Announcements, Community, NDIS, Residential Aged Care

Kurtis Rae Appointed Relationship Manager WA

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Nicole Cook

07
Jul

The strengthening of a liaison between our Healthcare clients in WA will be one of the first priorities of newly appointed Relationship Manager WA, Kurtis Rae. In a move designed to expand and strengthen the organisation in all three care channels: Aged Care, Home Care & NDIS, Kurtis will be responsible for building on that success and embed the quality services of Empower Healthcare into the WA community.

Kurtis enjoys business relationship management and making an impact on business operations. He previously worked for St John Ambulance WA in a similar role that involved managing relationships within aged care facilities and hospitals. “As a ‘people-person’, I love connecting with anyone and everyone, especially being able to help provide solutions! I love that I get to build partnerships and relationships with like-minded providers to increase independence and improve the quality of life within our community.”

Interestingly, Kurtis’ kind and thoughtful nature extends to being a hero and saving a 16-year-old boy’s life. While the majority of the bystanders looked on in panic, yelled or got their mobile phones out to call for help, Kurtis and his friend immediately put their CPR training to work and kept the boy’s heart pumping until the paramedics arrived. “We were lucky enough to save his life. It’s still a key motivator for doing what I do, inspiring me to change and influence lives in the career I choose.”

So when he’s not saving lives, he’s coaching with Gwelup Croatia Soccer Club and spending time with family, friends and adopted bull-arab dog.

It brings us great pleasure in announcing Kurtis’ appointment to Empower Healthcare. Please join us in welcoming Kurtis.

Our Service Guarantee

“Our promise: We respond faster. Whether it’s our short waiting lists, same day reporting or simple referral process, you can rest assured that your client is in the best hands.”

We have listened to our clients and they don’t have the time to micro-manage their portfolio. They want to partner with someone that is reliable and dependable with transparent pricing structures.

Adam Gilroy Smith, CEO reveals, “Empower has grown by 100% over the past year based on our service model across Home Care, NDIS and Residential Aged Care. By listening to our clients and the challenges they face, we adapt, stay well positioned and respond fast to deliver exceptional care. The launch of our new service model is another example of Empower Healthcare’s ability to be agile in a rapidly changing environment.”

How To Get Clients Started With Our Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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Announcements, In Home Care, NDIS, Residential Aged Care

Influenza Vaccination Policy Communication

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Nicole Cook

09
Apr

We recognise the importance of healthcare professionals taking every measure to help protect the health and well being of our clients and themselves in light of the continuing spread of COVID-19.

And we support the expert medical advice that everyone aged six months and over should be vaccinated against influenza this year, and every year, to protect themselves and the community.

Empower Healthcare is acutely aware that from 1 May 2020, all aged care workers and visitors must have been vaccinated against seasonal influenza to enter an aged care facility.

So, in alignment with the decisions made by the National Cabinet, we have updated our Influenza Vaccination Policy mandating all Empower Healthcare employees visiting clients in residential aged care facilities and in the community, to have up-to-date (i.e. 2020) vaccinations against influenza by 24 April 2020.

Employees will be required to provide evidence of this vaccination to Empower Healthcare by Friday 24th April 2020, in the form of:

Statement or record from a health practitioner
Immunisation history statement available from Medicare online or the Express Plus Medicare Mobile app

And we will provide all clients with clinician certification by Thursday 30th April 2020.

An email with our updated Influenza Vaccination Policy has been sent to all clients. If you would like a copy, please call the national office on 03 9583 1364.…

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Falls Prevention, Residential Aged Care

The Importance of Falls Prevention in Aged Care

Posted on April 1, 2020November 23, 2023 by Nicole Cook

01
Apr

With it being April Falls Month, it is timely that we understand the importance of falls prevention by exploring the physical, economical and labour costs associated with falls in aged care.

Falls are a major cause of harm to older people and fall-related injuries impose a substantial burden on the health and aged care systems. Additionally, falls resulting in injury or hospitalisation can lead to a reduction in both length
and quality of life. Research has shown that many falls can be prevented. Aged Care facilities need to evaluate the cost of pro-active ‘prevention’ or care intervention strategies designed to prevent falls among residents in comparison to the significant out-lay and burden of costs associated post falls.

The Landscape of Falls in Aged Care

Falls are a significant cause of harm to older people, so significant that the rate, intensity and cost of falls identify them as a national safety and quality issue in Australia. Every year, approximately 30% of Australians older than 65 years, 1 in 2 residential aged care residents, 70-80 % of people with dementia fall (Nitz&Choy, Climacteric 2008).

In older people, up to 30% of falls can result in moderate to severe injuries and falls are the leading cause of injury related hospitalisation in Australia (About 125,000 cases of hospitalised fall-related injury occurred in Australia in 2016–17). Nearly 50% of those hospitalised after a fall die within one year. In fact, fall related injuries account for 1 in 3 hospitalised injury cases and 1 in 5 of all fatal injuries, they are the most common cause of injury related death in people aged 65 and older.

“These figures show that falls cause more injury related deaths in Australia than transport crash fatalities.”

The cost to the health system due to fall-related injuries is major and is estimated to be 4 billion dollars per year nationally. AIHW’s 2015–16 Disease expenditure study

Besides economical costs to the health system, at an individual level falls lead to:

Loss of confidence and fear of falling
Reduced activities and participation
Loss of independence
Increased care needs

The hip and thigh are the most common injured areas in both men and women sustaining a fall and head injuries are also common. Hip fractures are one of the most common reasons for hospital admissions, with the majority (91%) caused by falls. Hip fractures have a high rate of death and morbidity, they require emergency surgery and 50 % of patients with hip fracture will not fully recover and will not return home.

The First Stage in Falls Prevention

Screening should occur as soon as possible, even before a resident steps foot into the facility. The admissions and intake team should be armed with a series of questions that flag someone’s risk factors and status to ensure strategies and interventions are in place as soon as, if not before, the resident arrives.

The Second Stage in Falls Prevention

Review and Implement is about ensuring that both the resident and fall are comprehensively assessed. Once completed interventions should be implemented or amended to prevent falls of the same nature occurring again in future.

The Third Stage in Falls Prevention

Analyse & Implement is when you review monthly, each fall or near-miss incident report. A Falls committee generally comprised of the Facility Manager, Clinical Care Coordinator, Allied Health Professional (Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist) and Falls Champion (designated member of the care team) meet to review the reports and discuss any other relevant information from a multidisciplinary perspective and collate valuable data such as: fall by – cause, location, mobility status, time, injury, stay type and room location to form the foundation of the macro and trend analysis.

How Can Your Empower Team Help Your Facility With Falls Prevention?

Empower’s Aged Care team have developed a proven falls prevention success model for Aged Care

“We implemented our 3 step process with a client & it resulted in a 34% ROI in the form of reduction in number of falls from the previous quarter.”

At Empower, we assess every resident comprehensively and recommend falls prevention strategies proactively without waiting for a fall to occur. Our allied health professionals form an essential part of the facility’s clinical team in managing falls. We also assist facility staff in identifying any injuries without having to arrange for further medical investigation procedures by conducting post fall reviews.

Here is a list of falls prevention services available to your organisation:

Transfers/mobility/gait/coordination/balance/endurance assessment, strategies to improve and recommendations for staff and resident safety, aids e.g. gait aids
Proprioception and spatial awareness assessment and strategies to improve
Muscle strength and range of movement/flexibility testing, strategies to improve/aids, exercise programs
Reaction time to external perturbations and strategies to improve and also arrangement/assistance recommendations for safety
Environment assessment, strategies to maximise independence and prevent falls and related injuries
Assistive devices in falls prevention – Sensor alarms etc.
Protective equipment/garments
Behaviour issues and management strategies

Want to Reduce Falls in Your Aged Care Facility?

Download our 3 Step Guide To Successfully Reduce Falls In Your Facility Now!

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Announcements, In Home Care, NDIS, Residential Aged Care

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Empower Healthcare’s Response

Posted on March 17, 2020March 17, 2020 by Nicole Cook

17
Mar

Empower Healthcare has been on the front-foot since the early COVID-19 developments and have created a detailed Business Continuity and Operational Plan.

How has Empower Healthcare Been Preparing?

We are committed to the safety of our clients, consumers and team members and our Operational Plan details the increased measures we have taken across our organisation and those we plan to take should the Pandemic progress. This plan was shared electronically with our clients yesterday. Please contact national office on 03 9583 1364 if you would like a copy of this communication.

We will be in regular communication with you all throughout this crisis, at this point we would like to communicate the following key advice:

Currently there are no cases of COVID-19 within the Empower Healthcare team
All Empower staff have undertaken a refresher course on Hand Hygiene and Infection Control in response to COVID-19
Our teams are being provided with additional PPE to further minimise risk
We have issued our internal COVID-19 policy which ensures that any at-risk staff do not attend and will require medical clearance prior to returning to work

Will all of Empower’s Services Be Maintained?

Yes. As healthcare providers, we recognise that we provide an invaluable service to Residential Aged Care, Home Care and NDIS clients, and as such, have taken the following additional measures to ensure clients, consumers and team members health and safety comes first.

Residential Aged Care:

Some of our clients have asked us how we will ensure that we provide our full service throughout the outbreak process. We’d like to reassure you that at Empower Healthcare, we have taken several measures to ensure that we maintain a healthy and viable workforce across all of our client’s facilities. In addition, we have moved to increase our workforce including adding to our casual bank.

In some cases our clients have moved to voluntary lockdown. In these cases, we’d like to reassure you that as an essential part of the operation, Empower will continue to provide services in conjunction with providers.

Home Care/ NDIS:

Currently the advice is to maintain Home Care Services as these offer key supports to the community, including physical support and vital access to equipment.

As we are all aware, the people we all work with are some of the most vulnerable with a higher risk of infection and will continue to require our services in order to stay safe and healthy at home. Therefore, we are taking every possible precaution to ensure that we can continue to provide our services to them safely.

How are employees managing infection control and consumer safety?

Empower Healthcare are undertaking the following precautions:

Education on Infection control and hand hygiene is offered to all consumers as part of our service
Pre-screening of all clients prior to visit – currently undertaken by clinicians prior to entering house. Should the pandemic progress to the next phase, pre-screening will be undertaken each day for all visits by our Head Office team.
A Home Care specific education module on precautions around COVID-19 has been provided to all staff
Strict Infection Control and PPE measures such as; WHO 5 moments of hand hygiene and sneeze/cough hygiene, use of gloves, as well as thorough and regular cleaning of equipment before and after each treatment.
Additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) packs have been prepared for clinicians which contains examination gloves, hand sanitiser, soap dispenser paper towel and bars of soap.

If a customer is feeling sick?

It is very important that Empower Healthcare is informed if a customer becomes unwell, particularly if they have been receiving support services during the 14-day period before becoming unwell. This is especially important if you have symptoms include a fever, cough, sore throat or tiredness.

If you develop symptoms including a fever and cough you should isolate yourself immediately and urgently seek medical attention. It is very important that you do not continue with Empower Healthcare’s services while you are unwell.

What will happen if a customer or staff member has COVID-19?

Staff

In line with government guidelines, employees will not attend work and will alert management as soon as possible if they meet any of the following criteria:

Within the last 14 days, travelled to/from China, Iran, South Korea, Italy or any other country with heightened travel advisories in place in relation to COVID-19
Have been in contact with anyone who has travelled overseas in the past 14 days
Are experiencing a fever or any respiratory illness;
Have tested positive for COVID-19; or
Have been instructed to self-isolate by a public health official

If Empower Healthcare becomes aware of a team member positively confirmed with COVID-19. National office will then notify the relevant healthcare organisations, clinical care managers, case managers, consumers, carers and other team members that may have been in contact.

In regard to Home Care Services, all future treatments will be re-allocated and case managers, consumers & carers will be notified.

Empower Staff members will not return until they have a medical clearance.

Customer

If a customer has contracted COVID-19 and we have been notified by the healthcare organisation, management will ask for any clinician that has been in contact with that consumer in the last 14 days, to go into self-isolation.

Customers who have contracted COVID-19 will not be able to return to receiving Empower Healthcare services until they have a medical clearance.

Current Business Operational Status

As part of our Operational Plan, Empower Healthcare’s national office will now be reduced to a skeleton team, with the other team members continuing to work from home. As the pandemic progresses, all national office members will follow suit.

Our service platform utilises cloud-based technology platforms, so we can easily continue business from any location.

All contact points stay the same. You can contact the Home Care Services Support Team on 03 9583 1364 or via email, info@empowerhealthcare.com.au.

Contact Points

If you need more information or have a specific question, you can contact:

Adam Gilroy-Smith …

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In Home Care, NDIS, Residential Aged Care

COVID-19: Infection Control Advice for Health Care Workers

Posted on March 12, 2020November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

12
Mar

Here’s a quick video we have taken today that we encourage to share with your colleagues.

As you know infection control is vital across all areas of care, particularly in light of the risk of further outbreaks of COVID-19 in Australia.

Correct hand hygiene techniques are a key component of infection control. In the video Donna and Leah cover how to properly wash and sanitise your hands. This is a timely reminder and relevant for everyone, from care workers in aged care and home care, to family members, friends and co-workers.

This refresher video demonstrates the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) hand washing and hand rubbing process as well as discussing the 5 moments when health-care workers should perform hand hygiene.

At Empower, all staff are required to undertake the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s Hand Hygiene training module, once completed the module provides certification. The link to the module is below if you would like to share it across your team.

https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/infection-prevention-and-control/national-hand-hygiene-initiative

We have also attached the WHO’s hand wash and hand sanitise poster resource tools to place around your organisation.

Download

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Dietetics, In Home Care, Residential Aged Care

The IDDSI Framework Trumps the Current Australian Standards

Posted on February 26, 2020November 27, 2023 by Paul Gilliot

26
Feb

No one wants to deal with an enquiry from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Neither do you want the heightened stress from a choking incident possibly damaging the credibility of your facility. And what if an investigation determines the incident as a premature and preventable fatality? Transitioning to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) global framework could be one of many strategies that protects the reputation of your organisation by reducing these risks and increasing the safety and well being of your consumers.

Part 2 of the IDDSI blog series explains how the IDDSI framework trumps the current Australian Standards and how we can help you and your staff either begin or complete accomplishment of the transition process.

The size of the problem

As dysphagia often happens at the same time as other health conditions, it is difficult to be certain of the prevalence rate. However, and alarmingly, research indicates that 50-75% of nursing home residents have a prevalence of dysphagia (1).

And as you may be aware, many of these instances can be avoided if dysphagia is treated timely and appropriately.

What is more worrying, is that if dysphagia is not treated appropriately by staff, then besides choking, associated health complications include pneumonia, chest infections, dehydration, malnutrition and weight loss.

Often dysphagia residents exhibit sociated declined health, so staff will have difficulty in administering medication and this can result in hospital admissions. In the worst cases, dysphagia can result in death.

When Professor Joe Ibrahim, Head of Health Law and Ageing Research Unit at the Department of Forensic Medicine at Monash analysed nursing home deaths within a 15-year period, he found over 3,000 deaths were considered premature and preventable (2).

“The study showed that choking was the second highest incidence that caused premature deaths in nursing homes.”

Don’t leave your residents to chance and become a statistic.

Why does the IDDSI Framework Trump the Australian Standards

While we have had voluntary national terminology in Australia that addresses food textures and thickened fluids for people with swallowing problems since 2007, the (IDDSI) Committee created global standardisations based on comprehensive evidence-based best practice. From recorded experiences, the recommendations accommodate a greater spectrum of severity, so there is far more accuracy in serving food textures and drink thicknesses appropriate for individual conditions.

Additionally, these standards have been introduced to reduce the variation in care. While staff are transient across geographic locations, a global standardisation aids in a universal understanding and approach that minimises risk.

There are three major changes between the existing Australian terminology to the IDDSI framework, such as 1. a new numbering system 2. colour code changes denoting the thickness of drinks, and 3. the removal of bread and sandwiches from the new IDDSI Level 6 Soft & Bite-Sized category.

By transitioning to the IDDSI standards, you and your staff can have peace of mind, knowing another advisory and protection level has been added, with these standards supported by peak bodies such as Speech Pathology Australia, Dietitians Association of Australia and the Institute of Hospitality in HealthCare. As all relevant health professionals are educated and trained to adopt the standards, further benefits yielded will include improved communication and collaboration.

Australia is joining more than 20 other countries including New Zealand, the US, Canada, and several European nations in implementing it.

The best way to implement this framework is through an AWARE-PREPARE & ADOPT strategy.

And this is where I can be of help to you.

I have created a FREE informative presentation for your staff involved in care and catering that addresses the first stage of Awareness.

Let Empower help your facility transition.

Author: Shirley Webber, Senior Dietitian

Sources:
1. Swallowing disorders in nursing home residents: how can the problem be explained?
2. Aged care: More scrutiny needed to prevent thousands of premature nursing home deaths

About Dietetics

Dietitians are experts in food and nutrition. They assist people with optimising their diet and nutrition to improve one’s health and quality of life, and to prevent and treat a range of chronic health conditions. Dietitians can also help patients manage nutrition at different stages of life, nutrient deficiencies, and food intolerances and allergies. Dietitians have sound university training accredited by the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA), and undertake continuous professional development that complies with the DAA guidelines for best practice.

Dietitians perform thorough nutrition assessments and monitoring, taking into account various factors including a patient’s medical, clinical and diet history, individual nutritional requirements and their health goals. This information helps accurately diagnose nutrition issues and forms a treatment plan that ensures patients receive quality evidenced-based care and achieve the best health outcomes.

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In Home Care, Occupational Therapy, Residential Aged Care

Occupational Therapy – Providing You With Empowerment For Choice and Person-Centric Care

Posted on October 23, 2019November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

23
Oct

During Occupational Therapy (OT) Week, Empower is celebrating its amazing occupational therapists and Amanda Chan reflects on why she joined the profession and the importance of collaborative work and person-centric care.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Working as an Occupational Therapist, I often get this question, “What is occupational therapy?”. The World Federation of Occupational Therapy defines Occupational Therapy as below.

“Occupational Therapy is a client-centered health profession concerned with promoting health and wellbeing through occupation… to enable people to participate in activities of daily life… by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement.” WFOT, 2012.

While many other people in the health industry are involved in the diagnosis of diseases, the occupational therapist’s role is about collaboratively setting and achieving meaningful goals.

Amanda explains, “Whether it be helping a person with selecting a chair that can help them stand because they have difficulty standing from their couch or introducing a person to a bath lifter to help them enjoy a bath again, I always feel a sense of satisfaction when seeing the joy on people’s faces as they successfully engage in these simple yet meaningful activities again.

Throughout my training as an Occupational Therapist, we are taught that engaging and participating in meaningful activities provide positive benefits to a person’s feeling of wellbeing.”

Many occupational therapists work with people who have an illness, have a disability or recovering from an injury, and there is a high degree of sensitivity and respect for humanity that is required for this profession.

“Being able to support people of all abilities to engage and participate in what is important to them is my motivation to be the best that I can be. I enjoy working together with the client to create a treatment plan that is meaningful and reflective of their functional and independence goals, be it a leisure activity like knitting, self-care activity such as having a shower safely or a productive activity like preparing their own meals.”

Meaningful Goals and Working Together

“The person who seeks her services is the expert in their lives. They know what is important for them and what is meaningful to them, and from there, they can work together to form goals and work towards those goals together.

At Empower, we recognise the importance of collaborative work. Cooperating and working together with other professionals, families, caregivers and consumers are important with helping consumers achieve their meaningful goals with a holistic approach.”

Therapy activities provided by Occupational Therapists can include;

teaching new techniques to complete the activity
relearning tasks included in completing activities
providing equipment to assist with completing activities or
modifying an environment to enable a person to engage in the activity.

All these can facilitate independence, reduce environmental barriers and provide resources to facilitate a sense of well-being.

Promoting Choice

Health care is becoming more person-centered where consumers are encouraged to make informed choices to better support their needs and well-being.

“With the rollout of the NDIS and the new aged care standards, I can see more relevance in the new health care focus in relation to occupational therapy. There is a shift in health care to promote choice, dignity and respect for consumers.

For example, consumers using NDIS funding have access to services based on goals set by consumers together with the support workers. Looking at the new aged care standards, the new standard of care to be provided to older adult consumers in community and in aged care residential facilities is centralised around maintaining a consumer’s choice, dignity and respect.

This resonates with occupational therapist’s core values where the consumer is the expert of their lives and services provided to them should include their choice in all matters to enable consumers to live life to the best of their abilities. This shift empowers consumers to take charge of their own lives and to be able to make more choices to support their health and well-being.”

Author – Amanda Chan, Occupational Therapist at Empower.

About Empower

We Change Lives

At Empower Healthcare, we deliver life changing allied health services. Our whole team is dedicated to building and delivering exceptional services for clients, loved ones, referrers and partner organisations.

Our therapists genuinely care about the people we work with and take the time to build strong relationships that holistically improve social, physical and mental well-being.

We are a successful privately owned and operated organisation that continues to experience significant growth, driven by our fantastic services and family of professionals.

How can I find an Occupational Therapist?

We have an amazing team of therapists
Comprehensive coverage across Metropolitan Melbourne, Mornington and Geelong
Responsiveness is our allied health home care service guarantee
Services available to residential aged care organisations
Friendly and professional staff

Call our friendly team on PH: 9583 1364.

Learn more on how our Occupational Therapists can help you

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