Resident involvement
How can residents and representatives be involved in accreditation?
Residents and representatives should be actively encouraged to contribute to decisions made at residential aged care homes about the care and services residents receive. This will ensure a strong continuous improvement approach, as well as a focus on their needs and preferences.
Residents and representatives should be notified of all visits. This involves telling residents when assessors are on site during unannounced visits such as support contacts and review audits, and providing information prior to announced visits.
Is it a requirement to inform residents and their representatives of visits?
The Accreditation Grant Principles 1999 require approved providers, on behalf of residential aged care homes, to tell residents and their representatives about an audit within three days of being told when it will start. This includes information on:
- the date and starting time of the audit
- the opportunity to talk to an assessor.
We assist in this process by providing a noticeboard flyer to residential aged care homes and a letter template. These are available in 16 community languages:
Residential aged care homes are also encouraged to display these noticeboard posters when a team enters the residential aged care home for an unannounced visit.
Please let us know if you believe we should provide this information in an additional language.
How are residents involved in the actual visits?
Resident feedback is a key form of evidence we use when making decisions. It reflects the residential aged care home’s ability to meet the needs and preferences of the residents living at the residential aged care home.
Residents and their representatives are interviewed during visits to residential aged care homes. Assessors interview at least 10% of residents or their representatives during all accreditation site audits and review audits, and during most support contacts. They are provided with information on their rights to privacy and confidentiality.
What about residents with dementia?
Residents with dementia are also interviewed by assessors. These residents provide important information such as through their overall demeanour and grooming. We also recognise that not all residents with dementia have impaired verbal communication.
Interviews with residents with dementia may also be conducted at times of the day when responses are more likely to provide adequate information.
Assessors also understand the different degrees of dementia, and various styles for communicating with
people with dementia.
