Older Persons Services

We are making positive changes in the residential aged care sector.

Since 2015, Change Futures has been delivering aged care psychology services.

History of the Psychology in Aged Care (PAC) Well-being Program

Most Australians are unaware that historically older people living in aged care have had limited access to psychology services unless they had the financial resources. Medicare rebates to see psychologists are not available to people living in aged care facilities and the industry is not funded to provide aged care psychology services to their residents.

As a result, Change Futures decided to offer free services in 2015 as the rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thinking are higher in older Australians than in the general community. These services were offered for free for nearly two years to St Vincent’s at Mitchelton. In 2017, St Vincent’s Care Services decided to fund our aged care program across all of its facilities in south east Queensland in Gympie, Maroochydore, Mitchelton, Bardon, Kangaroo Point, Toowoomba, Southport and Arundel.

The Brisbane North Primary Health Network also commissioned Change Futures to provide low intensity mental health services to residential aged care facilities in the region. This funding continued until December 2018.

In 2018, the Commonwealth Government announced funding for psychological services in residential aged care and Change Futures is now delivering the Psychology in Aged Care (PAC) Well-being program from Kilcoy and Bribie Island down to Grafton in northern NSW. These services are funded by the Brisbane North PHN, Brisbane South PHN, Gold Coast PHN and North Coast (NSW) PHN.

In all, more than 60 provisional psychologists supervised by fully registered psychologists provide services to residents. This includes individual counselling and support groups.

Since 2018, annual reviews of the outcomes of the program demonstrated clinically significant reductions in depression, anxiety and psychological distress, clinically significant improvements in life satisfaction and very high levels of satisfaction with the service rated by residents.

Through this program our psychologists with their interest and experience in supporting older adults assists these residents to feel more empowered and live more independently.

Services Now

Change Futures is currently delivering services in more than 220 residential aged care facilities in Brisbane North and South, the Gold Coast and northern NSW. By 2023, Change Futures will be offering services to 300 facilities across south east Queensland and northern NSW.

If you have any questions about the types of care available for older people, a specific care service or home care services that may be available to you or a loved one, please reach out to our intake team between the hours of 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday by emailing racmentalhealth@changefutures.org.au or calling 07 3153 1093

Training and Psychoeducation for Aged Care Staff

Change Futures also provides training and psychoeducation modules for staff working in residential aged care facilities. This training is delivered on site and can be focuses on specific psychological issues found when working in aged care facilities. In some instances, training can be offered online. This training can be tailored to suit the individual learning needs of your staff and their availability.

Each training session is between 30-40mins long and is designed to be practical, engaging, and relevant to those working with residents living in aged care facilities. This training is delivered by mental health professionals who work with residents in aged care.

Topics include:

Suicide in Aged Care
Behaviour Management
Adjustment in Aged Care

Anxiety in Aged Care
Chronic Pain in Aged Care
Self-care for staff working in Aged Care

Depression in Aged Care
End of Life stage
Palliative Care

Communication and Validation in Aged Care
Grief in Aged Care