The latest residents’ experience survey highlights that what residents think is important is not necessarily what's front of mind for aged care reform.
The third annual Residents’ Experience Survey, used to help determine aged care homes’ star ratings, has been released by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and while there have been some small improvements, some things never change.
A total of 36,221 residents across 2603 RACH’s took part in the 2024 RES.
There is good news in the results, including an uptick in the overall resident satisfaction rating, up 3% compared to 2023, but the usual bugbears – quality of food, staff turnover and communication skills – remain stubbornly high on the list of could-do-betters.
The good news
Of the participating residents 88% said they would recommend their RACH to someone else either most of the time (27%) or always (61%). That’s an improvement of 3% over 2023.
Particularly encouraging was the response from subgroups. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents’ overall satisfaction was up 7% to 87%, for CALD background residents it was up 4% to 87%, and for veterans, overall satisfaction was up 3% to 88%. Rural and remote residents had a smaller uptick of 2% to 90% overall.
Resident autonomy – the extent to which residents continue to live independently, was the most improved area of the survey from 2023 to 2024, according to the DoHDA, 10% more residents believing they had a say in their daily activities than in the 2022 survey (up 4% on 2023).
Broken down a little further, 23% said that autonomy existed “most of the time”, while 68% said it was there “always”.
In answer to the question “Are you encouraged to do as much as possible for yourself”, 58% said always, and 30% “most of the time, an overall lift of 3% compared to 2023 (7% since 2022).
“This suggests a consistent positive shift in residents’ perceived autonomy and self-determination,” said the DoHDA.
There were also small improvements in responses to questions about the care environment in RACHs.
Ninety-six percent of respondents – 1% more than in 2023 – said they felt safe (75% always, 21% most of the time); 95% felt the staff were kind and caring – up 1% on 2023 (66% always, 29% most of the time); 93% — up 2% on 2023 – said they got the care they need (62% always, 31% most of the time); and 95% — the same as in 2023 – said they felt the staff treated them with respect (66% always, 29% most of the time).
Diversity and inclusion were up 3% overall to a satisfaction rate of 88%. Residents from CALD backgrounds show persistent and larger negative differences when compared to the rest of the participants.
“This is especially relevant in relation to food satisfaction and autonomy,” said the DoHDA.
The not so good
Just 70% of aged care residents are satisfied with the food they are served in their RACH, and only 29% like it “always”. A full quarter of residents were satisfied with the food just “some of the time”.
Food was the most raised issue in response to the open text response question: “What is one thing you would suggest as an improvement to the service?”
“Common concerns included quality, variety and suitability for dietary needs,” said the DoHDA.
The 70% figure has been consistent across all three national surveys.
Some comments from residents included:
- “The food taste and presentation could be better.”
- “Improving the food, not hot enough when eating in rooms.”
- “The food could be improved by choice of menu and staff ability.”
When it came to staffing, some measures had improved, but it was still the second most raised issue by residents.
Related
The question: “Do staff follow up when you raise things?” remains one of the lowest-scored questions in the RES, highlighting that proactively responding to feedback would build higher resident satisfaction, greater trust and stronger relationships.
Although 2% more than in 2023 thought staff followed up, just 44% thought it happened every time, and 15% said it happened only “some of the time”.
Low satisfaction with communication was a persistent theme, particularly regarding staff explanations and follow-up.
Eighty percent of residents felt that staff explained things (43% all the time, 37% most of the time, 17% some of the time, 3% never), and improvement of 3% over 2023.
What residents thought could be improved:
- “Communication between staff, extra time spent getting to know how we are going/ keeping us company.”
- “More staff, the ones here work so hard and never seem to have enough time in their days.”
- “More training for the new staff before they work on their own.”
Read the full report summary here.