This year has certainly thrown a lot of challenges in the path of our aged care providers – even for the 2020 LASA Congress as well! Leading Aged Services Australia (LASA) is recognised as a prominent voice in Australia’s aged-care sector. Their highly anticipated congress event running from 12 – 23 October rose to the challenges with a COVID-safe cyber event that was welcomed for its inclusiveness and accessibility. Attendees enjoyed online keynote speakers, virtual trade exhibits, networking and interactive sessions online via the Virtual Congress Portal, with something for everyone from managers to carers.
“Now more than ever before, we need to come together to be enriched, to support one another, and to move forward to achieve an amazing ageing experience for all Australians.” – LASA
This year’s congress was themed around how we can all work toward a future in which every Australian can enjoy an amazing aged care experience. The focus was on creating an environment where people can live their senior years to the fullest, feeling safe, respected and loved. We were reminded that people are demanding more than ever before from the industry and that it is up to each of us to step up and provide excellent, innovative, quality care.
The congress also invited input from older Australians. They were encouraged to send videos telling us what their idea of an ideal ageing experience looks like. This was a fantastic way to gain better insight into what is really important to the people we serve each and every day. We heard about what they enjoy doing, what inspires them and brings them happiness – it was very uplifting.
The congress speakers definitely encouraged everyone to rethink the status quo and look at ways we can redesign our day to day practices to be even better. There was a lot of focus on consumer led service provision, challenging long-held theories about the experience of ageing. Sustainability and financial viability were also hot topics as was how we could collaborate as an industry to modernise, streamline and take the services we offer into the future.
The panel discussion and key speakers delved deep into the hot topic on everyone’s lips this year: how do we prepare for and handle a pandemic? The international panel of experts from providers and their peak bodies discussed whether such outbreaks are likely to be more commonplace moving forward and how we can best deal with these kinds of situations. Keynotes from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US, looked at everything from the financial impacts, to infection control, how technology can help, communicating with families during quarantines, and the ways in which this will change aged care for the future.
There were some sobering statistics shared, such as most COVID-related deaths impacting those over 70 years of age, and occupancy being down by 20% in the UK and US, leading to fears some closures will occur as a result. NZ showed how their strict and early lockdown meant they didn’t even experience a second wave inside aged facilities. While as we know, in Victoria, while we were prepared, the second wave hit hard, impacting staffing and costs.
Day two saw a great deal of focus on the financial and insurance side of the business. While Wednesday 14th of October was all about the workforce. Speakers talked about attracting and retaining quality staff, supporting their wellbeing, and how leadership is key in times of challenge and change. We particularly enjoyed hearing from Catherine from D&G HR and Management Solutions, who spoke about transforming workplace culture by harnessing the power of employee engagement to achieve success.
We had to agree, motivated supported staff inspire others through their commitment to the company vision and tasks. This breeds a positive workplace culture, a fresh, energised environment, organisational pride, and strong community reputation, all of which adds up to increased revenue. While poor engagement leads to absenteeism, lethargy and complacency, poor retention of staff, and a risk to the brand image.
Stay tuned for the second part of our LASA 2020 Congress wrap up!
