‘Let’s Talk’ about aged care expectations

The online survey, titled Let’s Talk, is endorsed by DPS Publishing – publishers of DPS News – and specialist aged care advisory service, The Ideal Consultancy.

The survey allows consumers to discuss their experiences and expectations of aged care; whether their care, or that of loved ones, is offered in a residential aged care facility or via a regular visit at home.

Let’s Talk aims to capture the most important factors consumers search for in aged services, whether this means home services or moving into an aged care home.

The survey results aim to provide information to providers of residential aged and community care services, focusing on the quality of communication between providers and consumers to improve the delivery of services.

Whether you’re just starting to investigate the services available, or are at a critical juncture for yourself or a loved one, respondents are encouraged to give honest opinions on their aged care experience and the process of finding and securing care.

The survey asks respondents questions such as their main preference for researching and gathering aged care information, as well as giving them the opportunity to rank the importance of things such as pet friendly facilities, quality of food and the facility’s accreditation status, when considering looking for residential aged care services.

Social media interaction on the DPS News Facebook page, which initiated debate as a forerunner to Let's Talk, exposed consumers’ proposals for the types of activities aged care facilities should adopt to encourage greater stimulation among residents and recommendations of changes to facility dining menus to potentially prevent malnutrition in care.

The DPS News Facebook consumer responses also give aged care workers advice on how to improve the care of residents, while also discussing the negative stereotypes associated with the aged and community care industry and how consumers see the future state of the industry in 10 years’ time.

The Let’s Talk survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. You can choose to be completely anonymous or provide your contact details at the end of the survey to go in to the draw to win a $1,000 Visa Debit Card.

Complete the Let’s Talk survey here.