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.
Designing dementia-friendly care environments
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.
Dementia Australia
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.
Dementia enabling environments - Care environments: Kitchen
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.
Dementia enabling environments - Care environments: Dining areas
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.
Familiar Places Webinar 2 – Bedrooms and Dining Areas
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.
International Dysphagia Diet Initiative - Patient Handouts
This resource provides handouts tailored for people with feeding, chewing, or swallowing difficulties and their carers. It explains the IDDSI framework, describing food texture levels and appropriate testing methods. Separate versions are available for adults and children, each detailing recommended food textures to support safe swallowing practices.
This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.
International Dysphagia Diet Initiative - Framework Documents
This resource provides the IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative) framework, including testing methods, detailed level definitions, audit tools, and implementation guides across language regions. It supports consistent application and understanding of diet textures for people with dysphagia, aiding caregivers in managing dietary needs safely and effectively.
This resource was developed internationally and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.
Medication safety in transitions of care: technical report
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.
Medication safety in polypharmacy: technical report
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.
5 moments for medication safety
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.
Adult diet specifications
This resource provides specifications for adult diets tailored to inpatient use in NSW hospitals, including allergy-specific and therapeutic requirements. Although intended for inpatients, it can serve as general guidance for dietitians and food service providers in creating meal plans for diverse health needs. This resource applies to healthcare contexts outside of aged care.
This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.
Food and Nutrition Manual for Aged Care Homes - Swallowing and food textures
This resource provides guidelines on managing swallowing difficulties in aged care by using texture-modified diets and thickened fluids. It explains various food texture levels and fluid consistencies for safe swallowing, offers practical meal preparation tips, and highlights the importance of regular reassessment by a speech pathologist
This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.
Best Practice Food and Nutrition Manual for Aged Care
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.
Nutrition for older people
This resource provides nutrition guidelines and support for older people to prevent malnutrition, reduce falls risk, and promote independence. It includes meal planning, dietary tips, and training for service providers, especially those supporting home care.
This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.
Dementia-friendly environments - Staff education and support
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.
Dementia-friendly environments - Personal enjoyment
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.
Dementia-friendly environments - Interior design
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.
Dementia-friendly environments - Designing for people with dementia
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.
Standardised care processes
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.
Participating with consumers
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.