Rural and remote aged care facilities find it hard to attract and retain staff, and face high costs and ongoing losses. Yet levels of care and resident satisfaction exceed that of homes in cities.
Articles on Aged care workers
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Aged care providers can’t find staff and a crisis is brewing. If the problem isn’t fixed, there are serious risks to quality and access to services for older people who need support.
While wage rises for aged care workers are welcome, this measure alone will not fix all workforce problems in the sector.
Our research shows that aged care work is still stigmatised by other health professionals as dirty, difficult and low-status – more than most other jobs.
Australia needs an additional 35,000 aged care workers a year. While skilled migration can play a role, it’s unlikely to be enough to fix the immediate or long-term workforce shortages.
We studied 1,709 aged care homes over five years and found increases in the use of ‘agency’ staff impacted quality of care. Ahead of the federal jobs summit, the sector faces ongoing challenges.
Australia should have been better prepared for the predictable winter COVID wave in aged care.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has made comprehensive reform of aged care the centrepiece of his budget reply delivered on Thursday night.
Picture how you’d like to be cared for as an older Australian who needs help. Now compare that to the reality for today’s aged care residents and carers.
Despite improvements, the aged care sector is currently under extreme pressure. The serious effects of isolation and neglect are potentially as severe now and more widespread than in 2020.
There are around 50 sexual assaults in Australian aged care homes every week. But staff are expected to assess the severity and impact of incidents without training.
Rest homes have been hit hard by COVID-19 deaths and inquiries are looking at possible changes to care. The elephant in the room is that quality care depends on more staff.
Bureaucratic ‘red tape’ has contributed to the current crisis in our aged care system. We need a system of accountability that focuses more on residents’ outcomes, and less on processes.
A groundbreaking NZ$2 billion pay equity settlement has lifted the income for many care workers in aged care and community support, but it had some unintended consequences.
Top contributors
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Emeritus Professor of Public Health, La Trobe University
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Professor of Industrial Relations, Auckland University of Technology
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Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Technology Sydney
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Conjoint Associate Professor of General Practice, University of Newcastle
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Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations, Auckland University of Technology
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Research fellow, The University of Queensland
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Research assistant, Monash University
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Monash University
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Honorary Professor Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Univeristy of Sydney; Senior Researcher Sydney Institue for Infectious Disease, University of Sydney., University of Sydney
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Professor, Aged Care Medical Research Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, La Trobe University
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Research Assistant, Monash University
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Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor in Aged Care, Corporate Governance and Accounting, University of Technology Sydney
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Adjunct senior lecturer, Edith Cowan University