Better health and ageing for all Australians

Aged Care eConnect

Appendix G - Virtual visiting staff and Volunteer manual

A resource kit for residential aged care facilities

In this section:

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Acknowledgement

This Resource Kit has been developed by Western District Health Service Victoria as part of the Virtual Visiting Project funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Disclaimer

This publication and all its contents are provided to assist aged care services to implement virtual visiting.

Any policies and practices dealing with these areas should be developed in the context of relevant legislation, codes of practice and other professional standards, policies and guidelines relevant to the practice setting, together with appropriate advice on legal issues.

The Australian Government and the authors expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person, whether a purchaser of this publication or not, in respect of anything and of the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any person in reliance, whether in whole or in part, upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication.

About this document
Role of a virtual visiting staff member or volunteer
Technology
Volunteer policies and procedures
Our virtual visiting process
Equipment required for virtual visits
Virtual visits
Closing

About this document

This document is intended to provide staff and volunteers with information required to facilitate virtual visits meetings between our aged care residents and their families and friends.

Audience

The intended audience for the Virtual Visiting Project Staff and Volunteer Manual is:
    • Staff and volunteers; and
    • Project partners.

How to use this document

This document provides all the information required to assist staff and volunteers with the facilitation of a virtual visit.

Further assistance

If you have any questions about the Virtual Visiting Volunteer Manual, or if you need help with a Virtual Visit, please contact.

Note for aged care facility Insert your organisation’s contact person’s name and details here.

Thank you for deciding to become involved in virtual visiting

Virtual Visiting provides aged care residents with the ability to keep connected with their families and friends via video conferencing technology. Regular contact with families and friends is important to enhance residents’ quality of life and overcome the social isolation that can be associated with admission to an aged care facility.

Role of a virtual visiting staff member or volunteer

You can play a pivotal role in the Virtual Visiting Program by facilitating visits between the resident and their family and friends. You may do this by:
    • liaising with the family and resident about the virtual visit;
    • setting up the virtual visiting equipment in a designated area;
    • ensuring that the resident is able to hear and see the screen;
    • initiating the video conference call;
    • ensuring the resident is appropriately cared for during and after the virtual visit; and
    • packing up the equipment at the end of the call.

Technology

Video conferencing uses audio and video telecommunications to bring people at different sites together in real time. Video conferencing uses either a computer, video camera or a video conferencing unit and the Internet, to conduct a live conference between two or more people. Video conferencing is an extremely useful because it allows face to face communication between people at different locations.

Volunteer policies and procedures

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a vital part of the virtual visiting program. Staff and volunteers are required to maintain the confidentiality of residents at all times.

Volunteers involved with the program should consult the Volunteer Policy for further information about our confidentiality requirements. Volunteers will usually be required to sign a Privacy, Confidentiality and Security Agreement prior to beginning work at aged care facilities.

Note for aged care facility Attach a copy of your organisation’s :
  • volunteer policy; and
  • Volunteer privacy, confidentiality and security agreement.

Responsibilities

For you to be able to effectively assist with virtual visits, you will be provided with an orientation and comprehensive training in the use of the video conferencing equipment.

Volunteers should read our Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities.

Note for aged care facility Attach a copy of your organisation’s:
  • volunteer rights and responsibilities.

Our virtual visiting process

Note for aged care facility Modify these diagrams to suit your organisation’s processes.

The virtual visit booking process (example only)

Visit is booked by family or friend
E-mail
Telephone
Booking received by the aged care facility’s virtual visiting coordinator
  • The aged care facility’s virtual visiting coordinator confirms the availability of the resident.
  • The virtual visiting coordinator organises staffing for the visit (this may involve contacting a staff member or volunteer to check their availability).
  • Once the above arrangements are made the virtual visiting coordinator confirms the booking with the resident, visitor and appropriate management and staff /volunteer within the aged care facility.
  • The coordinator prepares a booking information sheet to ensure instructions for the virtual visit are understood by staff. A sample form is contained in Appendix H.

Virtual visit facilitation process (example only)

Note for aged care facility: Modify this diagram to suit your organisation’s processes

Virtual visit has been confirmed
Staff / volunteer should arrive approximately 15 minutes prior to the virtual visit time to pick up a copy of the booking information sheet. The sheet should contain the following information:
  • Time of the visit.
  • Resident name and room number.
  • Telephone number of family member / friend and their login name for virtual visits.
  • Telephone number of facility’s virtual visiting coordinator.
  • Any other information useful to the virtual visit; e.g. position of wall points etc.
Staff member / volunteer to find the resident and arrange any necessary assistance if the resident needs to be moved.
The staff member / volunteer will:
  • open the internet videoconferencing application;
  • adjust the camera so it focuses on the resident;
  • locate the family’s name and initiate the call; and
  • ensure that the resident is able to see and hear the family member.
The resident should be left to talk in private.
At the conclusion of the virtual visit the staff member / volunteer will turn off the equipment and make necessary arrangements for the resident to be cared for prior to packing away the equipment.

Equipment required for virtual visits

To initiate a virtual visit we require a computer with a webcam that is connected to the internet.

Computer with a webcam

  • The webcams are normally located on top of a computer Monitor
  • These cameras are connected to the computer and to the Monitor

Computer with webcam


Computer setup with webcam

Speakers and microphone

These will either be built into the computer or a separate microphone or headset that will need to be connected to the computer.

Note for aged care facility It would be helpful to insert a picture of your equipment and label components, eg the webcam, microphone and speakers.

Virtual visits

Note for aged care facility

Aged care facilities should insert details about their virtual visiting system for each of the following issues into this manual.
  • Where the equipment is stored/located.
  • The equipment required within your facility.
  • Where network points are located.
  • How to set up the equipment for each resident.
  • How to use all the equipment required for virtual visits.
  • Things that need to be checked prior to a call and how to do this.
  • How to find and add contacts.
  • How to make a virtual visit call from the directory and manually.
  • How to open the video screen.
  • How to hang up from a call.
  • Troubleshoot problems.
  • Packing away the equipment.
  • Policies and procedures, including privacy, confidentiality, safety, documentation requirements, etc.
  • Where to obtain support and assistance.
    It could be helpful for staff to insert labeled pictures of the equipment. You could also include computer screen shots to illustrate how to access the virtual visiting program, find and add contacts, make a call, open the video screen, and hang up the call. You may need to seek permission from the video conferencing provider before using screen shots from their program.

    Closing

    Virtual Visiting is an exciting, rewarding and unique program. The benefits of the program are widespread and include:

    Increased social contact for the resident

    This reduces the likelihood of depression by reconnecting with family and friends. It also offers an opportunity to connect to younger family members.

    Continued family participation

    Due to distances and with our busy lives visits to a facility are not always an option. With the ability for residents to visit from the comfort of their own home, visits can be held more frequently.

    Volunteer participation

    Volunteers who may assist with virtual visiting in aged care facilities provide an important link to the community for residents

    Thank you again for agreeing to participate in the Virtual Visiting Program.

    Copyright Notice

    ©Commonwealth of Australia as represented by the Department of Health and Ageing 2010

    Disclaimer

    This document and its contents are to be used as a general resource to assist aged care facilities to run a virtual visiting program. Any aged care facility using information from this document should first obtain its own independent professional advice from a qualified person or expert to determine the suitability and appropriateness of running a virtual visiting program in its facility before relying on any information contained in this document.

    Acknowledgment

    This document has been developed by the Western District Health Service as part of the Virtual Visiting Project funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

    Creative Commons Licence

    Creative Commons Licence logo

    This work is copyright and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence, a copy of which is available from: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/.

    By exercising any rights granted to you under the above licence, you will have accepted, and have agreed to be legally bound by, the terms and conditions contained in the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (By Attribution) licence.

    Notice Requirements

    When exercising any rights granted to you under the above Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (By Attribution) licence, you must keep intact the above copyright and disclaimer notices.

    Attribution Requirements

    This document must be attributed as ‘Virtual Visiting – Keeping Connected: A Resource Kit for Residential Aged Care Facilities’.

    You must attribute the Western District Health Service by using the above acknowledgment.

    Further Inquiries

    Inquiries regarding the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence and requests for any other use of this document are to be sent via the post to the Communications Branch, Department of Health and Ageing, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, or via e-mail to copyright@health.gov.au.
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