Learner Guide

CHCAGE013
Work effectively
in aged care

Ageing Support
Edition 1 first published 2021 by Eduworks Resources

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 About this Learner Guide

About this
Learner Guide
This Learner Guide covers the following unit of competency:
CHCAGE013 Work e昀昀ectively in aged care

CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care 1

 Simulation by Eduworks Resources

Introducing Banksia Care! How to access Banksia

Banksia Care is a simulated aged care and Care simulated policies
disability service developed by Eduworks and procedures
Resources to support you to become workplace
There are a range of policies, procedures, forms
ready. Banksia Care has its own website and
and templates available within the staff portal
staff portal with a complete set of policies,
which will help to provide context to your
procedures, forms, and templates. Through a
learning and assessment throughout your
login provided by your RTO, you can access this
studies. These can be accessed in the Banksia
staff portal at any time throughout your study
Care staff portal via a login provided by your
to support your learning and assessment. You
RTO. To access the Banksia Care website, please
may find that Banksia Care is referred to in this
go to www.banksiacare.eduworks.com.au.
Learner Guide from time to time for examples
There is a range of information about the facility
and case studies.
available in the main menu navigation, which
you can access without a login. In the staff
Who are Banksia Care? portal (accessed with a login provided by your
RTO), you will find all the policies, procedures,
Banksia has been a leader in ensuring exceptional
forms, templates and sample documentation.
care options are available to older Australians
for over 20 years. What started as a desire to fill
a need for quality care for disabled seniors in
the local area of Forest Grove, Banksia has now
expanded to offer both Residential Care and
Independent Living options as well as expanding
our Aged Care and Disability services. Banksia
Care services include an aged care residential
facility, a disability (all ages) residential facility
and an in-home care service.
Our commitment to creating safe, welcoming
and homely environments for residents and
families, and developing supportive and inclusive www.banksiacare.eduworks.com.au
workplaces, has seen us embedded into the
heart of the community both as an employer
and aged care and disability service provider.
Banksia Care – because you matter
 www.banksiacare.eduworks.com.au

Meet our people!

Dr Him-Chan Lee Tina Christiansen Steven Grozdanovski

CEO Residential Manager Residential Manager
(Aged Care) (Disability)

Frank Brookes Deb Sinclair Joyce Kiehne Heather Brinkley

Care Coordinator Care Coordinator (Supported Independent Registered Nurse
(Aged Care) (Disability) Living Program)

To view all staff and find out more about

each staff member head to our website.
Using this Learner Guide

Using this Learner Guide

Look for the following throughout this Learner Guide

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You will 昀椀nd the following icons and call out boxes
throughout this Learner Guide.
Learning Activities
A range of di昀昀erent learning activities are provided THINK
throughout this Learner Guide. You may be required
Encouraging you to think about a topic
to conduct your own research, interpret information,
or idea further.
practice something in your own time or re昀氀ect on
your own experiences and opinions on a topic. CASE STUDY
You may be asked to provide other students with
A scenario that puts the content into its
feedback. It is suggested that you take time to write
practical application and a real life situation.
down your responses to the learning activities.
The situation doesn't necessarily have to be
based on a real example, but the case study
will help you bring life to the content.

EXAMPLE
An example that helps you put the content
At the end of each chapter you will 昀椀nd a series
into context.
of review questions which will help to assess your
knowledge of the content from that chapter before NOTE
you move onto the next. A tip or useful information that may be
particularly important to remember.
QR Codes
https://scnv.io/b58a WEBSITE
A link to a website that provides additional
QR codes and Watch boxes are used throughout useful information.
to aid in your streamlined use of this Learner Guide.
To use the QR codes, download a QR reader on your WATCH
smart device from the app store on your device. A link to a video to watch online with
Simply scan the QR code by using the camera the duration eg https://scnv.io/b58a
on your device. The media will be shown on your
device. If it is a Watch box it will be a video on
YouTube. Other media may include a website,
or PDF or so on. KEY POINTS
"Learn More" appears throughout, to Key points to remember.
provide additional information on a topic.
READ
Additional reading such as a link to a PDF or
LEARN MORE relevant website, research article, legislation.

Example of the title for the link or RESOURCE

article to read for more information: A useful resource that you may wish to
save for your future reference such as a
https://scnv.io/b58a
template or guide.

4 CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care

 Contents

Contents

1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care 6

1.1 Roles in Aged Care 7
1.2 Person-Centred Practice 22
1.3 Guidelines of Aged Care Work 25
1.4 Ethical Practices in Aged Care 38
Chapter 1 Review Questions 53

2. Working in an Aged Care Environment 54

2.1 Risks in Aged Care 55
2.2 Individual Plans and Documentation 68
2.3 Working Within the Team 72
2.4 Monitoring Stress and Self-Care Strategies 80
Chapter 2 Review Questions 83

Bibliography 84

CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care 5

1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Chapter 1
Understanding the
Roles in Aged Care

The wide variety of roles in aged care are all instrumental in the support
they provide to a person. They include di昀昀erent responsibilities that
require speci昀椀c skills and varying personalities of sta昀昀. Guidelines
support the manner in which all sta昀昀 should engage with the aged
population in care. These person-centred practices are adopted to keep
the person independent, safe and with their self-determination intact.

By the end of this chapter,

you will understand:
3 roles in aged care

3 person-centred practice

3 guidelines of aged care work

3 ethical practices.

6 CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care

 1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

1.1 Roles in Aged Care

There are many roles that come together to make up the Primary health and allied health roles are those that
aged care sector and that contribute to either residential provide most of the care of the resident or patient, these
or home care. Other than the clinical side of aged care, may include:
there are several other job roles that participate in age
care, including the following:
Registered Nurses (RNs)
࡟ Hospitality (chefs and cooks)
࡟ Administration A registered nurse (RN) in a nursing home setting has
the most responsibility and accountability in the facility
࡟ Human resources
other than the management. They are often given the
࡟ Maintenance and cleaning role of unit manager or team leader and are responsible
࡟ Leaderships and management for supervising enrolled nurses (ENs), assistants in
nursing (AINs) and personal care attendants (PCA).
࡟ Volunteers.

A registered nurse can provide:

• care and medication (or medication
management) to residents
• support and mentoring to other aged care
workers in their roles
• care plans and assessments (or organise
assessments to be completed if through doctors
and other providers)
• the ongoing assessment and review of any
impacts that medication may have on a resident’s
health or behaviour
• leadership during infection control breaches e.g.,
COVID-19, flu
• complex pain management
• some palliative care treatments and services.

CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care 7

1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Enrolled Nurses (ENs) Assistant In Nursing (AIN)

Enrolled Nurses (ENs) work under the direct or indirect An Assistant In Nursing (AIN) performs some nursing
supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN), with the duties under the supervision of registered nurse however
RN providing them direction and supervision during they are not technically a nurse. Depending on the
certain procedures. workplace this role can be considered as the same or
di昀昀erent to that of the Personal Care Attendant (PCA).
The main roles of the EN may include: The role of AINs can be di昀昀erent to that of the PCAs as
AINs have some input into clinical care, whereas PCAs
• observing the resident or patients’ vital records do not. The primary focus of PCAs is to provide basic
and any behavioural changes, recording and care and personal care.
reporting any changes to the RN
• providing some assessments e.g., physical
The main role of an AIN will include:
examinations, measuring blood sugar levels,
temperature, pulse, blood pressure or respiration • assisting with mobility equipment

• aiding with personal care and hygiene e.g., • helping with food and fluids
showering, dressing, toileting and more • supporting physical function via rehabilitation
• physical and emotional support for both programs and plans
residents and their families • maintaining domestic aged care arrangements
• assisting with rehabilitation • observing residents and patients around any
• assisting with exercise programs health or behavioural changes, documenting and
reporting any changes to the RN
• planning and evaluating the nursing care plans
with the RN and health care team • assisting the nursing staff with treatments.

• general first aid in emergencies.

8 CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care

 1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Care Worker or Personal

Care Attendant (PCA)

The care worker or Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Some of the key roles of PCAs are as follows:
is responsible for the daily living assistance a person
requires. This can include personal and self-care,
medical support, home duties and social supports.
It is important to gather a clear understanding of the Self-Care
individual job description as the role can vary between PCAs support people with their self-care in ways that
the role of a ‘support worker’ and ‘lifestyle worker’ include the following:
or become amalgamated with these roles. Each role
requires care and sensitivity towards the individual ࡟ Feeding and 昀氀uid support, including specialised
and respect for their ongoing self-determination. The utensils and PEG or other tube assisted feeding
PCA will support with many sensitive bodily tasks methods. They may be required to prepare speci昀椀c
and areas that can make a person feel vulnerable and meals and measure and prepare special diets.
incapable. This means that although the role requires ࡟ Bathing and showering, including bodily care such as
them to supervise the person for their own safety at mouth, skin and support care.
times, they need to remember that the person is in
࡟ Toileting, bed pan and incontinence support.
a vulnerable position. For this reason, PCAs must
protect the person’s rights and ensure that their rights ࡟ Dressing.
are respected. ࡟ Shaving.

Case study
Bethany’s PCA
Bethany is a resident of Banksia
Aged Care Facility and is supported
by a range of di昀昀erent sta昀昀. She sometimes sees
the doctor, she sees the physiotherapist Jonathon
and sometimes her Occupational Therapist comes
in to support her, whose name is Isabella, she is a
sweet girl.
Mostly Bethany is supported by Heather, the Nurse
and Jenny, her personal care worker (or PCA).
Jenny is her favourite; she helps her to do things
that she sometimes feels embarrassed about such
as changing her incontinence pads and wash
herself. She makes her feel comfortable by singing
with her (she knows all the best show tunes) and
telling her jokes.

CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care 9

1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Home Support Community Support

Roles within the home may include supports such as: Some care workers will support the person to get to
࡟ cooking and engage in community events and social activities
or excursions.
࡟ cleaning
࡟ washing
General Practitioners (GPs)
࡟ change linens
࡟ gardening care and basic maintenance. Most older people will have their own General
Practitioners (GPs); however, many residential care
facilities engage an aged care GP that acts as a resident
doctor for the residents of the facility. Providing a
Medical and Medication Support
resident GP in a facility ensures a consistent approach
Roles within the medical 昀椀eld may include: and continuity of care for patients. A resident GP will
have a thorough understanding of the unique needs
࡟ prescribed exercise for rehabilitation or motion
of an aged care facility which is an ongoing comfort
exercises
to patients. They also build ongoing professional
࡟ ambulation (walking and movement support) relationships and familiarity with the care providers.
࡟ basic 昀椀rst aid and wound care
࡟ medical monitoring, management and administration GPs in general aim to become a part of the
multidisciplinary team by:
࡟ general health, behaviour and wellbeing monitoring
and reporting where required to a relevant health • carrying out comprehensive medical assessments
professional • contributing to care plans and case conferences
࡟ supporting the person to get to medical • collaborating with pharmacists on medication
appointments management
࡟ support with mobility equipment or devices. • providing comprehensive handovers and regular
updates to facility staff and will take care of all
the administrative work associated with the care
they provide.
Emotional Support and Fellowship
Care workers support the client, patient or resident with
a variety of di昀昀erent care needs, but around 80% of the
work they provide (depending on the workplace) will be
emotional support and companionship to the person,
ensuring they are feeling safe, secure and comfortable.
They support the person to meet personal goals and
enhance their quality of life.

10 CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care

 1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Allied Health

Allied health providers will often be an important part of the health and wellbeing of an older person. They can provide
care, treatment, assessments, plans and strategies for the ongoing support of patients and often support ENs, AINs
and care workers to continue to implement and support areas of therapeutic care. In most cases the allied health
worker will come to work with their speci昀椀c client, though some residential facilities have their principal therapists that
come to support residents throughout the facility for continuity of care.
Allied Health Professionals Australia (AHPA) de昀椀ne ‘allied health workers’ as:

...health professionals that are not part of the medical, dental or nursing
professions. They are university qualified practitioners with specialised
expertise in preventing, diagnosing and treating a range of conditions and
illnesses. Allied health practitioners often work within a multidisciplinary
health team to provide specialised support for different patient needs.

CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care 11

1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Supports in aged care typically take the form of a multidisciplinary model. There are various other types of discipline
models that can be in place:

Intradisciplinary

Working within a single discipline

Multidisciplinary

People from different disciplines working together collaboratively, each drawing on their disciplinary knowledge

Cross disciplinary

Viewing and understanding one discipline from the perspective of another

Interdisciplinary

Integrating knowledge and methods from each other’s disciplines, using a synthesis and integration of approaches

Transdisciplinary

Creating a unity of intellectual frameworks beyond the disciplinary perspectives, implementing the strategies of other disciplines
into another for consistency.

The image below illustrates the characteristics of the various types of disciplines (Zeigler, 1990):

Intradisciplinary Multidisciplinary Cross disciplinary Interdisciplinary Transdisciplinary

12 CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care

 1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

OTs can provide a range of assessments and tools

to support the person’s needs, including:
Occupational Therapy (OT)
• sensory profiles
Occupational Therapists work with participants of any
age to maximise a person’s independence and ability to • functional capacity and psychosocial capacity
participate in everyday life. Common conditions in older assessments
people such as loss of sight, balance, memory, mobility • assistive technology assessments (e.g., seating,
or hearing impact on their ability to participate in the wheelchair, beds and mattress, scooter and
everyday routines of life. Occupational therapists assess mobility, and hoists)
the person’s current abilities to develop strategies to
maintain a meaningful level of independence and daily • supported Disability Accommodation (SIA) and
routines. Areas of focus may include: Supported Independent Living (SIL) assessments

࡟ falls prevention • fall prevention training, manual handling

training and pressure care training
࡟ toileting and eating skills
• developmental and rehabilitation therapy
࡟ social skills
• home modifications assessments (e.g., ramps,
࡟ 昀椀ne and gross motors skills grab rails, bathroom and kitchen modifications)
࡟ emotional self-regulation and coping skills • driving assessment (OT).
࡟ behaviour support
࡟ self-care (washing, teeth care, cooking, cleaning,
toileting) Watch
࡟ access to your community Learn more about
occupational therapy.
࡟ exploring housing or driving options
Watch the video below:
࡟ home modi昀椀cations
https://scnv.io/c8Fk
࡟ assistive technology
࡟ continence management
࡟ pressure care management.

CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care 13

1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Physiotherapy Psychology, Counselling,

and Behavioural Psychology
Physiotherapists provide supports to people of all ages
and typically will support people with Most people are familiar with the role a psychologist
plays in mental health support. Psychologists can work
Physical injury or disability, post-surgery, brain injury,
with older adults to support ‘ongoing functional support
cerebral palsy and neurological disorders.
for day-to-day living’.
Physiotherapists often support people by managing
pain, improved breathing techniques and improving their
mobility. They are often engaged to support a person’s This may relate to such areas as:
participation in sports and recreational activities. • supporting the impact of their disability and in
regard to their psychosocial self

Physiotherapists assess posture, muscle tone, • building self-confidence

mobility and strength and can provide support, • developing skills for coping
treatment and techniques for:
• supporting self-expression
• exercise programs for participants
• behavioural psychology for behaviours of
• joint manipulation and massage concern
• hydrotherapy exercises • supporting individuals with social skills
• training other on how to support the participant • helping participants with emotional regulation
• the use of special equipment. • supporting the capacity to participate in social
and community activities
• supporting the improvement daily living skills for
independence
• helping manage any mental health symptoms by
creating a plan
• empowering an individual’s support network.

Example
Behavioural Assessments
Psychologists may be able to
support behaviours that are
challenging, or of concern with behavioural
assessments and plans.
Follow the link below to learn more:
https://scnv.io/TLDY

14 CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care

 1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Challenging behaviours often refer to habitual or

repetitive behaviours that can a昀昀ect an individual’s daily
Positive behaviour support is an evidence-based life. Challenging behaviours can also put a person or the
intervention that supports people with challenging people around them at risk. At times the behaviours can
behaviours, as well as their family members and support make functioning and navigating through their physical
networks. These behaviours can occur for numerous environment and their community di昀케cult for the person.
reasons and a large part of the role is to investigate why Signs a person may be eligible for positive behaviour
the behaviour is occurring. support could include:
࡟ impulse control di昀케culties and risky behaviours (e.g.,
Positive behaviour support can reduce challenging
running onto a road, sexualised behaviours)
behaviours by:
࡟ challenges with social, communication and
• understanding what the person is
concentration skills, school refusal and inability to
communicating through their behaviours
comply
• increasing the person’s quality of life
࡟ anxiousness and unsociability
• making changes in the environment
࡟ violent and alarming behaviour
• teaching the person new skills for coping and
࡟ inability to adapt to changes
managing their environments and situations
࡟ anger and aggression
• helping families and support people with effective
strategies to respond to the behaviours. ࡟ depression
࡟ toileting challenges.

Watch
Learn more about Positive Behaviour Supports (PBS). Watch the video below:
https://scnv.io/tOPt

CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care 15

1. Understanding the Roles in Aged Care

Music Therapists
Music therapists work in health-related 昀椀elds,
Creative Therapies
treating clients of all ages from babies through
The creative therapies are being utilised more and more to the elderly. They assist with varying problems
in healthcare environments due to the positive impact such as developmental, cognitive, neurological, or
they have on the lives of people. Art and Music therapy physical disabilities.
are both evidence-based forms of therapy that support
a range of areas of human development including
emotional, cognitive, communication and physical. All creative therapists:
• bringing relaxation and enjoyment to patients
with long term physical or mental health
All creative therapists:
problems
• gather information and determine suitable goals
• singing
• collect and analyse information about the client’s
• song writing
response to music, play and art
• musical improvisation
• provide customised treatment plans to
suit individuals. • receptive music listening
• other speciality techniques.

Watch
Learn about how music therapy can
be used for the elderly.
Watch the video below:
https://scnv.io/77Cq

Learn how music therapy helps people who have

Dementia with their memories. Watch
the video below:
https://scnv.io/v9eG

16 CHCAGE013 Work effectively in aged care