Today, more and more people are living to celebrate their 100th birthday. At Resthaven we recognise a new group of centenarians in each of our quarterly publications. Our staff explain how privileged they feel to hear about the experiences that have shaped these individuals, speaking about their history, their story, their life. A 25-year-old staff … Continued
On 1 October, we celebrated the International Day of Older Persons, recognising the vital contributions that older people make. There are many benefits that come with ageing. Retirement from full time work gives people the freedom to spend time on the things that they love most. It can be a liberating time; a time to … Continued
As this year’s men’s Australian rules finals series comes to a close, we look forward to continuing our ‘footy fix’ with the women’s leagues. The game has changed significantly over the past thirty years, since the Crows and then the Power joined the national competition. An entire generation of supporters never had the privilege of … Continued
Sir Paul McCartney, who celebrated his 80th birthday this year, was only 14 years old when he penned the line, “will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64”. In the mid-1960s, life expectancy was 68 years for men and 74 for women. Today, this has increased to 81 and 85 … Continued
For many staff working in health and aged care, COVID-19 has meant a daily ritual of rapid antigen tests, personal protective equipment, infection prevention control, outbreak management and detailed reporting to government. There has been little respite in COVID-19 cases in South Australia since the Omicron outbreak in late December. Residential care homes have continued … Continued
Click to listen: Leisure Link (90 min) 09 Jul 2022 – Leisure Link – Omny.fm
At 60 minutes in, Darren Birbeck, CEO for Resthaven, talks with Peter Greco on Leisure Link about changes to aged care funding; living with COVID-19; and the sustainability of the sector.
The sensitive question about who should pay for aged care continues to perplex governments, providers and consumers alike. A recent discussion paper by the University of Technology Sydney Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC), reopened the debate. One approach put forward by UARC is to require consumers who have the capacity to pay to make fair contributions … Continued
Last week, we celebrated National Volunteer Week, an opportunity to thank the people who make our community stronger, especially in times of need. Volunteering brings people together, creating a better society for everyone. The selfless contributions of around 900,000 volunteers in South Australia are an essential part of the fabric of our community. They play … Continued
On ANZAC Day, we have the opportunity to show our respect for the many sacrifices and contributions made by veterans and their families to our country and our way of life. As the veteran community ages, a proportion have complex care needs that require additional, more intensive support. When a veteran has a need, support … Continued
This week, the second Aged Care Royal Commission Response Bill is again before the Senate. It includes a new case-mix funding model for residential aged care, called AN-ACC, planned to be introduced on 1 October 2022. This model requires additional funding to support an increase in care minutes and incorporates the $10 per resident per … Continued
The dedicated and committed people who work in the aged care sector inspire me every day. We began to see the first Omicron cases in aged care just before Christmas, following the opening of the South Australian border in late November. As the number of cases in the community increased, so did the cases in … Continued
It is almost a year since the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety released its final report, which was the culmination of 28 months of work, with over 10,500 submissions. In May 2021, the Australian Government announced a $17.7 billion aged care reform package over five years. The aged care reform was built … Continued
Resthaven prides itself on providing outstanding care and support for older people and their carers. Recent misleading and biased reporting in the mainstream media is most disappointing. I’d like to provide some background and correct any misconceptions that may have been caused by an article that implied that Resthaven’s senior leaders are profiting from the … Continued
Many older people would prefer to stay in their own homes as they age. To do this, some may require the support of their spouse, family or friends. Even though they may not recognise the term themselves, these support people are known as ‘informal carers’ by government bodies and service providers, to distinguish them from … Continued
How many times have you heard someone remark, “I never want to end up in a nursing home”? You may have even said it yourself. With the recent release of home care packages, more people than ever have the opportunity to receive the support they need in their own home. However; there are others, who … Continued
The digital divide between people with access to the internet, smart phones and personal computers, and those who don’t, is widening all the time. It doesn’t take long for new technologies to become confusing, especially when you are not exposed to them on a regular basis. Many older people had retired well before there was … Continued
As the nation continues to progress towards the 80% target for COVID-19 vaccination, it is worth acknowledging that apart from a relatively small number of exceptions, residential aged care workers have already achieved 100% for their first dose. Meanwhile, aged care staff who work in the community are also well on the way to being … Continued
Ask anyone working in aged care and they will tell you that it is the older people they support who give them the most joy. The close bonds that are formed, the stories and jokes they share, the kindness and gratitude expressed for the care and support provided means a great deal. There are countless … Continued
Why is that we don’t always do the things that we know are good for us? Each year people commit to New Year’s resolutions only to cast them aside months, weeks or even days into the year. Whether our resolution is to exercise more, lose weight, drink less or invest more time in ourselves, we … Continued
In March this year, the World Health Organisation released its Global Report on Ageism. It found that one in two people are ageist against older people. This is confronting and many people would probably dispute this fact. However; if we reflect honestly on today’s society, we can see that ageism is far more pervasive than … Continued