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Tassie Plan to Improve Aged Care Goes National

By Linda Smith, The Mercury

August 4, 2005

A Tasmanian pilot program aiming to attract young nursing students into the aged care sector has been such a success that it is going national.

The Building Connections in Aged Care program started in Tasmania 18 months ago after concerns by senior lecturer at the University of Tasmania 's School of Nursing and Midwifery Andrew Robinson that there were very few nursing graduates going into aged care.

He led a university work-placement program in partnership with the Federal Government and six aged care facilities around the state which aimed to show students aged care was an enjoyable and viable career.

The first stage of the program was such a success that the Federal Government yesterday announced it would spend $336,000 to not only continue the program in Tasmania but also implement similar programs in South Australia , Western Australia and Queensland .

Dr Robinson said that at the beginning of the project only 35 per cent of students said they would consider aged care work as an option.

But after the students did hands-on work, met mentors and formed friendships with elderly patients, the figure rose to 95 per cent.

"In aged care historically we haven't had a lot of students, and we're trying to change that now," he said.

"The program showed that in the right supportive environment nursing students gain a real perception of the challenges and rewards that come with being an aged care worker.

"It's about teaching them that nursing homes are interesting and exciting places to work."

Federal Minister for Ageing Julie Bishop made the funding announcement in Hobart yesterday, and also announced a new PhD scholarship program established by the Tasmanian Aged Care Alliance -- the first of which was won by Tasmanian student Sue Lawrence.

Ms Bishop said a decline in birth rates, increased life expectancy and ageing of the baby boomer generation posed an unprecedented challenge for the aged care sector.