Quality Standards Resource Centre

This resource provides information on preventing falls at home for older people. It explains common causes of falls, such as poor lighting and slippery surfaces, and offers practical solutions like home modifications, exercise, and footwear adjustments. The document emphasises maintaining safety in and around the home to reduce the risk of falls.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

This resource provides guidelines for managing patients with multimorbidity in aged care settings. It includes frameworks for assessing treatment burden, identifying patients at risk, and developing individualised care plans. It recommends validated tools for screening, a focus on quality of life, and strategies for medication review and care coordination.

This guide reviews the physiological changes associated with ageing across multiple body systems, including cardiovascular, nervous, renal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, immune, skin, haematological, endocrine, and musculoskeletal systems. It also discusses clinical manifestations of these changes, implications for care, and provides recommendations for adjusting clinical practice to meet the needs of older adults, including medication reviews, hydration, mobility support, and preventive health strategies.

This guide outlines the challenges of diagnosing and managing geriatric syndromes, describing clusters like immobility, instability, incontinence, frailty, sarcopenia, and cognitive impairment. It introduces the 'Geriatric 5Ms' framework: Mind, Mobility, Medications, Mult complexity, and Matters Most, which assists in comprehensive assessment and care planning for older adults, focusing on mental health, physical function, medication review, complex health needs, and care goals.

This guide details the provision of after-hours care for older adults in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) and the community. It covers collaborative agreements between GPs and RACFs, processes to reduce emergency department visits, hospital avoidance strategies, and the importance of coordinating multidisciplinary care. It also addresses infrastructure needs, support staff availability, and funding arrangements to ensure quality care during after-hours periods.

This guide discusses multiculturalism in aged care, addressing the diverse needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) older adults. It covers healthcare principles, communication strategies, clinical considerations, and culturally tailored approaches for areas like medication management, dementia, mental health, nutrition, and substance use. It also provides practical advice for general practitioners, carers, and aged care facilities to deliver culturally safe and effective care.

This guide addresses barriers faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in accessing aged care, such as cultural safety, geographic challenges, and geriatric syndromes experienced at younger ages. It discusses the importance of culturally appropriate care, the use of specific assessment tools, and the unique needs of the Stolen Generation within residential and community settings.

This guide discusses strategies for supporting independent living in older adults, covering concepts of healthy ageing, using aged care services, respite care, and re-aligning function. It highlights the role of general practitioners in promoting autonomy, addressing individual needs, and avoiding ageist language while facilitating access to community or residential care services.

This guide addresses the management of disabilities in older adults, including mobility, cognitive impairments, developmental disabilities, hearing and visual impairment, psychiatric conditions, and neurodegenerative disorders. It outlines approaches for general practitioners to provide holistic care, monitor health risks, adapt support systems, and coordinate with allied health professionals in residential aged care settings.

This guide addresses the healthcare needs of older LGBTI people, covering areas such as mental health, substance use, chronic disease risks, and the importance of inclusive care. It provides strategies for culturally safe practices, promoting wellbeing, recognising abuse, and details standards for LGBTI-inclusive services, such as organisational capability and consumer participation.

This guide discusses managing multimorbidity, which involves the presence of multiple chronic diseases and their impact on older adults' quality of life and independence. It outlines the role of general practitioners in care coordination, shared decision-making, and holistic care approaches, considering the benefits and risks of interventions across residential and community care settings.

This resource outlines the role of Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) in medical nutrition therapy across various health conditions, including those common in aged care. It includes indications for referral to an APD and highlights benefits such as improved nutritional status, symptom management, and enhanced health outcomes. This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of aged care. Please consider the applicability of this resource to your care setting.

This guide discusses frailty in older adults, detailing assessment methods, risk factors, and management strategies. It includes annual frailty assessments, involvement of multidisciplinary teams (physiotherapists, dietitians), recommendations for physical activity, nutrition support, vitamin D supplementation, medication review, and interventions to reduce complications such as falls and malnutrition in aged care.

This resource is a fact sheet providing guidance for dental staff when working with Stolen Generations survivors. It discusses understanding trauma, effective communication, addressing potential triggers in clinical settings, and respecting cultural sensitivities. It includes practical tips on culturally safe practices to support the specific needs of this community.

This resource provides a variety of documents and resources to support the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It covers topics including leadership in mental health, culturally safe practices, social and emotional wellbeing, suicide prevention, and strategic policy frameworks, offering tools for health professionals and communities.

This resource introduces the Abbey Pain Scale, a non-verbal pain assessment tool designed for identifying pain in people living with dementia. It aids healthcare professionals in recognising pain behaviours in those unable to communicate their needs effectively, supporting timely and appropriate pain management interventions.

This resource provides guidelines for preventive activities in general practice, covering frailty, hearing, sleep disorders, oral health, urinary incontinence, and vision.

This resource provides guidance on nutrition for people in palliative care. It highlights the importance of prioritising comfort and quality of life over nutritional intake. It discusses oral intake, artificial hydration, and medically assisted nutrition, emphasising communication with families and cultural considerations when managing nutrition and hydration at the end of life.

This resource provides a quick reference guide for approved aged care providers on collecting and reporting data related to unplanned weight loss as part of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program. It outlines reporting requirements for significant and consecutive unplanned weight loss and offers guidance on how to track and submit data quarterly. This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.

This document provides guidance on implementing the clinical assessment and diagnosis element of the Comprehensive Care Standard (National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards). It helps clinicians identify a person’s conditions or needs through examination and investigation. The resource supports safe, patient-centred care, improving diagnostic accuracy and promoting teamwork in healthcare settings, including aged care. 

This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.