Dear Nathan

This is an update on news and events related to ageing in Queensland that might interest you. We hope you enjoy it! Our apologies for missing an edition of the Qld news in April.

AAG Queensland Division news – May 2020

Division news

We have been looking at how we can host the events for the coming months online. We will keep you posted!

Policy, research, and industry news

Opportunities to contribute

• Health Consumers Queensland COVID-19 Community of Interest If you would like to be a part of a statewide network of consumers who are interested in being involved on COVID-19 responses, please register your details via the link. 
• COTA Queensland have created a COVID platform on their Engagement Hub with spaces for service providers, community organisations, and older people to contribute their views and experiences. Further opportunities to contribute will be added over time.

Industry and policy news

• QDN has created easy-to-read resources about COVID-19 for people with disability. QDN has also teamed up with the University of Sydney to develop a tool to help people with disability manage the impact of COVID-19. The Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness Planning Tool will give people with disability the facts about COVID-19 and outline how to make a plan that is tailored to their unique support needs. www.qdn.org.au.
• A Care Army of professionals and volunteers will rally around Queensland’s seniors, while a telephone hotline has been launched, to help ensure the wellbeing of older people during the Coronavirus pandemic. A COVID-19 Seniors Panel, led by Minister Kate Jones reporting directly to the Premier, will co-ordinate the Care Army and launch a community awareness campaign about how to help our seniors with Communities Minister Coralee O’Rourke assisting in the regions. https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/carearmy
• Uniting Care Queensland is operating the Community Recovery Hotline telephone service 1800 173 349 which means seniors can talk to a specialist seven days a week. The Community Recovery Hotline is intended to help the most vulnerable Queenslanders in quarantine who have no other support mechanisms. Queenslanders who require health advice or information while in quarantine or self-isolation should call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or visit health.qld.gov.au/coronavirus.” For more information visit https://www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/queensland-disasters/novel-coronavirus-covid-19
• The Queensland Health website has dedicated sections to provide tailored COVID-19 information to a number of groups within the community, including: First Nations people, Older Queenslanders, and People with disability.
• Queensland Health Ethical Framework for decision-making during COVID-19 was developed to help guide clinical decision making during the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses age among other factors.
• The Queensland Government has developed People with vulnerabilities in disasters: A framework for an effective local response (PDF), in collaboration with key partners, to contribute to building resilient communities. This Framework and associated resources including a Tool Kit are available at this link
• A number of reports have been tabled as part of the inquiry into aged care, end-of-life and palliative care and voluntary assisted dying.
• The Lantern Project posted 14 tips over the past few months to help aged care providers and the loved ones of aged care residents meaningfully connect, adapt, evolve and succeed during COVID-19 restrictions. Scroll back over the Lantern Lock Down posts on The Lantern Project Facebook Page or via LinkedIn.
• Rural and remote GPs and other clinicians can access specialist palliative care telehealth consultation for their patients nearing end of life. Queensland’s Specialist Palliative Rural Telehealth Service consists of four hub sites at Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Cairns, supporting all rural and remote areas of Queensland with end-of-life care advice. Contact: 1300 618 486. In addition, PallConsult supports health care teams across all of Queensland who do not have easy access to a specialist palliative care service. Contact: 1300 PALLCR (1300 725 527) - business hours advice (for nurses and allied health) 1300 PALLDR (1300 725 537) - 24/7 advice for prescribers (Doctors and NPs) Visit www.pallconsult.com.au for more information.
• In order to understand people's wishes, some local Hospital and Health Services and the Office of Advance Care Planning are offering individuals and/or their families from anywhere in Queensland the opportunity to speak with an experienced ACP facilitator (via phone or video at this time) to have an ACP conversation to make these wishes known to all involved in the person's care, including GPs, Queensland Ambulance and hospital staff. For further information, or to book an appointment with an ACP facilitator contact the Office of ACP via: Phone: 1300 007 227 Email: [email protected]. All services provided by the ACP facilitator and the Office of ACP are free of charge. 
• Five online education modules are aimed at educating health care professionals about Advance Care Planning, relevant Queensland law and standardised documentation, and best practice principles for introducing ACP for the people in your care. Modules can be accessed by PC or tablet. Click here
• As part of wider efforts in response to COVID-19, senior Queensland drivers will not be required to visit their doctor or optometrist to obtain a medical certificate to meet senior driver licensing requirements, reducing the risk of exposure to the coronavirus and the need to go outside. Regulatory changes have been made to do two things in response to COVID-19:
  • Medical certificates that were obtained to meet the senior driver requirements, that expired after 29 January 2020, will be considered valid until six months after the COVID-19 emergency ends; and
  • During this emergency period, senior drivers will not be committing an offence if they drive while not holding a valid medical certificate. For more information, visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/licensing/update/medical/notify
       

In the media

• Queensland students Skype with residents after regular visits cancelled https://www.agedcareinsite.com.au/2020/03/queensland-students-skype-with-residents-after-regular-visits-cancelled/
• “More than just a day out: healthy@home project explores group support and centre-based respite” was published in the national LASA Fusion magazine about research being funded through the Brisbane North PHN healthy@home consortium and conducted by COTA Queensland, into the benefits of Centre-based Respite Care for Commonwealth Home Support Program clients.  The story features on pages 52-53.  See this link for the flipbook.
   

Research and teaching news

The Ageing on the Edge Queensland report has been released, including concerning numbers relating to homelessness among older people in Queensland and recommendations for urgent action.

• Professors Lindy Willmott and Ben White from the Australian Centre for Health Law Research explore legal issues in aged care in a new video titled 'End of Life Law in Aged Care'.
• Safe as Houses: COVID-19 underlines Australia’s housing need says Griffith University’s Dr Judy Kraatz. State governments in Queensland and Western Australia, along with industry stakeholders, have just completed work with Dr Kraatz’s team to map social and affordable housing networks.
• From ABC, an article quoting Lynne Parkinson explores How to help older people in coronavirus isolation not feel lonely

• A roundup of recent publications involving Queensland colleagues includes:
  • Employing Participatory Citizen Science Methods to Promote Age‐Friendly Environments Worldwide Abby C. King, Diane K. King, Ann Banchoff, Smadar Solomonov, Ofir Ben Natan, Jenna Hua, Paul Gardiner, Lisa Goldman Rosas, Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, Sandra J. Winter, Jylana Sheats, Deborah Salvo, Nicolas Aguilar‐Farias, Afroditi Stathi, Adriano Akira Hino, Michelle M. Porter, on behalf of the Our Voice Global Citizen Science Research Network
  • Innovative solutions to enhance safe and green environments for ageing well using stakeholder co-design. Anna L Hatton, Catherine Haslam, Sarah Bell, Joe Langley, Ryan Woolrych, Corrina Cory, James M W Brownjohn, Victoria A Goodwin
  • Development and evaluation of an organisational culture change intervention in residential aged care facilities - Lorraine Venturato, Barbara Horner, Christopher Etherton‐Beer
  • Petriwskyj, A. & Power, S. (2020). Supporting staff as change leaders in consumer engagement in aged care: Learnings from action research.
  • The development of a modified comprehensive geriatric assessment for use in the emergency department using a RAND/UCLA appropriateness method A Taylor, M Broadbent, A Gurung, M Wallis - International Emergency Nursing, 2020
  • Telehealth for global emergencies: Implications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Anthony C Smith, Emma Thomas, Centaine L Snoswell, Helen Haydon, Ateev Mehrotra, Jane Clemensen, Liam J Caffery - Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 2020
  • Positive HABITATS for physical activity: Examining use of parks and its contribution to physical activity levels in mid-to older-aged adults - Paula Hooper, Sarah Foster, Nicole Edwards, Gavin Turrell, Nicola Burton, Billie Giles-Corti, Wendy J. Brown
  • ‘I will walk out of here’: Qualitative analysis of older rehabilitation patients' perceptions of mobility - Samantha Kozica‐Olenski, Prue McRae, Paul Bew, Alison Mudge
  • An observational study of physical, cognitive and social activities in rehabilitation inpatients - Prue McRae, Paul Bew, Simon Smith, Alison Mudge
  • Planning for later life: Transnational and inter-generational care among Papua New Guineans in Australia R Henry, M Wood, N Neuendorf, J Brooksbank - Geoforum, 2020
  • Health outcomes of patients with dementia in acute care settings-A systematic review.  A Fox, M MacAndrew, MA Ramis 
  • Ageing in a foreign land: Stressors and coping strategies in the discourse of older adult Spanish speakers in Australia S Rojas-Lizana, M Cordella 
  • Impact of climate change on human health: adaptation challenges in Queensland, Australia R Rahman, H Zafarullah 
  • Consumer perspectives of expanded practice in rural community pharmacy S Taylor, A Cairns, B Glass 
  • A social robot intervention on depression, loneliness, and quality of life for Taiwanese older adults in long-term care SC Chen, W Moyle, C Jones, H Petsky 
  • Tactical and strategic driving behaviour in older drivers: The importance of readiness to change - C Dykstra, JJ Davis, EG Conlon 

Do you have a new project starting or some research outcomes to share? Email Andrea [email protected].

Events and announcements

Funding

• The Queensland Government has announced a $28 million fund to support Queensland’s community-based health service groups as part of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Non-government organisations delivering critical public health services across the state can access the COVID-19 Grant Fund. Find more information here.

Events and Training

• Free Queensland Human Rights Commission webinars Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) is offering introductory training on discrimination and human rights law. Its practical online training is designed to help everyone understand their rights and responsibilities under Queensland's Human Rights Act. Topics discussed include compliance, complaints handling, reducing risk, and contributing to creating fair and productive workplaces, and many other areas. The one-hour webinars are free to attend.

• Statewide Palliative Care Education Morning discussing Workforce Capacity Building: Self-Care and Self-Compassion - Wednesday May 13, 2020. The palliative care workforce includes specialist and essential health care providers. They provide care which is patient centred and holistic. With the current COVID-19 pandemic this education session will focus on self-care for our workforce, you will hear from a clinician and an academic sharing their knowledge, experience and tips in relation to self-care and self-compassion. Statewide Webinar Time: 7:20am - 8:30am Login details will be provided upon registration. Palliative Care Queensland and the Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education are offering this event free to all health care staff across Queenslanders to support workforce development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Register

Do you know about an event, project, or piece of news other AAG Qld members should know about? Send an email to Andrea Petriwskyj [email protected].

Kind Regards,
Dr Katrina Radford