Announcements, Dementia, Home Nursing, In Home Care, nursing

Empower Nurses provide Dementia and Cognition Assessments

Posted on May 15, 2024May 16, 2024 by Nicole Cook

15
May

A fast and convenient way to access cognition supplement funding.

Your client may be eligible for additional funding through the Dementia and Cognition Supplement which can be provided by our Empower Nurses. This supplement offers an extra 10% on top of the Home Care Package funding to help keep clients at home for longer.

Who is Eligible?

The supplement is designed for people with dementia or cognitive impairment,. To be eligible, they need to demonstrate a need for regular supervision and assistance with daily activities.

Assessment Process

The assessment itself is a one-hour visit by a member of our Empower Nursing Team.

During the visit, the Nurse will use a cognitive assessment tool, such as the Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales or the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale to evaluate the client’s cognitive function.
The case manager then submits the form to Services Australia.

These assessment tools are recognised by the Department of Health. See more details.

Potential Benefits

The supplement can be highly beneficial for both clients and home care providers.

For clients, it can mean an additional 10% in funding, which can greatly contribute to their ability to stay at home.
For home care providers, it means more resources to provide the necessary care and support for their clients.

Efficiency and Convenience

One of the key advantages of this supplement is that it provides a fast and convenient way to access additional funding. The assessment can be completed in one hour, and the outcome is provided on the same day. This means that the client doesn’t have to wait for a long time to find out if they’re eligible for extra assistance.

The Dementia and Cognition Supplement offers a streamlined process for clients to access additional funding. This supplement can be a game-changer for clients with dementia or cognitive impairment, as it provides the financial support they need to stay at home for longer, where they are most comfortable and surrounded by a familiar environment.

So, if you haven’t already, make sure to inform your clients about this supplement and make an Empower Nursing referral today.

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Community, Exercise

Dementia and the Aging Brain

Posted on October 16, 2023November 23, 2023 by Nicole Cook

16
Oct

Dementia is the second leading cause of death in the general Australian population, with 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 living with this condition.

Empower clinicians have the privilege of working with people with Dementia to support them and their families to live their best lives.

Educating the families and communities about the needs of people living with dementia allows a more dementia-friendly conscious society.

Communities that take action to become dementia-friendly have:

Less fear and a greater understanding of dementia
Less stigma and discrimination

More support and better systems for people living with dementia to live well in their community for longer

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of conditions which effect the brain and its functions. It can affect individuals cognitively, physically and socially.

The four most common types of Dementia people are diagnosed with are:

Alzheimer’s disease (60-80%)
Vascular dementia (5-10%)
Lewy body disease (5-10%)
Frontal temporal dementia (5-10%)

Early warning signs

Memory loss that effects day to day function
Increasing confusion

Reduced concentration
Personality or behaviour changes
Apathy, withdrawal or depression
Cognitive decline
Physical changes

Loss of ability to do everyday tasks

Not only does Dementia have cognitive effects, it also effects people physically and socially and in all aspects of life. This is why it is so important to ensure Dementia is managed by a comprehensive multidisciplinary team. Empower provides quality interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding about when a referral to another service is needed.

As well as the above it is important the client is seen regularly by a competent medical team often made up of a geriatrician, neurologist and various other psychiatric practitioners

Further support networks

Dementia Support Australia: www.dementia.com.au

24-Hour help 1800 699 799
Dementia Australia: www.dementia.org.au
National dementia helpline – 1800 100 500
Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org
Local support groups

Alzheimer association
Lifeline Australia: www.lifeline.org.au
24 Hour help 13 11 14 or SMS 0477 13 11 14

Get in touch if you think you or the person you care for would benefit from a Dementia assessment or assistance. And click the below image to watch our Dementia Webinar Recording.

Get Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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Announcements, Dementia, Wellbeing

Embracing Innovation with a world-first in Dementia education: Talk with Ted

Posted on May 16, 2022November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

16
May

Half a million Australians are living with dementia today, this number is set to double over the coming years.

Our Empower therapists have the privilege of meeting and working with many clients and their families who are facing the challenges that dementia can bring. That is why we were so happy to learn of a new approach to training healthcare workers in the best strategies for communicating with people living with dementia.

Talk with Ted

Talk with Ted is a program developed by Dementia Australia’s Centre for Dementia Learning and Deakin University’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute in collaboration with healthcare workers.The program is based on real life experiences of people living with dementia and Ted is an artificially intelligent avatar who is facing many of the common struggles that people with dementia manage daily.

The immersive learning experience teaches a person-centred approach to communicating with the individual and gives our newly graduated clinicians the opportunity to practice and improve their skills. This is just one of the ways we are striving for excellence and constantly looking for ways to help our clinicians deliver high quality healthcare with the best possible outcomes for our clients, their families, and communities.

Our clinicians feedback:

I liked the avatar. Especially when aiming to use the right language – Tony

Gaining empathy and understanding of what it feels like for the residents with dementia – Kristea

Understanding the Human Rights of patients when requesting an action from them – Michelle

The importance of a good introduction – gaining rapport & finding out the person’s interests – Alissa

About Empower Healthcare

We Change Lives

Changing lives is what we do.

Delivering high quality allied health services is how we do it.

Empower Healthcare was founded in 2016 by two people who were determined to improve the standards of allied health services in residential aged care and knew how to do it. With industry knowledge and an innovative approach, Adam and Matthew set about defining what allied health services can be when quality and person-centred care is placed before all else in healthcare.

The partnership, that merged clinical expertise with business acumen, soon established Empower Healthcare as a leading provider of quality physiotherapy services in residential aged care facilities in Victoria. This success fuelled the expansion of our services within residential aged care, home care and NDIS to deliver occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nursing, podiatry, dietetics, osteopathy, massage and speech pathology.

Now offering comprehensive allied health services with more than 180 dedicated and passionate clinicians working in Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, Empower Healthcare is growing and taking our unique approach with us.

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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