Starting Work in Aged Care

Aged care workers support older people to live well, safely and with dignity, whether in a residential home or in their own home. This lesson explains why the work matters, who the older people we support are, and what kind of worker we want you to be. Key points: every older person has their own history, identity and preferences, ageism and assumptions have no place in our work, your everyday actions shape a person's quality of life, and you are part of a team, so ask questions, speak up and tell your team leader whenever you are unsure.

Government funded aged care is delivered in different settings. This lesson explains residential aged care, where people live in a care home with support around the clock; the Support at Home program, which on 1 November 2025 replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short Term Restorative Care Programme; and the Commonwealth Home Support Program, which provides entry level help at home and is due to move into Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027. Key points: most people access services through My Aged Care and an assessment, and the same rights and Code of Conduct apply in every setting.

Aged care is closely regulated to protect older people. This lesson introduces the key organisations: the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, which is responsible for aged care policy and programs; the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which registers and regulates providers, handles complaints, receives serious incident notifications and oversees the Code of Conduct; and registered providers like us, who are responsible for safe, quality care. Key points: we must meet the Act, the Quality Standards and the Code of Conduct, the Commission can act against providers and individual workers, and you can contact the Commission directly.

The Aged Care Act 2024 commenced on 1 November 2025 and put the rights of older people at the centre of the aged care system. This lesson explains what a rights based Act means in practice, and introduces some key changes, including the Statement of Rights, the Statement of Principles, registered supporters who help older people make their own decisions, a single registration system for providers, and stronger whistleblower protections. Key points: older people have rights they can expect to be upheld, the Act shapes how we plan and deliver care, and a registered supporter helps a person decide but does not decide for them.

The Statement of Rights sets out the rights older people have when accessing aged care, and providers must make sure their actions are consistent with it. This lesson describes the rights in plain language: independence, autonomy and freedom of choice; equitable access; quality and safe care that respects culture and identity; privacy and control of personal information; communication that suits the person and the ability to raise issues without reprisal; and connection with advocates, significant people and community. Key points: you uphold these rights in ordinary moments on every shift, and when you cannot, tell your team leader.

The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards apply from 1 November 2025 and describe what safe, quality care looks like. There are seven standards: 1 The Individual, 2 The Organisation, 3 The Care and Services, 4 The Environment, 5 Clinical Care, 6 Food and Nutrition, and 7 The Residential Community, which applies to residential care. This lesson explains each in plain language and shows how your everyday work delivers them. Key points: Standard 1 sits at the centre of all the others, the Commission audits providers against the standards, and your actions and records are how we show we meet them.

The Code of Conduct for Aged Care applies to registered providers, their responsible persons and aged care workers, including volunteers, contractors and agency staff, and continues under the Aged Care Act 2024. This lesson summarises its eight elements in plain language: respect people's rights to expression, self determination and decision making; treat people with dignity and respect and value diversity; respect privacy; provide care safely and competently, with integrity and honesty; promptly raise and act on concerns; keep people free from violence, discrimination, exploitation, neglect, abuse and sexual misconduct; and take reasonable steps to prevent and respond to harm. The Commission can act on breaches, including through banning orders.

Person centred care means planning and delivering care around the person, their history, preferences, goals and relationships, rather than around routines or tasks. This lesson explains how to get to know the people you support, read and follow their care plan, communicate in ways that suit them, and involve them and the people they choose in decisions. Key points: ask about what matters to the person, respect cultural and spiritual needs, use interpreters and communication aids, avoid rushing care to fit a schedule, and share what you learn about the person with the team so the care plan stays up to date.

Older people have the right to make decisions about their own lives, including decisions that carry some risk. This lesson explains dignity of risk, supported decision making, and how to respond when a person's choice worries you. It covers giving information in a way the person understands, involving registered supporters and others the person trusts, and working with the team to reduce risk without taking the choice away. Key points: start from the assumption that the person can decide, support rather than replace their decision making, never use restraint or restriction to stop a choice, and record and report concerns to your team leader.

Older people are more vulnerable to infections such as influenza, COVID-19 and gastro, and outbreaks can spread quickly in aged care. This lesson covers the basics every worker must practise: hand hygiene at the right moments, standard precautions, using personal protective equipment correctly, cough and sneeze etiquette, cleaning shared equipment, and staying home when you are unwell. Key points: clean your hands before and after contact with a person and their surroundings, gloves never replace hand hygiene, tell your team leader about symptoms in yourself or the people you support, and keep vaccinations up to date as our policy and public health advice require.

Aged care work has physical and emotional demands, and both you and the older people you support have a right to safety. This lesson covers everyday safety: following manual handling plans and using equipment you have been trained on, preventing falls, working safely in people's homes, including checking in and out and reporting hazards, and looking after your own wellbeing. Key points: never lift a person manually, report hazards and near misses, follow our procedures for working alone, you have a right to be safe from aggression and harassment, and talk to your team leader or our support services if work is affecting your health.

Records help the care team share information, show that care was delivered and protect older people and workers. This lesson explains what good progress notes look like: factual, timely, objective and written in respectful language, recording what you did, what you observed and any changes or concerns. It also covers privacy: older people's personal and health information is protected by law and our policy. Key points: write notes during or soon after care, record facts not opinions, access records only for your work, log out of devices, and never share information on personal apps or social media.

Every incident must be reported, and some are serious incidents that registered providers must notify to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission under the Serious Incident Response Scheme, known as SIRS. This lesson explains the eight types of reportable incident, including unreasonable use of force, neglect, psychological abuse and unexplained absence, and the notification timeframes: within 24 hours for Priority 1 incidents and within 30 days for Priority 2. Key points: make the person safe, call triple zero if needed, tell your team leader straight away, record the facts, and report even when an incident is only suspected or the person asks you not to.

Complaints and feedback help us improve, and older people have the right to raise issues without fear of reprisal. This lesson explains how to respond when an older person, family member or visitor raises a concern: listen, thank them, fix simple things if you can, and tell your team leader. It covers our complaints process, open disclosure when something has gone wrong, and the external options available, including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on 1800 951 822 and free independent advocacy through the Older Persons Advocacy Network. Key points: never discourage a complaint, never treat a person differently for complaining, and record what was raised.

The Aged Care Act 2024 protects people who speak up about concerns in aged care, including workers, older people, families and volunteers. This lesson explains that you can make a disclosure to people such as your manager, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission or police, that your identity is kept confidential, and that it is against the law to punish you for speaking up. It also points you to our further training on hand hygiene, infection control, manual handling, falls, personal care, continence, oral health, dementia, elder abuse, the Code of Conduct, the Quality Standards and SIRS. Key points: speak up early, you are protected, and keep learning.