Wicking Teaching Aged Care Facilities Program
The last decade has witnessed a progressive ageing of the resident population in aged care facilities with an associated increase in dependency. For now, at least, and for the foreseeable future, this change is inexorable and progressive. Worryingly, the increasing demand for skilled care to meet higher levels of resident dependency has been accompanied by a progressive de-skilling of the aged care workforce. This is compounded by the fact that the aged care environment does not appear to offer strong career pathways for qualified staff, making recruitment and retention a significant problem. This raises questions about how we will ensure that increasingly dependent residents receive appropriately skilled care.
To support the transition of aged care facilities into the 21st Century we must create an environment that attracts leaders who will facilitate high performance cultures at a whole of organisation level. The Program has four projects: