Aged Care Nursing Conference
(Including Quality Aged Care)
10.50
CPD
Hours
10.50
RCNA
Points
Event Type:
Duration:
Relevant To:
Conference
Two Days
All Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
General Description
Held annually, this popular conference is designed for nurses and allied health staff who work with the elderly. It is packed full of interesting and relevant information specifically catering to the needs of these professionals.
Over the course of two days, a diverse list of presenters will quickly bring you up-to-date on contemporary best-practice care across a range of topics. Some of which include: assessment, wound care, dementia care, dealing with challenging behaviours and other psychological disorders and much much more.
This conference is certain to update you on a broad range of contemporary aged care skills and is not to be missed!
If you have identified a professional need to update your aged care nursing knowledge as part of your planned learning activities, then this program will offer you an opportunity to gain continuing professional development (CPD) hours related to this topic.
Need for Program
As the population ages there is an inevitable increase in older people who experience complex chronic illnesses. Nurses who care for older people are required to have knowledge and skills that can competently care for the broad needs of this group. There is a need for ongoing education that continually up-regulates nurses knowledge about specific areas of care.
All nurses are now required to obtain a minimum of 20 CPD hours in order to comply with their regulatory commitment and maintain their registration.
Aims and Objectives
This two day program is for nurses who work with older people in hospital, community and residential settings. It aims to enhance nurses' knowledge about a range of key areas of care - particularly:
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General assessment of an older person.
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Specialist assessment and care: i.e. wounds.
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Dementia and challenging behaviours.
At the conclusion of this program the nurse will be able to:
- Explain what constitutes a modern, holistic assessment of an older person.
- Describe how to integrate a specialist wound assessment into the general assessment of an older person.
- Explain to a student nurse the purpose of a 'Dementia Care Map'.
- List three effective strategies for minimising challenging behaviours in a person who has a dementing illness.
Please note that this education differs from state-to-state. To obtain an accurate outline of your local program please download the brochure for that event. NB. Brisbane program shown below; Melbourne program titled "Quality Aged Care Conference".
8:30am - Registrations Open
9.00am - Nursing Assessment of the Elderly - Review + Revision
A thorough nursing assessment is a foundation activity of good care planning. In this introductory session you will revise and consider the following aspects of assessment in depth?
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Which principles underpin the assessment process?
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Revision of the concept of ‘holistic assessment’?
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What are the factors, which may affect the collection of accurate information?
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Should families/friends be involved in the assessment process and for what purpose?
10.30am - Morning Tea and Coffee
11.00am - Collecting and Communicating Data
The collection and management of relevant data is crucial to the ongoing assessment process. This follow-on session will look at:
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Approaches for identifying the health and care needs of older people.
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Guidelines, frameworks and tools.
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Using the information collected effectively through meaningful documentation and useful care plans.
12.00am - Activities of Daily Living Assessment
A snapshot of considerations that need to be made when assessing the capacity to safely perform activities of daily living. This includes:
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How well can those in your care function independently?
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Other functional risk factors and impacts e.g. skin and hygiene, oral/dental state, socialising and cognition.
12.30pm - Lunch Break
1.30pm - Wound Assessment and the Nurse’s Role
Holistic care requires specialist knowledge about a range of areas. In this session, we will look at assessment and care of wounds.
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What to look for and identify when assessing different types of wounds in the elderly.
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Applying the assessment findings to the design of individual wound care plans, e.g. for leg ulcers.
2.00pm - Unravelling the Wound Dressing Maze
Clarification about the types of commercial products and indications for selection.
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What to use on which type of wound and why?
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What should you know about bandages and compression stockings?
3.00pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee
3.30pm - Aged Care and Computerised Records – The Electronic Future
An examination of digital documentation in aged care as compared with the manual recording of nursing information.
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What do nurses need to know about confidentiality and privacy rights when using computers to access information or record progress notes?
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What about the use of email/internet for personal correspondence and information access?
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Comments on some predicted developments in information technology in health services.
4.15pm - Close of Day One of Program
9:00am - Start of Day Two
9.00am - An Ageing Population and the Challenge of Dementia
This session will look specifically at the challenges facing Australia in regard to the ageing of the population and the predicted impact of increasing levels of dementia. It includes:
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Overview of the Australian context.
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How effective are drugs prescribed for delaying the progress of mild to moderate levels of dementia?
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How can nurses prepare for challenges related to dementia care in the future?
9.45am - Focus, Motivation and Engagement to Improve the Lives of Those with Dementia
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Communication– what works and what doesn’t work between nursing staff and those affected by mild / moderate / severe / profound levels of dementia.
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Person-centred care – what is it and how do we provide it?
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How to promote shared values and purpose in multi-disciplinary approaches to care.
10.30am - Morning Tea and Coffee
11.00am - Challenging Behaviours or Unmet Needs?
People who have a dementing illness sometimes present with behaviours that are considerably challenging in nature. This session will delve deeper into the causes and management of such events including:
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The importance of accurate assessment.
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The appropriate use of tools such as Dementia Care Mapping to understand the lived experience of what it is like to be affected by dementia.
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Non-pharmacological interventions to dementia care.
12.00pm - Case Scenario Activity
Presentation of a hypothetical case scenario and discussion to illustrate important concepts. It includes ample time for questions and comments.
12.30pm - Lunch Break
1.30pm - When Other Types of Mental Deterioration Occur
It may be, that an elderly patient / resident has one or more physical problems, e.g. leg ulcer or urinary tract infection with no deterioration in these conditions. Instead, there is a psychiatric relapse or else the first emergence of mental instability. Examples include paranoid ideas about the harmful intentions of staff; or prescribed medicines that cause psychiatric symptoms.
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How to conduct a basic mental status assessment for an elderly person who does not have dementia.
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What is the role of the Liaison Mental Health Nurse in large, acute care hospital settings?
2.00pm - Dealing with Difficult Behaviours
This session will further review nursing strategies for coping with disruptive emotions and behaviours, including:
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How to handle aggressive incidents.
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What is a ‘panic attack’ and how should it be managed?
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Why might medications be refused and what to do?
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Is it possible for a first episode of depression to emerge after the age of 65 years?
3.00pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee
3.30pm - Documenting Behaviours and Emotions
This final session emphasises the importance of accurately documenting your observations about behaviours, emotional responses and thinking patterns. An area which is often difficult to express in writing.>
4.15pm - Close of Program and Evaluations
Beth WilsonVictoria’s Health Services Commissioner, a position she has held since May 1997. The Health Services Commissioner receives and resolves complaints about health service providers with a view to improving the quality of health services for everybody. She is a lawyer by training and prior totaking up this position, was the President of the Mental Health Review Board and a Senior Legal Member of the Social Security Appeals Board and WorkCare Appeals Board. In addition, she is a past President of the Victorian Branch of Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.
Michelle BibbyMichelle is a registered nurse with extensive experience in infection control. This includes management of a regional infection control program including coordination of the hand hygiene program. Her qualifications include: Accredited Nurse Immuniser, Victoria; Accredited HIV/HCV Counselor Victoria; and a Certificate in Sterilisation and Infection Control.
Judy RedmileQualified and highly experienced general nurse and mental health nurse who is currently employed as the General Manager of residential facilities at Mecwa. Her postgraduate qualifications include a Graduate Diploma in Gerontology and a Certificate IV - Workplace Training & Assessment and she has a considerable experience as an Aged Care Nurse Consultant and Educator. Based on substantial clinical experience and expert knowledge, she has special expertise in the care and management of those affected by dementia.
Jenny GowanJenny was the Director of Training and Development at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (Victorian Branch) for over 20 years. She has recently been appointed a director of Northern Melbourne Medicare Locals, the Australian health reform to integrate Primary Health Care to meet local needs. A practicing pharmacist, she is also a Special Lecturer in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. She is an accredited consultant pharmacist and conducts her own company and partnership, MediCom Medication Management Services, specialising in medication reviews, training and Quality Use of Medicines.
Prasuna ReddyDr Reddy is a Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, and Director of the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health. Prior to taking up these positions, she was a Professor in the School of Medicine at Flinders University and a senior academic psychologist in the School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne. Her research publications cover several areas of applied clinical health psychology, including the diagnosis and treatment of high prevalence psychological disorders in medical conditions. Professor Reddy is also Director of Training for the Life! Taking action on diabetes program, a joint initiative of the Victorian Government and Diabetes Australia.
Susan McCarthyContinence Nurse Consultant/Manager of the Victorian Continence Resource Centre and Former Clinical Nurse Consultant – Continence Service, Peninsula Health. Susan has a substantial background in clinical, research and teaching aspects of the care and management of those affected by incontinence problems and she is a long-time, active member of the Continence Foundation of Australia.
Linda KingSenior Occupational Therapist with a substantial background in counselling, professional supervision, mental health promotion, and adult education. Linda has impressive skills in facilitating people to develop creative solutions to everyday challenges.
Jeremy LimpensJeremy’s postgraduate nursing qualifications include a Graduate Certificate of Critical Care and a Master of Emergency Nursing. His diverse background includes 18 months as the Health Safety and Security Manager for
the international operations of Australian Red Cross and Air Ambulance Nurse in the Arctic Circle. Currently, in addition to part-time work as a registered nurse, he is an Executive Coach/ Group Facilitator/ Leadership Trainer, for Mindful Action, a coaching and leadership training organisation. Jeremy has worked in a range of health care and corporate environments. As a result of his extensive work and teaching experiences, Jeremy is a well-informed and dynamic facilitator.
Tara QuirkeTara has held several senior management and educational positions both in Australia and overseas. She currently works as an Aged Care Consultant, Lecturer and contracts to the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency as an Aged Care Quality Assessor. She has a Masters Degree in Clinical Nursing (Gerontology), Masters Degree in Mental Health, Diploma in Nursing Education, Diploma in Nursing Administration and a Diploma in Community Nursing. Until recently, Tara’s family were primary carers for a parent who was living with dementia. Recently appointed to the Consumer Dementia Research Network (a group of consumers established by Alzheimer’s Australia to provide input into identifying priorities for knowledge translation and dissemination of research outcomes), Tara has a particular passion for dementia care, and is currently undertaking PhD studies in the area of dementia care and education.
Michelle GibbNurse Practitioner – Wound Management. Her clinical work is in the Wound Care Clinic which is part of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Health Clinics, and she is on the faculty of QUT School of Nursing and Midwifery. In addition Michelle is President of the Queensland Wound Care Association.
Joanne FosterNurse Informatician and Lecturer in the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Queensland University of Technology. Jo is an Executive Member of Nursing Informatics Australia (NIA) and Health Informatics Association of Australia. Jo has been working in this area for more than 20 years.
