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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 While we complete updating of our website, including draft guidance and other materials, to align with the new laws, providers are advised to refer to the new Act and Rules for any required clarification of their obligations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.

Quality Standards Resource Centre

The Quality Standards Resource Centre helps extend understanding of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, which take effect from 1 November 2025. The Resource Centre will be updated to reflect key changes made to the draft strengthened Standards. You can search for resources by using keywords, or filtering by standard, outcome, audience and theme. Before using the Resource Centre, please read the terms of use.

Displaying 1 to 20 of 63 result(s)
/quality-standards/kimberley-indigenous-cognitive-assessment-kica

Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA)

Tool

The Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) is a cognitive screening tool for older Aboriginal Australians living in rural and remote areas. It has been adapted for use with Torres Strait Islander people, and for Aboriginal people living in urban and regional areas.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA)
/quality-standards/lets-chat-dementia-webinars-overview-cognitive-impairment-and-dementia-care-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples

Let's CHAT Dementia Webinars - overview of cognitive impairment and dementia care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Guidance

This resource offers a series of webinars on cognitive impairment and dementia care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is designed for primary health care teams including General Practitioners, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners and health workers, nurses, allied health professionals and others who work in primary care. The webinar series has been developed in collaboration with Dementia Training Australia.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Person-centred care, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
1: The Individual, 3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Let's CHAT Dementia Webinars - overview of cognitive impairment and dementia care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
/quality-standards/dementia-training-australia

Dementia Training Australia

Guidance

This resource is the Dementia Training Australia website. It contains training, practical tools and resources about caring for people living with dementia. Information on the website can be filtered by audience, resource type and care setting. Resources can also be accessed by focus areas such as changed behaviour, pain management, environments and medication management.  

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia Training Australia
/quality-standards/dementia-australia

Dementia Australia

Guidance

This resource is the Dementia Australia website. The website contains information about the types of dementia, testing, diagnosis, treatment and management of dementia. It includes information about living with dementia, such as behaviour changes, nutrition, staying connected and care options. It also contains information for professionals supporting people living with dementia, including research, tools and other resources. 

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Assessment and planning, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  , 6.3: Provision of food and drinks
Dementia Australia
/quality-standards/dementia-support-australia-resource-hub

Dementia Support Australia - Resource Hub

Guidance

This resource hub provides a variety of materials to support healthcare professionals and family members who are supporting a person living with dementia. It includes resources across many different topics, including behaviour, COVID-19, design, engagement and other general resources. Keywords can be used to refine search and resources can be filtered by topic and audience type.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia Support Australia - Resource Hub
/quality-standards/dementia-and-communication-resources

Dementia and communication - Resources

Guidance

This resource discusses how dementia impacts communication abilities, including memory and language challenges. It offers practical strategies for enhancing conversations and maintaining connections, emphasising the role of speech pathologists in supporting communication. The resource provides guidance for family, friends, and caregivers to create dementia-friendly environments.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services, 3.3: Communicating for safety and quality, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia and communication - Resources
/quality-standards/medication-safety-transitions-care-technical-report

Medication safety in transitions of care: technical report

Report
Published date

This resource outlines key actions to improve medication safety during transitions of care, focusing on reducing medication discrepancies and patient harm. It emphasises structured reconciliation, workforce training, patient engagement, and enhanced information systems.

This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines
Medication safety in transitions of care: technical report
/quality-standards/medication-safety-polypharmacy-technical-report

Medication safety in polypharmacy: technical report

Report
Published date

This resource provides guidance on safe medication management in polypharmacy, focusing on patient-centred approaches, team collaboration, and systematic reviews for people with long-term conditions. It includes tools and case studies to support health professionals.

This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines
Medication safety in polypharmacy: technical report
/quality-standards/5-moments-medication-safety

5 moments for medication safety

Tool
Published date

This tool helps patients, caregivers, and health professionals manage medication safety by focusing on 5 critical moments to reduce harm: starting, taking, adding, reviewing, and stopping medications. It aims to empower patients in safe medication practices through engagement and collaboration with health professionals.

This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines
5 moments for medication safety
/quality-standards/dementia-friendly-environments-personal-enjoyment

Dementia-friendly environments - Personal enjoyment

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides guidance on fostering personal enjoyment for people with dementia, encouraging meaningful activities based on life history and familiar roles. It includes ideas for sensory engagement, physical activity, and social connection in home-like settings.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Environment
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia-friendly environments - Personal enjoyment
/quality-standards/dementia-friendly-environments-interior-design

Dementia-friendly environments - Interior design

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides guidance on interior design elements that create a familiar, practical, and dementia-friendly environment. It includes strategies for lighting, colour, furniture, and surfaces to enhance safety, wayfinding, and comfort in care settings.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Environment
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia-friendly environments - Interior design
/quality-standards/dementia-friendly-environments-designing-people-dementia

Dementia-friendly environments - Designing for people with dementia

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides design principles for creating dementia-friendly environments that support comfort, independence, and a sense of home. It includes guidance on optimising lighting, safety, social connection, and personalised spaces to enhance quality of life.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Environment
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia-friendly environments - Designing for people with dementia
/quality-standards/standardised-care-processes

Standardised care processes

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource offers evidence-based standardised care processes for aged care providers, covering high-risk clinical areas such as falls, pain, incontinence, and dehydration. It provides structured guidelines to support best practices, ensuring consistent and safe care for older people in residential settings.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management, Clinical safety, Delivering comprehensive care and services, Palliative and end of life care, Food and nutrition
Standard
5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  , 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences, 6.3: Provision of food and drinks
Standardised care processes
/quality-standards/participating-consumers

Participating with consumers

Fact sheet
Last Updated

This resource provides information sheets for residents, families, and carers to support decision-making in residential aged care. Covering topics such as pain management, falls, and medicines, it promotes health literacy, enabling consumers to engage in discussions and report care issues effectively.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Care coordination and transitions, Medication management, Clinical safety, Delivering comprehensive care and services, Palliative and end of life care
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 3.4: Planning and coordination of funded aged care services, 5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  , 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Participating with consumers
/quality-standards/clinical-guidelines-dementia

Clinical guidelines for dementia

Guidance

This resource provides clinical practice guidelines and care principles for dementia, offering evidence-based recommendations for healthcare and aged care professionals. It includes a consumer companion guide and resources for training and implementation to improve dementia care across settings.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Clinical guidelines for dementia
/quality-standards/eldac-dementia-toolkit

ELDAC Dementia Toolkit

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides a toolkit for palliative care and end-of-life planning for people with dementia. It includes practical advice, resources, and evidence-based guidance to support health and aged care workers in delivering quality care. The toolkit covers assessment, care planning, symptom management, and communication with patients and families.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.6 Cognitive impairment  
ELDAC Dementia Toolkit
/quality-standards/working-older-people-diabetes

Working with older people with diabetes

Guidance

This resource provides materials for health professionals supporting older people with diabetes. Resources cover diabetes symptoms and management, blood glucose monitoring, diabetes medication, healthy eating, and more, aiming to improve quality care.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines
Working with older people with diabetes
/quality-standards/medicine-safety-aged-care

Medicine safety: Aged care

Report
Published date

This report highlights medicine safety issues in aged care settings, detailing the prevalence of medicine-related problems, inappropriate prescribing, underuse of medicines, medicine regimen complexities, administration errors, and challenges during transitions of care. It provides opportunities for improvements and emphasises the need for safer medication practices, improved pharmacist involvement, and better regulatory frameworks to protect older people from medication harm.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines
Medicine safety: Aged care
/quality-standards/national-aboriginal-community-controlled-health-organisation-medicines-pharmacy

National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation - Medicines & Pharmacy

Guidance

This resources provides information for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and other communities related to medicine use and management. It includes a collection of resources for health workers involved in prescribing and supplying medicines in these settings.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation - Medicines & Pharmacy
/quality-standards/dementia-and-oral-health

Dementia and oral health

Guidance

This resource provides information on the impact of dementia on oral health, outlining key issues such as increased risk of poor oral health, the effects of medications, and the importance of maintaining dental care routines. It offers practical tips for toothbrushing, denture care, and dental visits to support those living with dementia.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia and oral health