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Aged care laws in Australia have now changed. The new Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025 now apply. While we complete updating of our website, including draft guidance and other materials, to align with the new laws, providers are advised to refer to the new Act and Rules for any required clarification of their obligations and legal responsibilities. Thank you for your patience.

Recognising Signs of Deterioration in a Person’s Mental State

Recognising Signs of Deterioration in a Person’s Mental State

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Report,
Last updated

This resource provides a framework for recognising signs of mental state deterioration, organised into 5 key indicators: reported change, distress, loss of reality, loss of function, and elevated risk. It supports healthcare providers in monitoring mental health changes to enable timely and effective responses across care settings. This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of aged care. Please consider the applicability of this resource to your care setting. 

Author
Australian Commission On Safety And Quality In Health Care
Key Theme
Assessment and planning
Clinical safety
Standard
5: Clinical Care
3: The Care and Services
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning
5.5: Safety of clinical care services
Recognising Signs of Deterioration in a Person’s Mental State

This is not a Commission publication. Any views are those of the author. You are responsible for considering this in context, based on your circumstances and the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) requirements. See Terms of Use .