Better Practice in Dementia Care

Winston Lodge Nursing Home in Winston Hills, North West Sydney, has been presented with three Better Practice in Aged Care awards, recognising the home?s high standards and excellence in dementia care. Winston Lodge is the first home in New South Wales to receive a Better Practice award and is also the first home nationally to win three awards.

Winston Lodge Nursing Home in Winston Hills, North West Sydney, has been presented with three Better Practice in Aged Care awards, recognising the home’s high standards and excellence in dementia care. Winston Lodge is the first home in New South Wales to receive a Better Practice award and is also the first home nationally to win three awards.

The “Better Practice” awards have been developed by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd to recognise excellence and leadership among Australia’s aged care sector.

Winston Lodge, part of the Anglican Retirement Village Group, has been recognised as an industry leader for its staff education program, its nutrition and hydration program and its behaviour management program. The home cares specifically for residents affected by dementia.

Department of Health figures show that almost 200,000 Australians have dementia and some estimate that 730,000 Australians will have dementia by 2050.

The home developed a range of initiatives to improve care and quality of life for residents. These included renovations and interior decorations to create a more home-like setting; collaborative information-sharing programs involving families to better understand the needs of residents; and the use of measures such as pet therapy, sundowning, aromatherapy and multi-sensory wall hangings to create a stimulating and interactive environment.

As a result, Winston Lodge has been able to eliminate the use of physical and chemical restraints, and reduce the use of psychotropic medications.

The number of aggressive incidents has declined substantially from an average of 9.3 to just 2.6 per month following the behaviour management initiatives, and there has also been a reduction in the number of falls and injuries sustained by residents.

The Chief Executive Officer of The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency, Mark Brandon, congratulated Winston Lodge for its achievement.

“Homes must meet strict criteria and demonstrate that they have carried out an initiative that truly delivers benefits for residents in order to win a Better Practice Award,” Mr Brandon said.

“The fact that Winston Lodge, which caters for residents affected by dementia, has won three Better Practice awards, shows that its staff and management are dedicated to going above and beyond their duties in order to maximise the quality of life for their residents who they expertly care for.”

Village Manager at Winston Lodge, Geoff Welsh, said he was grateful that the commitment by staff to excellence and continuous improvement had been recognised by the Accreditation Agency.

“Our staff are dedicated to improving the lives of our residents and these award-winning programs demonstrate that. I am particularly proud of our behaviour management program which introduced a number of positive measures, such as reducing the use of psychotropic medication, which overall have resulted in aggressive incidents being reduced by over 70%”.

ENDS

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
· Media and photographers are invited to attend the presentation of the Better Practice in Aged Care awards at 1030hrs, Monday 13 March 2006, at Winston Lodge Nursing Home, 129 Lanhams Road, Winston Hills, NSW, 2153 – a marquee will be set up at Woodberry Village to hold the event.

NOTES TO EDITORS
· The Aged Care Standards & Accreditation Agency introduced Better Practice Awards in late 2005 to recognise significant achievements in improving the quality of life of residents in aged care.
· Details of the award winning programs can be found at www.accreditation.org.au/BetterPracticerecipients
· Parliamentary question to the Minister for Ageing 9 February 2006 containing information on dementia www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/dailys/ds090206.pdf

For further information or to arrange an interview, contact:

Elinor Jayne, Corporate Affairs Officer 02 8831 1016 elinor.jayne@accreditation.org.au
Chris Falvey, General Manager Corporate Affairs 02 8831 1088 / 0419 016079

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