SIG-Aged Care

AMTA Produced Resources

The following AMTA produced resources are available to AMTA members:

  • Aged care brochure – full colour printed (4 page)- please see sample pdf file. To order, please download the order form below.
  • Aged care flyer – black and white (2 page) – please download for free and print for your use.

Order Form for AMTA Produced Resources

 

Notes from the 2007 AMTA PDS

“Music therapy in residential aged care: where to from here?”

presented by Karen Bolger and Anne Horne-Thompson

Requirements for Residential Aged Care

The provision of residential aged care services is overseen by the Federal Government’s Department of Health and Ageing. The department provides two main functions

Ensures compliance with accreditation standards

Distributes government funding subsidies

For more information about the Department of Health and Ageing visit www.health.gov.au

Accreditation

Accreditation is based around four Categories of Standards

Management of systems, staffing and organisational development

Health and Personal Care

Resident lifestyle

Physical environment and safe systems

External auditors conduct site visits to assess facilities compliance with standards. All facilities must comply with standards to provide services and access government funding. For more information about accreditation visit: www.accreditation.org.au

Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI)

ACFI is a funding tool designed to assess residents needs to determine government funding provided to the facility for each resident. ACFI replaces the Residential Classification System (RCS). The main difference between RCS and ACFI is that RCS assess the care provided by the facility while ACFI is designed to assess the abilities of each resident without prescribing treatment or service. Along with other allied health and diversional therapies, music therapy is not listed as a separate question under ACFI. The implementation of ACFI was planned for 2006, now March 2008.

ACFI is separated into 12 Questions across three domains

Basic subsidy (Q1-Q5)

Behavioural supplement (Q6-Q10)

Complex nursing (Q11-Q12)

Similar to RCS, ACFI utilises A, B, C, D rating for each question for obtain a score for each question which equates to a specified amount of funding per day.

Activities of Daily Living

A

B

C

D

1

Nutrition

0

6.69

13.39

20.09

2

Mobility

0

6.88

13.76

20.65

3

Personal Hygiene

0

7.89

15.75

23.63

4

Toileting

0

6.11

12.21

18.31

5

Continence

0

5.79

11.53

17.31

Behaviour Supplement

A

B

C

D

6

Cognitive Skills

0

6.98

13.91

20.88

7

Wandering

0

5.91

11.82

17.72

8

Verbal Behaviour

0

7.04

14.10

21.14

9

Physical Behaviour

0

7.70

15.40

23.11

10

Depression

0

5.71

11.43

17.15

Complex Health Care Supplement

12

Complex Health Care

11

Medication

A

B

C

D

A

0

0

2

2

B

0

1

2

3

C

1

1

2

3

D

2

2

3

3

*NOTE: questions 11 and 12 use a matrix system to determine the score for the Complex Health Care domain.

Main differences for music therapy

Under RCS

Under ACFI

Funding is calculated according to the amount of actual nursing and therapy input

The facility will use the ACFI to predict dependency needs

Music Therapy is specified in the document

No reference to any nursing/AHP interventions

Care plan completed by the RMT addressing issues under Qu 20 ultimately determines funding (as long as relevant documentation is completed)

Funding is determined based on an ACFI score.

Quality of life needs can be clearly documented in care plans

No reference to quality of life in assessment tool

Under Qu 20, as an “other service” MT should not address issues outlined under other Qus – e.g. behavioural

Residents receive subsidy for behaviours with services provided at the facilities discretion

Documentation for music therapy under ACFI

ACFI - Facilities complete AFCI assessment. Music therapy not required to participate in ACFI assessment or documentation

Accreditation – documentation (assessment, care planning and exception reporting) continues to support the accreditation by providing evidence of service planning, delivery and evaluation.

For more information about ACFI please visit: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/New+Funding+Model+for+Residential+Aged+Care-1

Further considerations for RMTs:

Advocacy and Education – Understanding ACFI and advocating the role of music therapy within this framework is vital. For example: addressing specifics of ACFI – MT can address all issues listed in the “behaviour supplement”. Educate, educate, educate.

Documentation – Should MT look at a standardised assessment/care plan? How often/comprehensively do we need to document?

Quality Improvement – RMTs can make sure they are essential members of the team by using best practice – benchmarking, quality improvement and risk management.

PLEASE NOTE: This information is provided to the best of the authors’ knowledge to assist Registered Music Therapists in understanding accreditation and subsidy for residential aged care in Australia. The authors do not accept any responsibility for incorrect information.

October 2007

 

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