The NSW Government has announced it will provide an additional $300,000 for Community Industry Group's (CIG) project to help older people transitioning out of hospital into aged care in the region, on top of the initial $300,000 provided nearly 12 months ago.
Community Industry Group
In its first year, CIG, a Not For Profit representing community services in southern NSW, implemented strategies to help the transition of older people out of hospital and into residential aged care. the group established a regional health and aged care taskforce to oversee projects and develop a regional health and aged care plan, and undertook research into the drivers of discharge delays for older people into aged care homes.
A draft report by the group, seen by The Weekly SOURCE last month, revealed its research showed that only 25 aged are beds were added in the region over the last decade, with 1,025 new beds are needed.
CIG also helped to built a team of 'discharge volunteers', known as the Supported Transition Assistance Response Scheme (STARS), who help patients transfer from hospital to either residential aged care or home care.
The additional funding will allow CIG, along with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, to work with aged care providers to develop occupancy expansion initiatives that can be implemented immediately, and to identify other options to expand the delivery of aged care services in the region.
The CIG draft report said there are between 100 and 150 patients every daily in Illawarra Shoalhaven hospitals ready to be discharged and awaiting residential aged care, up from figures of 90 to 120 patients provided to The SOURCE in July last year.
Last year, IRT Group, which has extensive aged care operations in the Illawarra Shoalhaven, was awarded a $15.8 million Aged Care Capital Assistance Program grant by the Federal Government to revitalise Marco Polo Unanderra aged care home, bringing 48 beds online, including 18 for memory support, as well as refurbishments to other rooms.
