Clinical Governance is fundamental to maintaining and improving the quality of care provided. It encompasses the frameworks and processes designed to ensure that care is delivered safely, effectively, and inclusively.

Joining us in this episode is Claire Edwards, an experienced Consultant in healthcare management and governance, and Co-founder of b.school4homecare. Claire brings a wealth of knowledge on this topic, having recently engaged with Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) service providers to demystify clinical governance. Claire helps us unravel key concepts, and offers practical steps and advice for CHSP service providers to develop and integrate a clinical governance framework into everyday practice.

Trauma is a pervasive experience that can affect people of all ages, genders, backgrounds, and walks of life, including older people. In this episode we focus on the importance of being trauma aware and informed when delivering aged care services and supports.

We discuss the different experiences of trauma for some older people, and consider how these might impact, or present as barriers for an older person accessing or receiving aged care. In addition to highlighting the relationship between trauma informed care and a rights-based approach we share our thoughts about how good trauma informed practice aligns with the delivery of inclusive, person centre care that is tailored to the specific needs, preferences, and experiences of each older person.

A new rights-based approach will soon be introduced to the aged care system. This approach will underpin the new Aged Care Act and will guide the development and delivery of aged care system into the future.

So, what is a rights-based approach? Why is it important? How will it impact the way services are delivered, and importantly what will it means for older people who access aged care services? In this episode we explore these questions while discussing how a rights-based approach aligns with aged care reform, the strengthened quality standards, and inclusive person-centred practice, where each older person is placed at the centre of care.

Understanding the vocabulary of diversity & inclusion is an important first step towards ensuring the concepts or ideas that sit behind the language are applied when working with older people.In this episode we explore the language and terminology used in the diversity and inclusion space and provide some straightforward explanations, examples and definitions. Specifically, we look at language around diversity, inclusion, equity, equality, fairness, belonging and intersectionality and we ask the question is there a difference between equity and inclusion, why are people talking about intersectionality, what is it and do I really need to know about it?

A strengths-based approach is a way of thinking, or the lens through which we approach the support and interactions that we have with clients - focusing on the positive attributes of a person or a group, rather than the negative. In practice, it’s about understanding and acknowledging that a person’s skills, knowledge, their interests, and their support systems; are their strengths. And we can use or harness these strengths to achieve an intended outcome. In this episode we explore the idea of strength-based practice (or a strength base approach) – what it is, who benefits from it, and how it contributes to the delivery of inclusive wellness assessment and service delivery.

When working with multicultural and multi-faith people and communities it’s important to consider their cultural needs, preferences, and beliefs in order to create a safe environment, and ensure the delivery of appropriate and inclusive services. In this episode, Geraldine Jeremiah, Access and Support Worker at the Migrant Information Centre (Eastern) shares her wealth of experience working with and supporting older people from a broad range of different cultural and religious backgrounds and people whose first language isn’t English. Geraldine discusses the access issues and barriers that people from multi-faith and multicultural communities can experience when engaging with the aged care sector and provides some great tips about what staff can do to gain trust and create a culturally safe environment. This includes how to maximise the use of interpreting services and key considerations when supporting multicultural and multi-faith people who are accessing a social group setting, allied health and nursing services and in-home services.

Making Elders feel safe, secure and supported needs to be a priority for all services, but how many are in a position to offer the individualised level of care required? We are privileged to have Elke Smirl CEO of Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place to guide us through this episode and present practical, engaging and effective ways to make this possible. Elke, a very proud descendant of both the Kaurna and Nurrungga peoples of the Adelaide Plains and Yorke Peninsula shares her experiences and expertise on creating culturally safe environments and approaches to building trust and rapport with Elders. We also learn the importance of developing a holistic approach when working with Elders, ensuring the relationship is built on listening, an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture and history as well as the impacts of racism and intergenerational trauma.

https://esdt.com.au/
https://mmigp.org.au/

We all aim for our services to be welcoming and we want to create environments that make people feel comfortable and safe. However, we can unintentionally create barriers for people, reinforcing their concerns that our service or our staff maybe unwelcoming, unsafe or unable to help. In this final episode of our three-part series about inclusive practice for older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people, we explore how aged care providers can improve the quality of service for older LGBTI people.

Pauline Crameri and Andrew Rogers from Val’s LGBTI Ageing & Aged Care once again share their expertise and knowledge about the importance of providing safe, welcoming and inclusive service models, that enable older LGBTI people to be their authentic self. The episode explores the delivery of safe, affirming and quality care for older LGBTI people within a centre-based, home or health care setting. Pauline and Andrew provide tips about developing and delivering services that enable older LGBTI people and their allies to be included and celebrated.

Access further reading and resources on Val’s LGBTI Ageing & Aged Care website: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/health-and-wellbeing/lgbti-ageing-and-aged-care