Time Well Spent

As two people who work in aged care, there is a lot we’re not happy with in this industry… And if we’re honest, there are things we’re scared could happen to us one day too. In this episode, we wanted to get personal about what we think the aged care industry needs to do if people are going to have a meaningful life in residential aged care. This conversation is shaped by our personal thoughts and fears, but also by what we’ve seen in the sector, the conversations we’ve had with residents, and the experiences we’ve witnessed firsthand. It’s about the things we’re scared of, the moments that give us hope, and what it would take for aged care to feel like a place where people are still known, valued and able to live as themselves. Key moments: 0:00 - What we’re most scared of when we think about ageing and entering residential care as it exists today 6:18 - How do we design resident rooms in a way that feels personal without becoming infantilising? 11:43 - The uncomfortable reality of incontinence, dignity and what personal care can give back to someone 18:02 - Why the level of documentation in aged care could feel humiliating if residents truly saw what was being recorded 20:00 - The aged care homes that gave us genuine hope this year 27:53 - What Dane has started to see differently after a year of deeper conversations on the podcast 29:43 - The controversial conversations aged care might have ignored five years ago, and why we need to keep having them 32:37 -What the public still gets wrong about aged care in Australia 36:18 - The things providers celebrate that don’t matter to the person living in the home at all 38:50 - One practical change leaders and care teams could make tomorrow after listening to this episode — Connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast If you want to book a free Reablement Planning Workshop with Optimum Allied Health, visit www.opthealth.com.au/tws If you’re starting to scope out your next project, get in touch with Paynters over at www.paynters.com.au

Most providers are already spending money on physio and reablement, but the bigger question is whether residents, families and leadership teams can actually see the value of what’s being delivered. In this episode, Rose turns the mic on Dane and his Operations Manager and Physio, Michael, to talk about what reablement looks like inside residential aged care, what the Act now requires providers to put in place, and how physio has shifted since the move from ACFI to AN-ACC. They also talk through what CEOs, boards and CFOs should be looking for in reporting, how to measure whether a program is actually improving outcomes, and why families are increasingly asking what support is available to help mum or dad maintain mobility, strength and independence. Key moments: 0:00 - What does good reablement look like in aged care 3:09 - What physios are actually doing inside a 100-bed aged care home, and why it’s much more than running an exercise class 4:52 - How the shift from ACFI to AN-ACC changed physio from a funding exercise into a more clinically focused service 12:04 - What the Act actually requires providers to put in place around reablement 15:22 - What the evidence says about reablement outcomes, including the falls, strength and mobility improvements providers should be paying attention to 18:01 - What CEOs and board members should be asking when they look at physio hours, clinical indicators and monthly reporting 23:29 - Why providers may already be delivering valuable reablement work, while still missing the chance to show families and residents what’s happening 27:36 - Whether you really need a gym to run a reablement program, and what a provider could start with on a small equipment budget 34:09 - Advice for CFOS who want to understand whether their physio spend is actually going towards therapy, maintenance or core clinical tasks 35:36 - If reablement works, why hasn’t it become the core model of aged care in Australia? 37:08 - Case study of a resident who moved from a walker to being able to walk independently 39:04 - The one message Dane wants every residential aged care CEO to hear about the value they may already be providing If you want to book a free Reablement Planning Workshop with Optimum Allied Health, visit www.opthealth.com.au/tws — Visit www.thepurefoodco.com to hear more about how The Pure Food Co could help with your meal service. Connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast If you’re starting to scope out your next project, get in touch with Paynters over at www.paynters.com.au

Gwenda Darling has been living with a dementia diagnosis for 14 years. When she was first diagnosed, she believed her life was effectively over. For nearly four months, she stopped leaving the house. Since then, Gwenda has become a fierce advocate for older people and aged care residents. She has served four terms on the Council of Elders and continues to push for the needs, rights and choices of older Australians to be taken seriously. Because the reality is, too often, they still aren’t. In this episode, Dane and Rose sit down with Gwenda to talk about what aged care looks like from the perspective of someone living inside the system. They cover the infantilisation of residents, what dignity really looks like in day to day care, how people living with dementia are treated by staff and other residents, the small choices that preserve agency, and the basic things that should never be up for debate - like full water jugs, daily showers, continence care, food people actually want to eat, and the right to intimacy. Key moments: 00:00 - The diagnosis that made Gwenda stop leaving the house 5:06 - The one thing Gwenda would change for older people first 6:50 - What Gwenda says still hasn’t changed since the Royal Commission 10:33 - The small “well-meaning” moments that are stripping residents of their agency 11:52 - What self-managing a home care package actually looks like 14:40 - What Gwenda learnt after four years on the Council of Elders 19:25 - Why Gwenda thinks we’re missing obvious answers to the aged care bed crisis 30:07 - Why are we still treating residents like children? 33:07 - The conversation aged care STILL struggles to have about intimacy 39:26 - What providers need to understand about sex, safety and ageing 49:57 - Why continence care should never be treated like a schedule 54:58 - What “dementiasm” looks like inside residential aged care 1:02:08 - Gwenda’s message to Minister Sam Rae 1:03:17 - What home care workers should be asking before they start the shift 1:04:54 - The residential care basics that we’re still missing — Visit www.thepurefoodco.com to hear more about how The Pure Food Co could help with your meal service. Connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast If you want to book a free Reablement Planning Workshop with Optimum Allied Health, visit www.opthealth.com.au/tws If you’re starting to scope out your next project, get in touch with Paynters over at www.paynters.com.au

It’s not news that we need more beds. More providers, more investment. more innovation. At the same time, it’s getting harder and harder to enter into the market, harder to make a return, and harder to speak up about what sustainability actually requires. So where do we go from here? Today Dane and Rose are talking with Mel Argent, from Rockpool Residential Aged Care. They’re talking about everything from the stigma around making profit, what Rockpool is doing differently with their new homes, how the current system is making it impossible to get funding and questioning whether our compliance settings are fit for purpose. Key moments: 0:00 - Why Rockpool going back to startup mode gave them a rare opportunity to redesign everything under the new Act 5:30 - The non-negotiables Mel insisted on during the Regis negotiation 7:28 - Why can’t profit and good care co-exist in the Aged Care sector? 12:33 - The funding catch-22 no one talks about but will seriously impact our ability to create 80,000 beds 16:17 - “I can’t believe this is aged care” – what a Rockpool home is designed to feel like 25:23 - The systems, technology and legislative shifts Mel is rethinking before opening the next homes 28:41 - Are care minutes reshaping the workforce in ways we didn’t intend? 33:50 - What is the 5-Star Rating System actually measuring? 39:00 - What would happen if we stopped competing with each other and started collaborating? 43:00 - Restrictive practice, reporting, and whether fear is driving behaviour 55:53 - What bold leadership looks like in aged care right now — Visit www.thepurefoodco.com to hear more about how The Pure Food Co could help with your meal service. Find out how your organisation is performing with Stewart Brown by visiting www.stewartbrown.com.au/financial-surveys Connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast If you want to book a free Reablement Planning Workshop with Optimum Allied Health, visit www.opthealth.com.au/tws If you’re starting to scope out your next project, get in touch with Paynters over at www.paynters.com.au

The New South Wales coroner recently released findings into two deaths at a Sydney aged care home. Two residents on modified diets for swallowing difficulties.Both choked to death on food they should never have been given. When something like this happens, the response is often to look for who got it wrong. But what if the real issue is how easy it is for things to go wrong in the first place? In this episode, Dane and Rose sit down with Chris Deed from Pure Food Co to discuss what’s actually happening inside aged care kitchens, where the gaps are between care plans and reality, and why something as fundamental as food is still one of the biggest risks in the system. Key moments: 0:00: Two deaths, one system: how does something like this actually happen inside a facility? 2:55: 50% of residents have swallowing difficulties… what that really looks like in your kitchen day to day 04:42: No speech pathologist on site: who’s actually making the call on a resident’s diet? 05:51: Care plan vs reality: how does the wrong meal still end up on the plate? 10:59: IDDSI explained and why misunderstanding it creates real risk 13:07: “Dignity of risk.” Are we signing these off too quickly without fully understanding the consequences? 16:06: Why even well-run kitchens struggle to deliver consistency (and where risk creeps in) 19:16: If nutrition changes outcomes… Why isn’t it treated like a clinical intervention? 21:03: Protein, malnutrition, and what most providers are missing across the day 25:29: What a good texture-modified meal actually looks and tastes like (and why that matters more than you think) 27:11: New Aged Care Act: does the sector finally have the framework to get food right? 31:59: Choking deaths have doubled. What needs to change immediately? 32:09: The real problem Pure Food Co was built to solve 37:57: When food gets done properly… What actually changes for residents? 39:37: From anxiety to eating in the dining room again… A real example of impact 41:39: Inside the kitchen: What most people don’t realise about how aged care food is actually delivered If you want to learn more about The Pure Food Co, head over to www.thepurefoodco.com/aus/,or if you want to chat more with Chris, get in touch on LinkedIn here. Find out more about Pure Food's latest white paper Feeding Strength & Dignity here. — And if you want to connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast, you can find them on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast

Metro homes make up around 65% of the sector. So they should be the most financially stable right? They’re performing the worst. At the same time, more than half of providers are still losing money… and we’re being told the system is improving. So what are the numbers actually telling us? In this episode, Dane and Rose sit down with Stuart Hutcheon from StewartBrown to break down the latest benchmarking data and where the pressure is really coming from. From funding models that don’t leave room for a margin… to providers not pulling the levers already available to them… to a system that still isn’t set up to attract investment. Because if these numbers are right, we’re still a long way from a model that works. Key moments: 0:00 - Why metro homes (65% of the sector) are now the worst performing financially… and what’s driving that shift 6:34 - 60% of providers are still losing money… Are the reforms actually fixing anything? 9:31 - What it really takes to get new beds approved… and why providers are hitting roadblocks before they even start? 15:04 - The accommodation review 21:27 - Should the market be setting RAD prices in metro areas… and what happens if it does? 24:50 - The “everyday living” gap: why even with higher supplements, providers are still running at a deficit 29:01- Should residents be paying extra for things they expect in normal life? 33:0-1 - The simplest lever providers aren’t pulling… and why it’s directly impacting financial performance 37:28 - There’s $4.5 billion sitting unused in home care… so why isn’t it reaching the people who need it? 40:55 - Where 30% of every home care dollar actually goes… and why that’s becoming unsustainable 52:18 - Are we quietly cutting funding while calling it “reform”? 56:55 - The number the sector actually needs to be investible… and why we’re nowhere near it 58:48 - if you could change three ithings in the next 12 months to shift this trajectory what would they be 1:02:026 - What small providers need to understand right now if they want to survive what’s coming

What happens when an industry built on care is uncomfortable talking about money? Aged care is framed as something that should exist outside the language of profit, investment and commercial thinking. But without those things, it becomes very difficult to build the homes, services and communities the next generation of older Australians will rely on. And that time is coming quickly. In this episode, Rose and Dane sit down with Charles Moore, CEO of BaptistCare, to talk about why the sector may need to rethink the way it talks about capital, growth and commercial sustainability. Key moments: 0:00 - The tension between profit and purpose in aged care, and why the sector needs to get more comfortable with being commercial 4:53 - Why attracting capital into aged care might be one of the biggest challenges facing the sector 10:20 - The role retirement living could play in solving the bed shortage 12:54 - What “integrated care” actually looks like inside BaptistCare’s model 15:56 - The things Charles believes need to change if the system is going to work long-term 20:32 - What Charles learned working on the Sydney Olympic Park development and how that thinking has shaped BaptistCare 25:26 - Why attracting younger people into the workforce is becoming more urgent 26:20 - BaptistCare’s clustering strategy and how it changes the way services are delivered 33:08 - The thinking behind the recent merger and what it enables them to do 40:52 - Why Charles believes this might actually be the best time to invest in aged care 44:11 - The story behind Hope Street and the role projects like this can play in communities 50:17 - How housing affordability is shaping the future of aged care 55:19 - What Charles hopes the sector could look like in the years ahead

4,812 older Australians died waiting for the right level of home care last financial year. When Adrian Morgan last joined the podcast, he warned that Support at Home could create serious unintended consequences. Six months on, a lot of those predictions have played out. So what went wrong? In this episode, Adrian Morgan is sitting down with Dane and Rose to talk about what’s happened since the Act came into effect and whether the course can still be fixed. If you want to listen to our first episode with Adrian you can listen to it on Spotify or Apple. Key moments: 0:00 - Six months in… what has actually changed since Support at Home began? 7:59 - Co-contributions: are they quietly pushing people to refuse care altogether? 11:28 - The prediction that the system would collapse under its own weight… is it already happening? 13:29 - Why are clients being reassessed out of services they were already receiving? 22:09 - The “black box” algorithm: who really controls the outcome of an assessment? 24:58 - Dementia, diabetes, anxiety… and told there’s “no impairment.” How is that possible? 28:32 - Are regional providers about to hit a financial breaking point? 32:49 - Is there anything in this reform that’s actually working as intended? 36:47 - CHSP: the only part of the system functioning well… so why merge it? 40:12 - What happens to provider viability if CHSP disappears tomorrow? 49:22 - Have peak bodies been too cautious “inside the tent?” 59:18 - Seven changes that could stabilise Support at Home 1:04:02 - The promise list vs the reality list: affordable, simple, person-centred… or something else? 01:08:59 - If the Minister is listening… What would need to change, today?

The last time we had Paul Sadler on the podcast, we spoke about the upcoming reforms to the Support at Home program that were due to go live in November. The reforms are now live and for many older Australians and providers, the reality looks very different to what was promised. We wanted to get Paul back on the show to talk about exactly what has happened after the roll out of the Support at Home program and the new Aged Care Act. From algorithms that are deciding the fate of service providers without any professional opinion, to funding decisions that are reshaping access to care, we have a lot of questions. Key moments: 00:00 - The last minute decision assessors were told about the day before rollout02:02 - What happens when an algorithm decides eligibility and clinicians can’t override it03:24 - People are being assessed as ineligible or far lower than their needs suggest07:18 - Why this is being compared to robo debt 13:16 - Why people are choosing to stay in CHSP despite higher assessed needs14:43 - When providers are pushed into regulatory risk without funding16:19 - Interim funding at 60% is becoming the default entry point19:15 - Who decides which 40% of assessed care gets ignored 23:38 - The immediate changes that could be made without new legislation 30:19 - Pricing, claims, and what providers still can’t get clear answers on34:35 - Why hardship applications are already increasing 36:31 - What’s actually changed in residential aged care under the new Act 45:23 - Why new beds aren’t being built, especially in regional areas48:21 - Where innovation is happening despite the pressure on the system 53:00 - “The least broken part of the system” and why it’s now at risk

Payroll compliance is now one of the biggest risks in aged care. Every provider, even the well-run ones, uncover errors driven by 24/7 rosters, complex Modern Awards and constant legislative change. In this episode, Dane and Rose speak with Siobhain Simpson, Partner at StuartBrown, who has audited hundreds of providers and never completed an audit without finding payroll issues. Siobhain breaks down why errors are unavoidable, which clauses cost organisations the most, why overpayments are harder to fix than you think, and what boards should be asking to protect their organisations. She also shares how transparency builds trust, why independent checks matter, and when AI might finally take over payroll interpretation. A must-listen for aged care and NDIS leaders navigating risk, reform and the reality of paying people right. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens after a cyber breach and how can providers be ready before it strikes? In this episode of Time Well Spent, we sit down with leading cyber lawyer and incident response expert Reece Corbett-Wilkins to explore the realities behind data breaches in the aged care and NDIS sectors. Key links: Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-2025 | Cyber.gov.au – annual status including average costs of cybercrime for businesses Cyber Wardens Foundations - Live and On Demand Webinars - Cyber Wardens – free training for SMEs Questions to ask managed service providers | Cyber.gov.au – questions to ask MSPs about cyber security What are you risking online? | Act Now. Stay Secure. – Act Now, Stay Secure – government campaign about how to build cyber security culture Follow Atmos on LinkedIn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuart Hutcheon from StewartBrown returns to unpack the financial realities facing aged care providers, revealing why profitability remains out of reach and what strategic moves can rebuild sector sustainability. They dive into the stark numbers: residential homes losing $3.10 per bed daily, workforce costs surging 60% since 2021, and the complex challenges of care minutes, technology adoption, and pricing strategies. A candid chat of the financial pressures, policy constraints, and potential solutions that could transform aged care from a struggling sector to a viable, patient-centered industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.