Dealing with Dementia in Aged Care

We would all be aware of the tragic death of Clare Nowland, the 95-year-old woman who died following an incident in which police were called to her aged care residence on 17 May 2023. While a dissection of the circumstances leading to her death is best left to those whose job it is to do so, it does seem like a good time to talk about dementia, the Royal Commission recommendations regarding it, and what’s being done to implement them.?

Dementia in Aged Care Residences

According to data gathered by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for the financial year 2019-20, 54% of those living in residential aged care had dementia. While not all of those affected by dementia are violent, some patients may demonstrate verbal or physical aggression.??

A study conducted by RMIT University, which involved interviews with managers, nurses and personal care staff, found that 93% of respondents had experienced physical violence at work.?

Despite these statistics, dementia training is not a mandatory requirement for aged care workers.

Royal Commission Recommendations

The Royal Commission made a number of recommendations that specifically addressed the needs of dementia patients, including that workers undertake regular training, and a review of the establishment of Specialist Dementia Care Units within residential aged care facilities.

Dementia Training for Aged Care Staff

Dementia Australia has a DementiaLearning Guide you can request here to help you plan your approach to building your team’s dementia capability and deliver quality care. This will help empower your team with best-practice knowledge and skills and transform dementia care in your organisation.

Dementia Training Australia provides a number of free courses aimed at providing support and care for and communicating with those affected by dementia. However, while making the courses free certainly removes some of the barriers to aged care workers upskilling themselves, there is still the issue of time. Although each separate course is relatively short, the time required to complete all courses relevant to residential care is upwards of 20 hours. In a time when many aged care workers are having to work overtime due to workforce shortages, 20 hours is a lot of time for workers to dedicate to voluntary training.?

To effectively address the knowledge gap, there is a need for relevant dementia training to be included as a core component in the training of all aged care workers. With over half of residents being affected by dementia, it is necessary for both the quality of care and the safety of workers and residents alike.

Specialist Dementia Care Units

In 2016, the Federal Government announced that they would establish 35 Specialist Dementia Care Units across Australia, the first 14 to be operational by 2020 and the remainder by the end of 2023. The units were intended to care for dementia sufferers who were unmanageable in mainstream facilities due to the severity of their symptoms. According to a report by The Guardian, only 12 of these units are operational so far, with a further six expected to open by the end of 2024.?

So far, the Government has been silent on the cause of the delay or when all 35 units can be expected to be operational. Instead, a spokesperson told The Guardian that the introduction of the 24/7 onsite requirement for a registered nurse, and the requirement for an average of 215 care minutes per resident per day from October 2024 would improve the quality of care for all residents, including those living with dementia. While this is no doubt true, increasing the care minutes dementia patients receive from workers not specifically trained to deal with dementia is no replacement for a unit designed solely to provide dementia-affected patients with specialised care.?

Going Forward with Dealing with Dementia in Aged Care

As always, the main difficulty within our sector, and the main hindrance to effective change, is the workforce shortage. So far, the Royal Commission recommendations that have been implemented by the Government have mostly increased the pressure on an already stressed industry. Improving the quality of care of dementia patients by addressing the training needs of workers before they even enter the workforce is a change that can be introduced without putting extra pressure on providers and workers and is likely to have flow-on effects within the workplace as established workers are exposed to the techniques employed by those with additional training.?

While the establishment of specialised care units may be difficult in the current climate, there is an argument to be made that removing the most aggressive dementia patients from the mainstream to be cared for by those most equipped to do so, will reduce the incidents of violence within mainstream residences and this, in turn, may contribute to a reduction in the number of workers leaving the industry.???

Our 24/7 support means you can call in help any time you need it. Variations in your staffing needs due to COVID restrictions or other seasonal factors can result in a greater need for a roster of on-call agency staff who are always ready.

Health Staff Australia?gives you that access, along with a larger pool of skilled workers via our recruitment networks — including staff who have already worked with you, and are ready to jump right in.

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