It’s with great excitement that I announce the COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccine has finally reached our shores……….
We are now awaiting the “official call” to advise us the day that Ananda Aged Care Hope Valley and Findon will participate in the vaccine roll out.
All residents and staff working in Residential Aged Care are eligible to participate in Stage 1 of the vaccine rollout.
The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory at this time, and we can appreciate that this is a personal decision.
We are attaching the Australian Government Consent Form for COVID-19 Vaccination as it contains information about the vaccine and an official consent form.
If you wish to have the COVID-19 vaccine we request that you and/or you representative read the attached consent form information and sign the consent form as soon as possible so we are ready when we get the official call to roll out the vaccine.
The vaccine consists of x2 injections on two different days – generally 2 weeks apart. This will be communicated by the health professional who is administering the first vaccine and they will advise the date of the second vaccine.
Copies of the Consent Form and information have also been left at our Front Receptions.
We will communicate once we know the exact date but are anticipating commencement within the next two weeks.
Over the past month we have received some amazing feedback and recognition of our staff from residents and families.
Ananda will be hosting its Annual Staff Recognition event shortly as it was delayed in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Today I would like to acknowledge the following staff that I have received highly commendable feedback about:
Findon: “A huge thanks to Taffy for all his assistance with mum and our email requests etc. He is always willing to assist and we really appreciate his tenacity and guidance. This has been very helpful especially whilst Daniel has been on leave….. Having said this, we must commend Cecilia also as she is fantastic with mum and always wonderful with us. Always understanding and always following things up for us and we know we get a straight & honest answer from her, good or bad. She is very approachable and very helpful. Elise is great also. She always has a smile on her face, talks a little Italian to mum which is fantastic and makes mum laugh too. Special mention & thanks also to Huong, Tee, Fune, Teena, Thelma, Rose and Mahafreen. They always say hello and make the time to chat.”
Hope Valley: “Can I ask that you officially thank Adam and Jin for their care and treatment of dad tonight as they not only did a good job but showed compassion and concern for his welfare. They are both a credit to Ananda.”
Thank you all for your ongoing support of Ananda and its amazing staff, it is greatly appreciated.
From Monday 23rd February 2021 we no longer require you to phone ahead and make a booking to visit family and friends at Ananda, you are welcome to come and visit between 1-5pm daily.
We will still go through the Entry to Site Checklists including a temperature check but you are all welcome to visit.
Be continue to practice social distancing, ensure you wash your hands (soap with water or hand sanitiser) and if you are unwell with cold/flu like symptoms please stay home and arrange to get a COVID-19 test.
Please note in the event to visitation we will advise ASAP as we follow Emergency Management Directions for RACF and Cross Border Travel.
2021 …. It’s looking up
Thank you all for you continued support, feedback and encouragement.
Kind Regards
Ananda Management
We have now received confirmation that the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccination has been TGA approved and is being prepared for rollout to Residents and Staff living and working with a Residential Aged Care Facility. Rollout is to commence late FEB early March 2021.
We have received notification that all aged care facilities will commence the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine rollout at the end of February 2021.
We have all endured a difficult year with COVID-19 and all the restrictions that have been put in place, as we move to a “new normal”. We now have a chance to “tackle” COVID-19 head on by participating in the national vaccination program.
What we know about the Pfizer Vaccine is that it is now TGA (Therapeutic Goods Act) approved for use and administration in Australia.
As Residents residing in a residual aged care facility and aged care workers we are classed in the first category to receive the vaccine first.
The vaccine comes as an injection that is administered in x2 doses x2 weeks apart.
The vaccine is currently NOT MANDATORY in Australia, however we support and encourage residents to consider participating in the national vaccination program.
The 2021 Annual Influenza Vaccine is MANDATORY for all staff and anyone visiting a Residential Aged Care Facility as it was in 2020.
We can appreciate the nervousness and apprehension around the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine so please find attached some resources for reference and further information to keep you all informed.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-05/when-will-you-get-the-covid-19-vaccine/13112610
In the coming days / weeks staff across both homes will be speaking with Residents and / or their Representative to go through the consent process.
Visiting our Homes Update
We continue to support visitors at Ananda and follow the directions as set out by SA Health via the Emergency Management (COVID-19) (RACF) Directions and the Cross Borders Direction which are quickly often updated frequently depending on the national COVID-19 situation.
At present anyone entering SA from Greater Perth, Greater Melbourne and parts of NSW are not permitted to enter a Residential Aged Care Facility until a negative COVID swab has been received. This information does change frequently and we have the most recent Directions on display in both our homes.
We continue to watch closely the situation unfolding in Perth, Melb and now NSW regarding the new UK and South African strains of the COVID-19 virus.
Our residents and staff safety continues to be paramount.
Please remember to book your visits to the home so we have an going account of who is entering our homes and upon arrival complete the Entry to Site Checklist including a temperature check. Although we have relaxed our visiting times we must always know the total number of people in the home to ensure we meet social distancing guidelines.
We ask if you are visiting that you visit your loved one in their room and/or in a dedicated area in the home away from other residents.
Bain Marie Service
IT’S BACK …………….
Both Hope Valley and Findon are now enjoying the Bain Marie service at lunch and evening meal time. It is so wonderful to see residents enjoying the meals and choices.
At Findon, residengs “cheered” the frst day it came back and although we can only have up to 8 residents in the HUB dining room at once, it has been lovely seeing different residents attend.
One resident gave Chef Suresh a “thumbs up” followed by a request for seconds.
Well Done Kamal and Team it’s been a long time in welcoming the Bain Marie service back …… but it’s been worth the wait!!!
Person Centred Software
It’s exciting times ahead as we prepare to “GO LIVE” with our final phase of Person Centred Software or PCS.
We already have PCS fully embedded in our Findon home and from October 2020 we introduced this to our Hope Valley with great success. It am so pleased to announce that from Wednesday 10th February 2021 we will now “GO LIVE” in A2.
PCS will be our comprehensive Nursing Care Plan, Assessment, Progress Note and incident management system, as we move away from “paper based” documentation. You will see staff refer to green or black electronic devices that are password protected with resident care details.
PCS allows us to develop and implement individualised “planned care days” for each resident to truly represent resident focus care. This is done in consultation and collaboration with residents / their representative and strengths are commitment to a “partnership in care” model approach.
It has been wonderful to see the calibre of individualised care already seen in PCS in A1 and we can truly see the care that is being provided to the residents.
The idea behind PCS is that Clinical, Care and Wellness & Engagement staff will be able to input data to identify how we are meeting the residents individual care needs.
Staff have undertaken training in PCS and have educational resources and tools to support and guide them in the final phase of the PCS roll out. Our Project Lead Belinda has been busy inputting resident data and supporting staff as we transition to PCS.
PCS provides our staff with every residents individualised “planned care day” which has been developed to meet the residents care needs. PCS provides staff with the residents nursing care plan and progress notes.
Every resident will be undergoing a reassessment and having their care plans updated including their Integrated Clinical and Lifestyle Care Plan. Matt has done an excellent job with this for our residents in A1.
There is a COVID-19 contact function so we can quickly see which staff have been in contact with a resident in the event a COVID-19 swab result is positive or we have been advised by SA Health of a “close contact”.
For our night duty staff they are able to do nightly checks by using individualised QR codes that will be located by every residents bedside indicating that the residents care needs have been met overnight.
This is a monumental time for Ananda as we complete the process of moving to electronic documentation and providing evidence to support we are truly resident focused.
A huge thank you to our PCS Project Lead Belinda who has been instrumental in rolling out PCS.
We “GO LIVE” with our final phase of PCS in A2 on WEDNESDAY 10th FEBRUARY 2021………
For our Findon Residents/ Representatives it is hard to believe that you went LIVE with PCS on 18th FEB 2019 (almost 2 years ago) and you are all using the system so well evidencing Resident Focused Care.
Once again on behalf of all the Ananda Staff we thank you all for your ongoing support and encouragement it is very humbling.
As we get more information on this exciting news we will keep everyone posted.
We are waiting with baited breathe the current COVID-19 situation in NSW, Victoria and Queensland as their positive case number fluctuate.
As per SA Directive noone from NSW can enter a Residential Aged Care Facility – we have previously provided our families and representatives with this information and we go through this upon entry into our homes.
We have now received information that Greater Brisbane has placed their aged care homes into a lockdown with a confirmed case of the new COVID-19 (UK) strain in a staff member working in hotel quarantine.
We have taken the additional safety precautions of not allowing visitors to enter our homes who have recently returned from Queensland (on or after 2nd January) we ask that you do not enter our homes for 14 days as per the SA Health guidelines. As this is breaking news we will provide further updates as they come to light.
Our residents and staff safety is paramount.
Can I please take this opportunity to remind all visitors to the home that they must sign in via our reception and complete the Entry to Site Checklist including a temperature check.
This is part of SA Emergency Management Direction for RACF and to ensure we have all the correct details of anyone who is in our homes in the event of notification of a positive COVID-19 case we can liaise with SA Health contract tracing team.
On a lighter note I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our Ananda Aged Care Hospitality Team.
Kamal Verma is our Hospitality Manager who oversees the service functions of Cleaning, Catering and Laundry across both Hope Valley and Findon.
Our cleaning team are on site 7 days per week undertaking cleaning services across our homes including our resident’s rooms, general areas, dining rooms, lounge rooms and reception areas as well as behind the scenes in the back of house areas. After hours our clinical and care team sweep and mop the floors overnight to reduce the risk of and resident slipping or falling. The cleaners work throughout the morning and afternoon to ensure high standards of cleanliness in the home.
Our maintenance team also assist the cleaning team with carpet and floor steam cleaning to give the flooring a deep clean and freshen up. Our maintenance team also clean outside of the home including pressure cleaning some of our equipment and external fencing perimeter.
We use an external gardener across both homes to ensure our gardens are looking beautiful. We do have to thank our resident “green thumb” Carolyn in Hope Valley who has turned out A2 gardens into colourful masterpieces that get lots of compliments from our residents. Thanks so much Carolyn we are so proud abs grateful for your efforts.
Our laundry team work Monday – Friday at Findon and Monday – Sunday at Hope Valley washing and drying our resident’s personal laundry. The teams start from 7.30 / 8am and commence washing the clothes received from the PM shift and overnight and collect more personal linen throughout the day to wash and dry. It is so important all clothing is labelled so in the event it goes missing we can locate it. Sometimes clothing is mixed up with sheets and towels and accidentally sent to our external laundry contractor “Spotless”. If labelled personal linen does come back but may take up to 4-6 weeks. If we know personal clothing is missing we contact Spotless for them to keep an eye out and return to us ASAP. Our laundry team take pride in ensuring all residents clothes are clean and that they have plentiful supply. In event a resident is running low on clothes the Clinical Team will contact the family / representative to organise additional clothes to be provided.
We have recently recruited new cleaners and laundry staff I am sure you will join with us in welcoming our new team members.
Finally our Catering Team have been enjoying bringing the new summer menu to everyone that was introduced in early Dec 2020. It was great to be able to have a number of residents across our homes join us for a taste test of the new menu items with some great feedback. We have all been missing the Bain Marie service which I am so pleased to announce we are about to recommence. We are just going through our risk management processes to ensure we can recommence safely. At this stage we are looking at doing the Bain Marie at lunch time initially with up to two meal sitting 11.45 – 12.15pm and 12.15 – 12.45pm so we can ensure social distancing measures are in place……….. Exciting times ahead!!!
Kamal is currently working with our dieticians and clinical staff on reviewing the menu to better meet the needs of our residents with specific care needs to encourage greater independence with their nutrition. We are looking at “finger food” and the presentation of meals. In February we are excited to hold our inaugural Nutrition Committee with our Dietician, Hospitality, Clinical Teams and Ananda Board. This is an opportunity to further review our menu in a collaborative and consultative manner … watch this space!
I am sure you will all join with me and the rest of Ananda breathing a sigh of relief.
It has been a difficult past nine months as we have all delved into the unknown.
Our focus has been clear throughout this pandemic to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all residents.
From the moment COVID-19 was declared a pandemic we have been aware that vulnerable people our residents are mostly at risk.
Their resilience and strength over the past nine months has been inspiring and humbling as they put their trust in us to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
So what is changing …….. From Monday14th December 2020 we are so pleased to inform you that the limit of visitors each resident may have each day has now been removed, so residents will be able to have more than 1-2 visitors for linger periods of time.
We will still need to screen all visitors to the home which includes an “Entry to Site Checklist” and temperature check so at this stage we will continue visitation from 1-4pm daily.
This allows our residents the opportunity to enjoy lunch time service prior to receiving visitors.
Where possible we will support visits in the Residents rooms and/or in one of our outside garden areas (weather permitting) to ensure we are practicing social distancing.
Under the new Directions all visitors to the home are still required to wear face masks until 23rd December 2020 in line with government advice.
Visits to support end of life care and for palliative care / compassionate grounds will continue to be exempt and in discussion with Senior Management.
As a reminder please continue to practice social distancing not only in our homes but in the community, practice good hand hygiene and if you are unwell please delay your visit to our homes and get if required get a COVID-19 swab test.
To enter our homes (and as per the Emergency Management Directive) it is a requirement you have had the 2020 Flu Vaccination
Ananda has applied for a COVID safe QR check in code that once received we will have on display for all visitors to “check into Ananda”
We will keep you up to date as we head into this festive season as there may be further updates around easing of restrictions from SA Health and the Sa Police Commissioner.
Our staff across our homes and Head Office have stood tall during this time and day in day out have been here supporting and caring for the residents of Ananda – they are our true heroes showing us what Compassion, Comfort, Care means.
Our Board and Management has been truly inspired by their courageous effort – they are all truly ANANDA STARS……….
We are looking forward to celebrating our Annual Ananda STARS at a future event, following the postponement due to COVID-19 and the Stay at Home Directive.
We are looking at the UK at the moment and to quote the Prime Minister of Australia “we have a front row seat” observing the COVID-19 vaccine roll out in the UK ………. Hoping for great outcome and wait for news for the Australian vaccine!!!!!!!
We celebrated our Annual Christmas shows a little different this year…….. On Tuesday 8th Dec at our Findon Home and Thursday 10th Dec at our Hope Valley home we celebrated Christmas with a delicious lunch filled with savoury and sweet treats while being entertained by the incredible Dino ……. I heard that some of our staff and management also participated to the joys (and laughs) of the residents. I have had a “sneak peek” of Kamal’s Christmas Day lunch menu and it sounds delicious. Although COVID-19 has taken many things from us this year the joys of the festive season, our families and staff coming together and a real sense of community is stronger than it has ever been.
If you are planning on taking your loved one home Christmas Day can you kindly let our Admin Team know (at reception) by Friday 18th Dec so we can finalise our menu and ordering.
If you are taking a resident out we will go through a Risk Management Checklist with you and the Resident as part of our record keeping and for trace contact purposes in the event of further COVID-19 outbreaks.
We continue to embark on this “new normal” and as we all work together and continue to do the right thing …. And work towards the road map to recovery.
Kind Regards
Ananda Management
Our staff access this simple observation tool to assist our quality audits and regularly complete it in various areas of the home. We are now making it available for residents, representatives and visitors to complete so we receive helpful external feedback. Please feel free to spend 5-10 minutes to complete this form on your mobile ‘phone or tablet, or home computer.
*These fields must be completed
7/8/20
This morning our Board has made the decision to introduce mandatory face masks by Monday 10th August for all staff and visitors into our homes. We will be doing this proactively and to err on the side of caution at this uncertain time. This direction will be reviewed ongoing based on SA Health advice and transmission rates.
We will have more information on our website and at front reception for exceptions and procedure.
Please reconsider visiting loved ones at this time to help keep our vulnerable community safe.
You can book in a Skype or Facetime call with our staff. If you choose to visit please reduce the duration, frequency and maintain strict hand hygiene and social distancing, following advice from our staff.
Most of all, if you are at all unwell, no matter how mild the symptoms please refrain from entering our homes. We rely on you to help keep everyone safe and healthy.
Today is Aged Care Employee Day and we know you will join us in recognising the dedication and commitment of our Ananda staff.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Registered Nurse on site 24/7 or our Head Office during business hours Phone: 8262 5020 should you require any further information or clarification.
Lastly, we extend our thoughts to you all at this time, please take care and we thank you for your cooperation at this time.
Kind Regards
Karen Daniels-Goddard
Director of Nursing, Ananda Aged Care
Image: All staff are being trained in use of PPE
COVID-19 has presented us with many challenges and over the coming months I look forward to working with you all as we navigate our way through this testing time. Our workplace has changed and we must continue to work together to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our residents in our care while safeguarding all staff. We are so proud of all staff for their commitment and dedication – they are all ANANDA STARS!!!!
Whilst the real threat of COVID-19 may still be present as restrictions ease, the reality is we must tread carefully for at least the next 6 months to ensure the protection of our vulnerable residents.
Compliance, safety and the wellbeing of our residents and staff continues to be our main focus and for this reason the following changes will be implemented for the next six (6) months. We will continue to maintain resident quality of life, the new standards and resident focused model of care that supports best practice in culturally appropriate services and an efficient and supportive workplace for our staff.
I will continue to be based at Hope Valley and be responsible for:
Michael Page will continue to be based at Findon and be responsible:
Both Michael and myself will work together to ensure all staff are supported in the provision of quality care and service delivery. In the event there is a Commission visit both Michael and I will be on site – please call us.
Kamal Verma (Hospitality Manager), Linda Merylees (Organisational Concierge), VinceNisco (Maintenance), Jenny Crowther (Finance), and Deepti Sudhir (People Performance and Culture Business Partner) will continue to work across sites providing support to residents and staff.
Dear Families and Friends,
It was with great excitement that we heard last Friday’s announcement that further restrictions have been eased including welcoming back children under the age of 16 back into our homes to visit their grandparents and great grandparents. Having visitors of all ages will increase the energy and joy within our homes.
The other exciting news is that after months of isolation the SA Emergency Management Plan (Form 5) now permits residents to leave their home and then return, regardless of the reason they are leaving. Upon their return, they will be required to undertake our COVID-19 site entry screening checklist including a temperature check.
We will continue to monitor all residents for COVID-19 symptoms including regular temperature checks. All staff working at Ananda are still required to participate in the site entry requirements at the commencement of their shift.
Visiting hours at Hope Valley will continue to be Monday – Sunday between 1-5pm., and Monday to Friday 1-5pm and weekends 1-3pm at Findon, with a limit of one visit per day of up to two people. The government has removed the requirement of short duration visits, however social distancing must still take place.
We also welcome our families now able to visit from Tasmania, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland without having to quarantine for 14 days on arrival (unless they transit in other States).
It is still a government requirement that all visitors including children must provide evidence of the current flu vaccination. Babies under the age of 6 months are exempt.
We will continue to remain vigilant, practice social distancing and hand hygiene practices to keep us all safe.
These are welcome changes are we move towards the ‘new normal’. Thank you all for your support and patience as we navigate through these challenging times. The well-being and safety of all residents and staff is our highest priority.
Belief: Restraints decrease falls and prevent injuries
Evidence:
Belief: Restraints are for the good of the resident
Evidence:
Belief: Restraints make care giving more efficient
Evidence:
Making a decision about restraint
“Restraint is any restrictive practice, device, action or treatment that interferes and / or impacts with a person’s ability to make a decision, or which restricts their freedom of movement.”
Ananda Aged Care practices a restraint free environment wherever possible.
Ananda Aged Care is committed to resident safety including prioritising a safe living environment.
Physical Restraint:
Chemical Restraint
When psychotropic medication is used to manage behaviour, it may be classed as chemical restraint. ‘Chemical restraint means a restraint that is, or that involves, the use of medication or a chemical substance for the purpose of influencing a person’s behaviour, other than medication prescribed for the treatment of, or to enable treatment of, a diagnosed mental disorder, a physical illness or a physical condition’ (Australian Government, 2014 as amended, 2019). For people in residential aged care, its use is governed by Quality of Care Principles 2014 made under section 96-1 of the Aged Care Act 1997.
What are psychotropic medications?
Psychotropic medications are ‘any drug capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behaviour.’ (MedicineNet, 2018). The three main classes of psychotropic prescribed are antidepressants, anxiolytic/ hypnotics (mostly benzodiazepines to manage anxiety and insomnia) and antipsychotics. Other psychotropic classes include anticonvulsants and stimulants. Because they affect the brain and mind, anti-dementia medication and opioids can be classed as psychotropic medication. Your GP reviews your medications regularly every three (3) months and more frequently if required. Our GPs work with our Clinical Pharmacist who undertake RMMR a process whereby the Clinical Pharmacist reviews your medications and makes recommendations to your GP.
Environmental Restraint:
As Ananda has a key pad exit installed at all reception entries of the home this is considered a form of environmental restraint. The code to the door is provided to families / representatives on admission and is available to residents who have been assessed as not having a defined cognitive impairment (Dementia / Alzheimer’s, etc.).
General Environmental Restraint: includes perimeter restraints that restricts a resident from leaving the home but still allows a resident some freedom of access (Includes exit door that require opening a door via a code or keypad). For residents who have been assessed as having a defined cognitive impairment the door code is not disclosed for safety reasons.
Memory Support Unit Environmental Restraint: is more restrictive in nature and after careful consideration of all options that this form of restraint is to be used in the resident’s best interests. Additional supervision is provided to residents in the Memory Support Unit.
Restraint as a last resort
The decision to use restraint is not taken lightly, and is only used as a measure of last resort. A comprehensive assessment is completed after exhausting all reasonable alternative options.
If restraint must be used as a last resort, we take the following measures, to protect a person’s safety and dignity of risk:
Steps taken before using restraint
Before implementing any type of restraint, we take the following steps:
Dear All,
We are writing to you in response to the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus affecting China in particular, but with cases now being diagnosed across several countries including Australia.
Ananda Aged Care has been monitoring the situation closely with the Department of Health to obtain the most reliable and updated information and advice.
Please find attached the Department of Health’s recent information and advice for organisations like ours. Further information is included in the Department of Health website.
It is timely to remind all staff the importance of hand hygiene and access to Personal Protective Equipment and ensuring we follow Ananda’s policies and procedures around antimicrobial stewardship (infection control).
I encourage all staff to participate in our 2020 staff influenza vaccination program to ensure that we are safeguarding ourselves and our vulnerable residents.
If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to speak with me directly.
Kind Regards
Karen Daniels-Goddard
Director Of Nursing
In the August/September’s issue Michael Page, Karen Daniels and Pooja Newman describe the new model of care and how our partnership with DTA came about as we transitioned to the new (July 2019) Aged Care Standards.AJDC-Aug-Sept-2019_Ananda-Part-1Download
In the October/November issue Michael, Karen and Pooja show the improvements for residents and to staff confidence as we opened he doors to the Memory Support UnitsAJDC-Oct-Nov-2019_Ananda-Part-2Download
Also, in this issue Michael Page and DTA Director Andrew Stafford describe a new Virtual Reality workshop which 25 Ananda staff piloted and which Michael helped DTA develop.AJDC-Oct-Nov-2019_Meaningful-Spaces-VRDownload
Ananda continues to invest in training its staff in best practice dementia care and this is already having benefits. We are honoured to have been featured in Australia’s best practice dementia journal and look forward to further improvements to care as staff build their knowledge and confidence.
Over the past 12 months aged care in Australia has been undergoing some significant changes, introduced to support all consumers accessing aged care services. One of these significant changes in the establishment of a single set Charter of Aged Care Rights.
From July 1 2019 the new Charter of Aged Care Rights came into effect and is a single document encompassing all aged care provision in Australia.
Ananda Aged Care is committed to the fourteen statements and has an expectation that all staff will uphold these statements with integrity and dedication.
The new Charter of Aged Care Rights is on display throughout our home and at front reception. We have included information about the Charter in recent Resident and Representative Newsletters for your perusal.
A revised copy of the Resident Handbook is available at our front reception for your collection.
I have the right to:
See below a signed copy of the Charter of Aged Care Rights and our brochure on the Charter indicating Ananda Aged Care’s commitment in meeting the fourteen rights.
We have gone to great lengths to provide the Charter to all residents, family or substitute decision makers either in person, by email or by letter.
I encourage you to make a time with me or clinical nurses to discuss the new charter.
More information on the Charter can be found on the About Ananda section of our website.
Karen Daniels
Director of Nursing
Our CNs at both homes report to the Director of Nursing (Karen Daniels) and are involved in continuous improvement activity and transition to new standards of care.
At Hope Valley our CNs are Ana, Karen and Ailene (pictured).
Ana Gador has worked at Ananda Hope Valley since 2004. She started as a personal carer, then Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nurses and now is a Clinical Nurse with a specialist interest in wound care and palliative care. Ana likes to dine out and loves coffee!
Ailene Salvador has worked at Ananda Hope Valley since 2012. Ailene progressed to CN from Registered Nurse. Her specialist interests are nutrition and palliative care, and is also interested in acute care (specifically theatre). Ailene likes to spend time with family and travelling.
Both Ana and Ailene are members of our Responsive Behaviours Consultancy with DTA and Queensland University of Technology.
Karen Steer has worked at Hope Valley 2014 and also started as an Registered Nurse before her promotion to CN. She has an interest in wound care and admission of residents and liaising with family members. Karen likes to spend time with family, reading, and ghost hunting.
Karen is leading our Medication Consultancy with DTA and University Western Australia.
Amongst many clinical improvements made during a busy first half of 2019 perhaps the biggest has been around the care of residents with dementia at both homes as a result of our partnership (Tailored Training Package) with Dementia Training Australia (DTA), the key body in Australia for training health professionals. While this partnership runs until March 2020 there have been key improvements in care already, and the initiative is featured in three published articles in the Australian Journal of Dementia Care (AJDC) in August and October 2019.
The Hope Valley Clinical Nurses explain:
“We noticed a number of change within the facility since making the Dementia Training Australia (DTA) training available to staff.
With opening the doors to Derwent wing (Memory Support Unit) from 0930-1630 we noticed a significant decrease in responsive behaviours for the residents in Derwent.
Alleviating the feeling of being isolated or restrained and being able to engage with other residents in different areas, they are also able to participate in activities offered outside of Derwent.
This promotes mobility and exercise as they are able to explore a wider area. The staff in Derwent appear more relaxed and feel more supported with the doors being opened. Staff have gained a better understanding of dementia and supporting residents when they have unmet needs that lead to responsive behaviours.
As a result of this knowledge staff are developing as champions who are now able to pass these skills on to newer staff, students and families.
Chemical restraint usage (medication for behaviours) has also significantly declined. Dr. Crea (our main GP at Hope Valley) and the pharmacist are regularly reviewing the medications, and staff are adhering to ‘FOLLOW THE FIVE’ a guide to other strategies for addressing unmet needs before considering medications, as they are more aware and have more knowledge and understanding in dealing with responsive behaviours.”
As a result of this knowledge staff are developing as champions who are now able to pass these skills on to newer staff, students and families.
Ana, Karen and Ailene (CNs Hope Valley)
Ananda’s Medication Safety Consultancy in partnership with DTA and the University of Western Australia continues monthly with staff from Hope Valley and Findon taking part.
We thank our long serving clinical experts at Hope Valley who continue to look for ways to improve clinical care at Ananda.
We will feature our Findon CNs next month.