs each year is far greater than the number of approvals for residential care.

This represents a significant cost, and provision of the booklet only to clients who are likely to access residential care in the near future will help to contain that cost.

Useful Contancts

The Department of Health and Ageing has recently reviewed its operational processes. As part of this  process, many responsibilities related to the Aged Care Assessment Program have been transferred from the state and territory offices (STO) of the Department to Central Office in Canberra. 

A range of different enquiries and communications which would previously have been sent to your STO should now be directed to the nominated contact points. 

Please refer to your Manager or your State or Territory Government representative for further information.

General consumer enquiries on aged care Call:  1800 200 422
Website: www.agedcareaustralia.gov.au

ACAT queries (including queries about eACCR) Website:  www.health.gov.au/acats
Email: enquiries@health.gov.au

Queries from Approved Providers on Fees & Charges Call:   1800 900 554
Email: enquiries@health.gov.au
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