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International Comparisons of Long-Term Care: Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Anna L. Howe
Anna L. Howe
Affiliation:
La Trobe University*
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Abstract

This account of nursing home care in Australia begins with a brief history of four phases of policy development from 1963 to the early 1990s. The structure of the nursing home system is then outlined; particular attention is given to data sets generated from administrative systems that are used for monitoring nursing home care. Arrangements for pre-admission assessment and assessment of resident dependency and care needs, to which reimbursement levels are related, are described next. A profile of resident characteristics and their patterns of utilization of nursing home care is presented, drawing on these assessment data. Policy issues arising in the 1990s are addressed in the conclusion; these concern the place of nursing home care in the overall balance of aged care services and the enhancement of outcomes of nursing home care in regard to quality of care and workforce training. Finally, the contribution of the continuing development of data sets for monitoring trends and outcomes to policy and program development is noted.

Résumé

Ce compte rendu sur les soins en centres d'hébergement en Australie comporte d'abord un bref historique des quatre phases d'élaboration d'une politique s'échelonnant de 1963 jusqu'au début des années 90. Suit un aperçu de la structure du réseau des centres d'hébergement – une attention particulière est accordée aux ensembles de données provenant des sytèmes administratifs de contrôle des soins institutionnels. On décrit également les dispositions prises en vue de l'évaluation préalable à l'admission et de l'évaluation de la dépendance et des besoins en soins des résidents. Les niveaux de remboursement pertinents sont liés à l'état des résidents. Faisant appel aux données tirées de ces évaluations, on trace un profil des caractéristiques des résidents et des types de soins institutionnels dont ceux-ci se prévalent. En conclusion, on traite des questions de politique soulevées au début des années 90. Elles portent sur la place qu'occupent les soins institutionnels dans l'équilibre global des services de soins aux personnes âgées, sur l'évolution des soins institutionnels quant à la qualité des soins et à la formation du personnel, et sur l'élaboration continue d'ensembles de données en vue d'observer cette évolution.

Keywords

Nursing HomesMonitoringOutcomesAssessmentDependencyUtilization.Centres d'hébergementobservationévolutionévaluationdépendencetypes de soins.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 15 , Issue S1 , Automne/Fall 1996 , pp. 13 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1996

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