Guides & Handbooks

These translated guides will help you understand what to expect if someone has COVID-19 in your residential aged care service, including that a number of changes will take place. These changes will be made very quickly. You might be anxious when these changes take place but the aim is to keep you safe.

COVID-19 is an infection that can be more serious for some older people. The Commission has developed a range of resources to help consumers understand their options on staying safe, keeping in touch with loved ones and keeping fit and active.

These translated guides provide useful information on how to stay safe in a time of COVID-19.

The advice in this resource has been prepared by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s Chief Clinical Advisor Dr Melanie Wroth, to support residential aged care services across Australia in preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 outbreak, complementing the earlier version that was for Victorian providers. The advice is informed by the Commission’s involvement in monitoring and supporting providers to identify and mitigate pandemic-related risks, including managing an outbreak in their service, and the lessons learned from these experiences.

COVID-19 is a new infection that can be more serious for some older people. The Commission has developed a range of resources to help consumers understand their options on staying safe, keeping in touch with loved ones and keeping fit and active.

There are also resources that help explain what to expect in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak in an aged care setting. 

Hard copies of the A3 Poster and A4 guides can be ordered via the online Order Form.

This advice has been prepared by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s Chief Clinical Advisor Dr Melanie Wroth, to support home services delivering aged care in Victoria in preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The advice is informed by the Commission’s national involvement in monitoring and supporting providers to identify and mitigate pandemic-related risks, including managing continued delivery of services in ways that reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission, and ensuring appropriate infection control practices are used by home care staff.

The advice in this resource has been prepared by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s Chief Clinical Advisor Dr Melanie Wroth, to support residential aged care services in Victoria in preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 outbreak. The advice is informed by the Commission’s involvement in monitoring and supporting providers to identify and mitigate pandemic-related risks, including managing an outbreak in their service, and the lessons learned from these experiences.

To support the aged care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission is developing a range of new storyboards that are designed to illustrate key behaviours and priority issues.

Six steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care.

If you’re thinking of prescribing these medicines to manage the behaviours and psychological symptoms of dementia, follow these 6 steps.

What are psychotropic medications? 

Psychotropic medications are ‘any drug capable of affecting the mind, emotions and behaviour'

The three main classes of psychotropics prescribed are antidepressants, anxiolytic/hypnotics (mostly benzodiazepines to manage anxiety and insomnia) and antipsychotics. Other psychotropic classes include anticonvulsants and stimulants. 

As part of its responsibilities for protecting and enhancing the safety, health, well-being and quality of life of aged care consumers, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has identified and developed a range of best practice strategies and tools for providers of aged care to engage with consumers and their representatives.

To inform this piece of work, we have undertaken a literature review of co-design and consumer engagement.