A new report on the nation’s growing elderly army released yesterday, found homes of the future would need to be custom-fitted with such emerging new technologies, to cope with the nation’s burgeoning number of seniors.

As as many as 7.7 million Australians will be aged over 65 and a further 1.8 million over 85 by 2050.

As early as 2018, many of them could be sporting implants designed to monitor their vital signs and looking to friendly robots for social support.

The 100-page report Smart Technology For Healthy Longevity was compiled by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

It found the development and implementation of next-generation technology was crucial if future generations of Australians were to live long, independent lives.

“The application of smart technologies to issues of ageing, offers opportunities for savings in the public and private sectors, plus improved quality of life for seniors,” the report’s authors found.

The concept of linking clever new innovations to medical aspects of ageing has been dubbed “gerontechnology”.

The report found “ageing in place” supported by smart technologies, offered the potential for substantial savings in residential aged care.

This could be achieved through reduced admissions to hospitals and early warning of changing health patterns to minimising falls and accidents in the home.

The study found many solutions for elderly-friendly housing depend on information and communication breakthroughs to address social, personal health monitoring, shopping and education.

“While these can be installed in existing homes, future dwellings will need to be custom-designed to incorporate such systems and to cater to the needs of people.”

The report contains a range of recommendations, including better co-ordination of research and funding in the development and application of new technology for the elderly.

It also suggested a Productivity Commission probe into potential savings from using technology to enable seniors to live in their homes up to a decade longer.

(source: Greg Thom From: Herald Sun July 26, 2010)

The payment system changes will be implemented in June 2010 and the next claim processed in July will include the adjusted subsidy payments.

For those of our Clients who are using Version 9.06 of ResCare you will be pleased to know that these changes are already in place. This means that you have the resources to enable you to check the adjustment when you receive them. For those who are using ResCare and the on-line claiming Sub-Module you should be able to use the reconciliation function to ensure that the adjustment you will receive are correct and in line with your expectations.

Medicare has informed Aged Care facilities of the following:

Care recipients currently being paid the default low subsidy rate of $44.98 and appraised at one of the ACFI categories below will be affected by the change.

Note: the exception to this is care recipients that were in care before 1 January 2010 and appraised as Nil-High-Nil (NHN) or Nil-Nil-Medium (NNM). The subsidy for these care recipients will continue to be paid at the default low rate (currently $44.98) until they are re-appraised or transferred to another service. 

For Assistance with your subsidy reconciliations emails can be sent to admin@caresystems.com.au or you can call on 1800 777 549. Support charges do apply.

By now, you have attended workshops outlining the changes bought about by the introduction of the 2010 Modern Awards. If you were affected by these changes you would already have ….

• Found out that PayCare will handle these changes
• Found out how to change your current set up
• Got advice on the best approach
• Implemented the changes that affected you from the 1 January, 2010?

It is now time to consider the second tier changes that will come into effect on the 1 July, 2010? If you have already been affected by the January

Changes then you might need to find out ….

• What is the best approach
• How to change your current setup

Be prepared to implement the changes to be ready for the next tier of changes which come into effect on the 1 July, 2010

Contact Care Systems & Associates on 1800 777 549 or admin@caresystems.com.au  ASAP to discuss and schedule a time to assist you with the transition.

You need to have a provider statement in place so your service can register and lodge events either online using the Aged Care Online Claiming website or using paper-based forms. If you do not submit the statement by 30 June 2010, you will not be able to register and lodge events.

The provider statement must be signed by key personnel. If you are an approved provider and operate more than one aged care service, complete one provider statement and attach the list of services. Each attached page also needs to be signed by key personnel.

Send all completed and signed statements to:

Aged Care Payments

Medicare Australia

GPO Box 9923

in your capital city

Aged Care providers in the following locations need to send the provider statement to different locations.

• Northern Territory send to Adelaide SA 5001
• Australia Capital Territory send to Sydney NSW 2001
• Tasmania send to Melbourne Vic 3001

The provider statement was sent to all aged care providers in April 2010. If you have not received your 2010–11 provider statement you can download the Annual Aged Care approved provider statement.

For more information call the Aged Care Online Claiming helpdesk on 1800 195 206* (option 1).

Source: Aged Care ENews – May 2010 Edition

We did not have a good implementation plan and wasted time and money trying to do it as part of our daily work.

It’s important to have a dedicated project manager to drive the project.

Enormous amount of unfunded resources are needed to implement a project and organisations need to “dip” into any profits.

It is all about change management, keeping key personnel informed, motivating and encouraging staff, giving recognition to those who are trying and keeping focused on the end result and staying within the planned timeframe as much as possible.

Taking your staff with you is the most critical aspect. Slow and methodical implementation will ensure staff knowledge of the program and ensure accurate data is entered. It needs to become second nature to all.

The biggest problem is staff training to optimise the full benefits of the software.

Vendor is key; after-sales support is what makes or breaks the implementation. Users will only settle into an application over time – and this needs vendor involvement to maintain the gains.

Don’t believe all the promises of the vendor.

Don’t be too ambitious – allow plenty of time to make big changes.

Source: National survey on IT implementation, KM group 2010, Aged Care Insite www.agedcareinsite.com.au

Using common video conferencing technology such as Skype, facilities in regional NSW and central and south-west Queensland are overcoming the tyranny of distance and helping residents stay connected with family and friends.

Technology not only enhances communication between residents and the broader community but helps to reconnect them with a familiar past. Programs such as Google Earth, for example, are being used by multicultural residents to locate their birthplace.

Improving the quality of resident social interaction is one outcome of a four-site pilot program intended to expand the use of IT in aged care.

Church Resources, in partnership with 10 industry and not-for-profit organisations, has developed the ConnectCare program designed to make IT infrastructure and software available to small and medium-sized providers across Australia.

The initial results of the project have been presented in the recently released white paper, ‘Golden opportunity: How information technology can rejuvenate Australia’s aged care sector,’ co-authored by Church Resources and project partner, KPMG.

In the document, Church Resources argues that access to high speed broadband and technology can not only improve the quality of life of residents but help manage the sector’s limited resources through time and staff efficiencies.

“We believe making relevant technology more accessible, affordable and easy to use can be a catalyst to reinvigorating this critical sector to help meet the aged care needs of today’s and tomorrow’s senior Australians,” it says.

The present context also provides a unique opportunity to leverage the government’s existing e-Health and e-Business agenda to boost the sector’s resources, the white paper argues.

In particular, by making IT more accessible and affordable, the government’s national broadband network can facilitate the roll out of technology to the resource-poor areas of rural and remote Australia.

Current usage of IT

Some aged care facilities have already made positive progress in implementing IT but for the majority of providers this step has proven extremely difficult. IT expertise within the sector is minimal and technology use is often not extended to residents.

The white paper cites an IT survey conducted by the Department of Health and Ageing that found facilities with 300-plus beds were typically using a small number of unconnected computers and running a mix of disparate operating systems and software. These facilities also rarely employ an IT manager which diverts the responsibility of technology issues to an already overburdened nursing staff.

“Often management and nursing staff are required to spend valuable time managing IT systems, despite their lack of expertise or time to adequately evaluate or implement systems and services.” says Malcolm Alder, digital business partner with KPMG.

Less resourced facilities with fewer than 300 beds face a bleaker situation with many using outdated equipment with little or no IT support staff.

A lack of sector-specific knowledge from technology suppliers and inadequate supplier training are cited as the sector’s most significant grievances. An ageing workforce, the dominance of part-time and volunteer workers and a lack of confidence in using technology all complicate the broad implementation of IT.

Cost is also regarded as a major barrier to uptake, even amongst early adopters of technology.

According to a national implementation survey conducted by specialist technology consultant KM Group, this reveals a lack of understanding of the value of technology as a business enabler.

Many providers have adopted a cautious approach towards technology, where implementation is driven by external pressure to change rather than by its own strategic goals. This view regards IT “as a cost centre rather than value generator”, says the report.

Signs of IT maturity, however, are emerging. Qualitative data collected from the KM Group’s survey of 87 aged care facilities indicated an intention by some to integrate operational expansion and increased productivity with the use and need for IT.

The sector is successfully using eBusiness initiatives with 81 per cent of aged care services currently engaged in electronic transmissions with Medicare Australia, says a spokesman from the Department of Health and Ageing.

Change management

The take up of technology profoundly alters staff responsibilities and work practices and therefore must be implemented in a slow and staged fashion, says Alder.

Staff readiness is more important than software selection and the implementation of IT must be embedded in a broader vision and mindset change.

“The best advice is not to try anything too big bang. The single biggest mistake a provider can make is to get the staff offside. The results could be more timely, costly and even counterproductive,” says Alder.

In the best examples of success, momentum for advancement comes from strong leadership and local champions who diffuse a lack of confidence with effective communication, staff support and comprehensive training.

Indicative of the degree of resistance within the sector, a nurse at one of the pilot sites tendered her resignation in the initial phase of implementation and refused to take part in the training program.

Successful implementation is not only about changing workplace practice, it is about changing values and attitudes, says Con Koulouris, IT director, Church Resources.

Having the right technology alone is not sufficient. The transformation has to be supported by an integrated change plan revising job descriptions, building design and performance assessment.

The level of comfort and resident satisfaction towards the new technology-driven workplace is also heavily influenced by staff attitude.

To drive the implementation of affordable and appropriate broadband and technology, greater collaboration between independent aged care facilities is also needed, Church Resources says.

“By working collectively, facilities can have a stronger position with service providers as well as software, hardware, content and integration specialists to deliver clever solutions and applications at a much lower per cost.”

Outsourcing IT to an expert third party will also reduce the management and infrastructure burden of managing their own technology.

Although the initial ConnectCare pilot sites have targeted facilities with fewer than 200 beds, Alder says the results can apply to the experience of larger, commercial providers as the cost dynamics are more acute in smaller facilities.

As staff and resident computer literacy improves, the confidence and experience level of residents will also drive transformation within the sector, says the whitepaper.

Article courtesy of Aged Care Insite www.agedcareinsite.com.au

Retirement Village Operators in NSW should be aware that important changes came into effect on 1 March 2010

The changes effect:

• Annual management meetings between operators and residents
• Annual safety inspections
• Settling in period for new residents
• Reduction of the recurrent charges payable by a former occupant after vacating
• Operators being encouraged to keep recurrent charge increases at or below the rate of inflation
• Increasing operators’ responsibility for budget deficits
• ensuring urgent repairs are carried out quickly
• Reducing red tape for smaller village operators
• Changing the way residents committees operate and encouraging more residents to be involved
• Giving residents the right to make reasonable alterations to their dwelling
• Where residents who do not have a registered interest in their dwelling,
• Statutory protection of refund entitlements is given

Download your FREE summary here NSW Retirement Village Reforms

In February 2008, an amendment—that will take effect from 20 March 2010— introducing a two year limit on the variation of claims from providers was made to the Aged Care Act 1997 (refer to Sections 43–4A and 47–4A of the Aged Care Act 1997). Aged care providers will only be able to amend a claim for payment within two years from the month of the original claim. If not within this period you need to provide Medicare Australia with appropriate supporting documentation.

The legislation includes a provision for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing (or delegate) to approve a period longer than two years under certain circumstances. This includes circumstances where there has been an administrative error made by the Australian Government or where it has been determined that the circumstances of the care recipient are different from those on which the basis of the subsidy was claimed.

Care Systems is providing Aged Care Operators with an opportunity to check that they are getting everything they are entitled to. The initial review is FREE, but when we assist in recovery of unclaimed subsidies we do charge 25% of the total additional (back subsidy) recovered.

If you are not sure if you have got all of your entitlements or are wanting assistance or needing help to prepare your claim call Care Systems on 1800 777 549 or email admin@caresystems.com.au

From 1 January 2010, residents who have the means to pay an income tested fee will be asked to pay this fee from the first day that they receive care in a Government subsidised residential aged care facility.

Currently, people entering a residential aged care facility are exempt from paying income tested fees for the first 28 days (inclusive of pre-entry leave). This was introduced to allow for a new resident’s income test assessment to be completed.

However, for the majority of new residents, these details are now available from the day of entry. From 1 January 2010 provisional fees no longer apply and there will be no provisional income tested subsidy reduction for new residents prior to determination of their income tested fee.

If the information needed to complete a resident’s income assessment is not available on their day of entry, from 1 January 2010 they can be asked to pay an interim fee. This fee will then be adjusted when the necessary information is available.

To assist providers in setting an appropriate amount for an interim fee, the current medians for income tested fees are approximately $4 for pensioners and $25 for self funded retirees. These figures are only a guide, and the decision on whether an interim fee is to be paid and the amount of that fee, is a matter to be agreed between the resident and the provider.

This measure brings the income tested fee into line with all other aged care fees, which residents pay from their day of entry or pre-entry commencement date.

The measure only affects residents who enter care or commence pre-entry leave on or after 1 January 2010 and who have the means to pay an income tested fee. No existing residents will be affected and the rate of the income tested fee will not change as a result of the measure.

The end to the 28 day exemption was one of several changes to aged care fees contained in the 2009 Budget.

Source: Aged Care Essentials Jan 2010