Bay of Plenty Business News November/December 2018

BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2018
31
Exposing the myths
of aged care
Gone are the days where facilities would be described as
smelling “like cabbage”, or you would hear of residents being
restrained to keep them seated, and bed rails used to confine
them to their beds.
AGEING AND WELLNESS
> BY MELISSA HARRIS
Melissa Harris is the Facility Manager of Radius Althorp in
Tauranga, Radius Residential Care Ltd. Phone (07) 5432912 or
email Melissa.Harris@radiuscare.co.nz
We no longer accept
the institutionalised
approach of requiring
all residents to be up, showered
and in the lounge by 9am
for newspaper reading.
Aged care in today’s world
paints a much brighter picture
of putting people first.
Today’s residents are
encouraged to stay in their
own homes as long as possible,
resulting in significantly older
people with more complex
needs now commonly being
admitted to aged care facilities,
according to reports.
The challenge here is
accepting that by the time an
older person is admitted to care,
their quality of life has often
diminished to the point where
the resident is unable to participate
in the innovative and
inspiring programmes offered,
due to health limitations or disease
process progression.
If that person had come into
care at an earlier stage, their
quality of life may have been
more social, stimulating and of
a much higher standard.
A “one size fits all” approach
no longer is acceptable.
The “institution” concept is
now a myth, and is frowned
upon in today’s world, as providers
are expected to consider
individual needs and goals,
and to tailor care packages to
meet these.
One challenge with ensuring
this is employing proactive
staff who think and interact
outside the box, and leave the
world in a better place than
when the day started.
Care staff work incredibly
hard, and creating a culture
of celebrating little wins each
day is vital to reinforce to staff
that they are valued and do an
amazing job.
Feedback from families and
loved ones is crucial to ensure
the providers are on track, and
should be welcomed.
We constantly encounter
the challenge of family members
not accepting that aged
residential facility care providers
are not one-to-one care
providers.
Families often expect care
staff or nurses to be with their
loved one 24 hours a day, which
is both unrealistic and unachievable
in this care setting.
There are always risks of
their loved one starting to
fall frequently, or experiencing
bruising, skin tears and
infections, when in fact these
also occur in their own home
environment. Coming into a
care facility does not remove
these risks.
In serious cases, where a
resident’s safety or the safety
of other residents may be
compromised, the facility may
negotiate with their local DHB
for funding to provide a special
watch person for an agreed
amount of time.
We continue to advocate
for families who have loved
ones in their own homes, and
encourage those who may
be considering looking at
care placement to speak with
their GP and have the referral
lodged early.
There is often a lengthy
wait time for in-home assessments,
and each week that
passes your loved one is potentially
deteriorating further.
We encourage you to go
out and speak with the aged
care providers of your choice.
Do your homework. Plan your
futures together. Be prepared.
We welcome anyone for a
chat, to seek clarification or
advice on the process ahead,
or simply to talk to people who
understand.
Thanks for your continued support
We wish you all a Happy Holiday Season & look forward to working with you in the New Year.
It’s been an incredible year of growth
and working alongside you.
Please note our office will be closed from 21.12.18 - 09.01.19
Call us on 0800 LAW SHOP
or visit www.thelawshop.co.nz
ROTORUA
1268 Arawa St
Rotorua
TAURANGA
1239 Cameron Rd
Greerton