The Australian Government's reforms are continuing to lift the standard of aged care, with a new report highlighting the positive experience of older people living in residential aged care.
The results of the 2022 and 2023 Residents' Experience Surveys, released today, reveal the findings from close to 75,000 conversations between residents and independent survey teams over the past two years.
In the 2023 survey, around 85 per cent of residents said they would recommend their home to someone they know.
Residents nominated safety, respect and kindness as the most positive aspects of their experience, with autonomy - the extent to which they are empowered to live independently - the most improved area of the survey.
The survey responds to a key finding of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety for the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to quality of care and reporting.
The survey is an annual opportunity for aged care residents to share their views on the care they receive. The feedback received as part of the survey is used to calculate the residents' experience Star Rating for each home.
To ensure an inclusive experience for residents of all backgrounds, the survey has been designed to meet the needs of all residents. The survey team is highly experienced in engaging with residents with diverse needs, such as cultural or language barriers and cognitive impairment.
These greater levels of choice and transparency have been a driving factor behind a lot of the improvements seen across the sector, with Australia now home to more 4- and 5- star homes and less 1- and 2- star homes.
This is in addition to other critical aged care reforms, such as having a registered nurse on site in every home 24 hours a day 7 days a week and increasing the amount of one-on-one time residents spend with carers each day.
The 2024 Residents' Experience Survey is already underway at aged care homes across the country.
Read the Residents' Experience Survey full report into the 2022 and 2023 results.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells:
"With residents already enjoying an improved experience, we can see our ambitious reforms are having a positive effect.
"Seeking feedback directly from older Australians is just one of the ways we're reforming aged care to create a system built on choice, fairness and transparency.
"While it's great to see improvements across the sector, we know we must do more to raise the quality of residential aged care in Australia.
"We are determined to ensure older Australians have high quality and safe care as they age."
