A foot in both camps
2 minute read
I left the aged care sector in 2012 to work on the NDIS and returned late last year to work on Invox. The first thing I noticed was how little change has happened in aged care, the second was that I am now old enough to qualify as a client.
My mob, the boomers have arrived in aged care, the oldest are now 76. That’s about the average age people start needing support services. That means even if it’s a little difficult to see just now, big changes are starting to happen to the way we work. As we have heard so often, the boomer generation has much higher expectations than their parents, they have more time on their hands (including longevity) and are really quite powerful at getting the system and its services to give them what they need.
With the current aged care reform process the government is trying to cater to these boomer sensibilities (and votes) by shifting the sector towards a market-based system. By implementing varying forms of market style self-management, it is intended that older people will have far more say about the services they use. The new quality standards have the person at the centre, it’s the same intention using a different process. Everywhere the new mantra is ‘choice and control’.
But while the reforms are progressing and providers are planning for the boomers to arrive, we will still be working with the current generation of older people for a very long time to come. This is a generation often not very interested in technology, many of whom do not like to complain and are not used to exercising control over their care services. This is the generation that still want to look you in the eye and shake your hand to know if they can trust you. And if we are not careful, many will feel left behind as all the focus and attention is going toward creating services for the next generation – the boomers.
The challenges for providers now and into the future are for our staff and systems to bridge the needs of these two generations. No small feat.
Many of our staff have grown older with their clients. After many years of doing things one way (and being well-received by clients) they will need to understand why and how change is required. Their relationships and ways of working will now need to adapt to boomer expectations while still meeting the needs of the current older cohort.
Before we can get staff to adapt, they first need to be convinced that change is required. If they don’t believe in it, they simply will not do it. Staff engagement at all levels is essential and has to begin with recognizing how the work they are currently doing is highly valued AND needs to change to also meet boomer needs.
Our systems will need just as much adaptation. We will need to rethink everything from the way our processes talk to boomers (“don’t call me a care recipient”) to our marketing and consumer engagement approaches.
It’s not comfortable to have a foot in both camps but that’s where we find ourselves. We cannot meet one’s groups expectations at the expense of the other. It’s going to require leadership that understands the complexity of the situation and genuinely engage staff at every step of the changes ahead.
We are busy trying to build an audience for these Essential Briefings, so if you like this article it would be fabulous if you share it with other people you think might like it too.
Continue Reading
