When choosing an aged care home for your loved one, you want to make sure they’re getting the best care possible. Finding the right aged care home might seem difficult at first, but thankfully the Federal Government has released eight new quality standards to help clients make an informed decision. These standards make it easier for you to know what good elderly care looks like regardless of the service you’re looking for. Let’s take a look at how the Aged Care Quality Standards work.
- Consumer dignity and choice
 Organisations must commit to provide and maintain a culture of respect and dignity where the consumers can exercise their free choice. The organisation must also commit to respecting the consumer’s privacy and demonstrate the importance of practising culturally safe aged care services. The consumer should feel supported in making decisions that they feel is best for their well-being and the organisation serves no right to take away that decision.
- Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
 This standard encompasses the organisation’s pledge to conduct both initial and ongoing assessment with the consumer to determine the best services that fit their goals and preferences. This should be done in close collaboration with the consumer to get a better understanding of their needs to which the cornerstone of assessment, provision, and planning will be made. Organisations are also required to document the health of their consumers in a way that’s readily digestible so as to avoid confusion and distress.
- Personal and clinical care
 This standard demonstrates the organisation’s pledge to provide comprehensive care services that are tailored according to the client’s needs and preferences. Each client has different needs both personally and clinically and there is not a one-size-fits-all treatment to address their needs. Optimising aged care services is key to improving the overall health and well-being of the client.
- Services and supports for daily living
 In order to meet this standard, the organisation must commit to providing aged care services that support the client’s health, well-being, independence, and overall quality of life. The client is entitled to services that support their daily living needs such as domestic and personal assistance, food services, social support, and recreational activities. The organisation is responsible for addressing the physical, emotional, social, and psychological needs of their clients to ensure they’re living the best life possible.
- Organisation’s service environment
 The organisation must pledge to create a service environment that’s safe, comfortable, and accessible for the client. This standard is to ensure the organisation manages a well-maintained service area that implements proper security measures. Consumers should be able to move freely and feel welcomed in each area of the facility. Lastly, the service environment should evoke feelings of socialisation, independence, belonging, and interaction for the clients.
- Feedback and complaints
 In this standard, the organisation pledges to listen, understand, and take action from the feedback and complaints received from clients, caregivers, staff, and the entire workforce. This is to ensure continuous improvement of services in a fair and consistent manner. The organisation should have a concrete system in place to resolve complaints that are prompt, confidential, and respectful. Any feedback received should be brought to the attention of the complainant and the relevant people/personnel for a thorough evaluation.
- Human resources
 This standard demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to employing a professional workforce that is skilled, knowledgeable, and most importantly, respectful. Caregivers should have the appropriate training and certification to prove their competency in caring for the elderly. Constant monitoring and evaluation are highly encouraged to ensure the entire staff complies with the said standard.
- Organisational governance
 The organisations’ governing body is held accountable for the safety and quality of their aged care service. This means demonstrating a commitment to excellence that will satisfy the needs and expectations of every client. Risk management systems, regulatory compliance, workforce governance, information management, and financial governance are the qualities that aged care organisations must demonstrate on a consistent basis.
How the standards are assessed
 The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) is responsible for assessing and monitoring the performance of aged care providers to ensure they meet the aforementioned standards. Qualified assessors visit an organisation and review documented procedures, ask consumers about feedback, and collect evidence on the overall performance of the organisation as a whole.
Why Homestyle Aged Care is one of the quality carers in Australia
 We understand how big of a decision it is to choose the right aged care home for your loved ones. That is why here at Homestyle Aged Care, we take all of the necessary steps to ensure our services are of the highest quality. We settle for nothing less than a first-class service that meets each of the eight standards set forth by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and all of our staff are highly trained with the experience necessary for solid, trustworthy governance.
For clients who are looking for high-quality aged care Geelong, feel free to contact us today and we’ll reach out to you at the earliest convenience.
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