Monash Bulletin - 15 August 2006

Monash Aged Care Facilities Receive Federal Accreditation

Monash City Council's three aged care facilities - Monash Gardens Village, Elizabeth Gardens Residential Centre and Clarinda Centre - have had their Federal Government accreditation renewed for three years following a rigorous assessment process over recent months.

The assessment covers 44 standards including management and information systems, staffing, organisational development, regulatory compliance, complaints, external services, health and personal care, pain and medication management and resident lifestyle.

Residential aged care facilities must meet their 'accreditation requirement' under the Aged Care Act 1997 to be eligible to receive Commonwealth care subsidy for their residents. Facilities meet that requirement by being accredited by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency.

Monash Mayor Joy Banerji said the confirmation that Monash had received accreditation for all its facilities was testament to the importance Council placed on ensuring the highest quality care for the aged in the community.

"We take a great deal of pride in the facilities we provide for our elderly citizens," she said. "Council's Residential Care Services are committed to enhancing the quality of life of its residents by the provision of equity, value, personal dignity, privacy, safety and responsiveness.

"It should be remembered that Monash has one of the largest numbers of older people of any municipality in the State - nearly 40% of residents are over 50 years of age - and this is set to rise even further in the future. As a result, planning for the needs of this age group, including residential care, is becoming increasingly important."

Cr Banerji said the exacting standards required for accreditation provided a challenge to Council to make sure its facilities remained of the highest quality with the best possible services.

"Many facilities around Australia fail accreditation or are sanctioned until they meet the standards," she said. "This has never happened to any of the Monash facilities."

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Published: 14 August 2006

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