Most of us have relatives who are aging. The lucky ones are still able to manage successfully at home. Many can't however, and the decision (often one of the most difficult ones that families have to make) is to place their relatives in an aged care facility.

Are the facilities all the same, or are some better than others?
How do you choose, and who controls the standards of these facilities,
especially those of the staff? It isn't enough to have a great looking facility, if the staff leave a lot to be desired.

Any thoughts or personal experiences to share please?

I apologise for the title of this thread - it's my typo. It should read: 'AGED CARE - HOW GOOD IS IT?'

Foxy - Aged Care is governed under the priciples of the Aged Care Act 1997 - you can find out much of what you need on the web site of the Department of Health and Ageing.

Standards are governed by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency - they too have a web site. There you can actually look up homes survey results from when they were last assesed - you can also find out what homes have had sanctions applied for poor performance.

They reveiw each facility every three years over a course of two to three dadys depending on the size, and then annually as a matter fo course - the annual chacks are usually unnanounced and last about a day.

You would be wise to ask the proprietors;

a) what their accreditation history has been like
b) do they have a complaints system
c) do they have an education program for their staff
d) ask to see the Lifestyle/Activities program
c) do they have regular resident meetings? are families involved?
d) do they publish a newsletter to inform residents families and staff of changes/developments?
e) ask to see a menu - over several weeks
f) ask them what their night duty staffing is like
g)ask them what thier staffing mix is like - if it is a high care or mixed facility how many Registered Nurse Division 1 do they roster on per shift or per day?
h) ask to see a copy of thier annual report - if they publish one.
i) are their menus assesed by a dietitian
j) list the allied health services they offer - does the resident have access to a physiotherapist, an aromatherapist, a speech pathologist, a podiatrist

Dont for a minute think you can not move people in and out of homes if you dont like them for what ever reason.

Do not be blinded by accomodation standards - crappy care can be delivered in a wonderful environment - good care is a function of good governance and good staff.

Dear Sneekeepete,

Thank you so much for your response. It's exactly the type of information that I was looking for. You've helped tremenduously.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Glad to help Foxy..good luck. Just ask questions..good proprietors will - or should not shy away from a bit of an inquisition.
They should in fact encourage it - even to the extent of encouraging complaints.