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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 While we complete updating of our website, including draft guidance and other materials, to align with the new laws, providers are advised to refer to the new Act and Rules for any required clarification of their obligations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 122 result(s)
/quality-standards/australian-indigenous-healthinfonet

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Guidance

This resource is the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website. The website provides access to resources and workforce information to inform practice and policy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. The website also provides portals to collections of information by theme, including social and emotional wellbeing, cultural safety, end-of-life care, diabetes and respiratory health.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Person-centred care, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
1: The Individual, 3: The Care and Services
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
/quality-standards/cultural-safety-health-professionals

Cultural Safety for Health Professionals

Guidance, Paper

This portal provides links to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cultural safety publications, policies, resources and programs. It also providers workforce support information and content relevant to specific health professional roles. The information supports health professionals to deliver culturally safe and responsive care.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Person-centred care, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
1: The Individual, 3: The Care and Services
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services
Cultural Safety for Health Professionals
/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/designing-dementia-friendly-care-environments

Designing dementia-friendly care environments

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides guidance for professionals on designing dementia-friendly care environments to help people living with dementia to make the best of everyday life. It includes dementia enabling environment principles and an example of how to design a space using the principles. The resource also includes links to other Dementia Australia resources about developing a dementia-friendly environment.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Environment, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
4: The Environment
Outcomes
4.1a: Environment – services delivered in the individual’s home, 4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home
Designing dementia-friendly care environments
/quality-standards/palliaged-practice-centre

palliAGED - Practice Centre

Guidance

This resource provides information for care workers about palliative care. The Practice Centre provides links to, and information about, tools and resources to use in practice and improve care and outcomes in palliative care. It includes sections on improving practice, symptoms, medicines and tipsheets.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Palliative and end of life care, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
palliAGED - Practice Centre
/quality-standards/palliaged-evidence-centre

palliAGED - Evidence Centre

Guidance

This resource provides evidence-based information for the healthcare sector about palliative care. It includes evidence summaries on topics related to palliative care, such as advance care planning, advocacy, care coordination, goals of care, nutrition and needs assessment.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Palliative and end of life care, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
palliAGED - Evidence Centre
/quality-standards/meaningful-lifestyle-activities

Meaningful lifestyle activities

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource discusses the importance of engagement in meaningful lifestyle activities for people living in aged care. It includes information about understanding meaningful lifestyle activities and links to a collection of resources collated by ARIIA that are relevant to this theme.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Person-centred care, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
1: The Individual, 7: The Residential Community
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 7.1: Daily living
Meaningful lifestyle activities
/quality-standards/dementia-enabling-environments-care-environments-kitchen

Dementia enabling environments - Care environments: Kitchen

Fact sheet

This resource, developed by Alzheimer's WA, is a Dementia Enabling Environments illustration information sheet about kitchens in care environments. It includes principles to create enabling spaces and information about how to design the physical environment to maximise enablement and wellbeing for people living with dementia.

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, Food and nutrition
Standard
4: The Environment, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 6.4: Dining experience
Dementia enabling environments - Care environments: Kitchen
/quality-standards/dementia-enabling-environments-care-environments-dining-areas

Dementia enabling environments - Care environments: Dining areas

Fact sheet

This resource, developed by Alzheimer's WA, is a Dementia Enabling Environments illustration information sheet about dining areas in care environments. It includes principles to create enabling spaces and information about how to design the physical environment to maximise enablement and wellbeing for people living with dementia.

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, Food and nutrition
Standard
4: The Environment, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 6.4: Dining experience
Dementia enabling environments - Care environments: Dining areas
/quality-standards/familiar-places-webinar-2-bedrooms-and-dining-areas

Familiar Places Webinar 2 – Bedrooms and Dining Areas

Webinar
Published date

This webpage provides a video webinar focused on familiar places, such as bedrooms and dining areas, for dementia care environments. It offers insights into how these spaces can be designed to support the wellbeing of people living with dementia, with a particular emphasis on creating comfortable and familiar settings.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Food and nutrition, Delivering comprehensive care and services, Environment
Standard
6: Food and Nutrition, 4: The Environment
Outcomes
6.4: Dining experience, 4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home
Familiar Places Webinar 2 – Bedrooms and Dining Areas
/quality-standards/malnutrition-universal-screening-tool

Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool

Tool

The ‘Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool’ (‘MUST’) is a widely used tool for identifying malnutrition risk in adults across various settings. It includes interactive e-learning modules with case studies and assessments, helping staff improve nutritional care and meet quality standards.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Clinical safety, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool
/quality-standards/what-mini-nutritional-assessment-mna

What is the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)?

Guidance, Tool

This resource is a validated nutrition screening and assessment tool to identify malnutrition or risk of malnutrition in people aged 65 and older. It includes an easy-to-use short form for quick identification and intervention planning.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Clinical safety, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
What is the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)?
/quality-standards/guide-completing-mini-nutritional-assessment-short-form

A guide to completing the Mini Nutritional Assessment – Short Form

Tool

This resource is a guide and video for using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) to identify malnutrition in older people. It explains question scoring, interpretation, and measurement procedures, with a video demonstration.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Clinical safety, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
A guide to completing the Mini Nutritional Assessment – Short Form
/quality-standards/eat-10-swallowing-screening-tool

EAT-10: A Swallowing Screening Tool

Tool
Published date

This resource offers a self-assessment tool to screen for swallowing difficulties by rating various aspects of swallowing function. A score of 3 or higher suggests potential issues that may require discussion with a healthcare provider.

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

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Clinical safety, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
EAT-10: A Swallowing Screening Tool
/quality-standards/good-spirit-good-life-quality-life-framework

Good Spirit Good Life - a Quality of life framework

Guidance

This resource describes the Good Spirit Good Life (GSGL) framework for assessing the quality of life of older Aboriginal people, focusing on culturally important factors such as connection to Country, family, and spirituality. It includes tools for both self-reporting and carer-assisted reporting.

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
Person-centred care, Dignity, respect and privacy, Assessment and planning
Standard
1: The Individual, 3: The Care and Services
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 1.2: Dignity, respect and privacy, 3.1 Assessment and planning
Good Spirit Good Life - a Quality of life framework
/quality-standards/integrated-trauma-informed-care-framework-my-story-my-health-my-future

Integrated Trauma-Informed Care Framework: My story, my health, my future

Guidance
Published date

This framework integrates trauma-informed care across NSW Health services, enhancing support for clients, families, and carers by guiding staff in trauma-sensitive practices and systemic change. It focuses on preventing re-traumatisation and fostering healing, especially for vulnerable populations.

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
Person-centred care, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
1: The Individual, 3: The Care and Services
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services
Integrated Trauma-Informed Care Framework: My story, my health, my future
/quality-standards/better-together-practical-guide-effective-engagement-older-people

Better Together: A practical guide to effective engagement with older people

Guidance

This resource offers practical guidance on effective engagement with older people, highlighting diverse communication methods, cultural sensitivity, and inclusive strategies to capture meaningful input. It supports collaborative relationships and respectful dialogue with older people in decision-making processes.

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
Person-centred care, Corporate and clinical governance, Assessment and planning
Standard
1: The Individual, 2: The Organisation, 3: The Care and Services
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 2.1: Partnering with individuals, 3.1 Assessment and planning
Better Together: A practical guide to effective engagement with older people
/quality-standards/best-practice-food-and-nutrition-manual-aged-care

Best Practice Food and Nutrition Manual for Aged Care

Guidance
Published date

This manual offers practical guidelines on food and nutrition best practices in aged care homes, covering menu planning, meal enjoyment, hydration, and malnutrition prevention. It includes checklists, screening tools, and dietary considerations tailored to the needs of older people.

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
Clinical safety, Food and nutrition
Standard
5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences, 6.3: Provision of food and drinks, 6.4: Dining experience
Best Practice Food and Nutrition Manual for Aged Care
/quality-standards/dementia-friendly-environments-staff-education-and-support

Dementia-friendly environments - Staff education and support

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource offers guidance for staff support in dementia care, covering person-centred approaches, workplace culture change, training, and physical environment improvements. It includes strategies to enhance job satisfaction, staff wellbeing, and dementia-friendly care practices.

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
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia-friendly environments - Staff education and support
/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