Our Supported Decision Making (SDM) in Aged Care workshops have been developed to ensure that service providers are best placed to meet Aged Care Quality Standards 1, 2 & 6.
These standards emphasise the importance of residents being able to make their own decisions about their care and daily life, and the role service providers have in enabling residents to make decisions and provide feedback.
To meet the quality standards, aged care service providers will have to show that they provide the right level of supports for every resident to be able to participate in decisions affecting their care and lives.
Our SDM consultations and workshops for Aged Care settings will:
- provide a framework for supported decision making between residents, their families and management and care workers
- enable individual residents to receive the supports they need to actively participate in decisions, as a result, residents will be happier, more motivated and engaged
- ensure the residents’ own values, will and preferences are respected and heard in decisions about their lives and care needs
- assist Aged Care staff to understand the unique needs of their residents
- give management the right tools to use on a daily basis to ensure resident participation in decision making
- provide management with documented decisions that can be referred to later and used as evidence of meeting the quality standards.
ADACAS can offer two different services within Residential Aged Care settings:
SDM Consultations with Residents
ADACAS will work with individual residents, their families and supporters to:
- Ensure the resident understands their rights.
- Build the residents’ confidence in their decision making capacity.
- Provide the supports to enable residents to express and record their values, will and preferences.
- Provide the resources for residents to actively participate in future decisions.
You can find further information on these consultations on our SDM Consultations for Individuals page.
ADACAS SDM Consultations for Individuals
SDM Workshops with Residential Aged Care Staff
This series of workshops explores how aged care facilities can support resident decision making and ensure residents have the same rights and responsibilities as others in our community.
Workshop Summary
The workshops give participants a deep understanding of how care workers can support decision making. We use case studies to explore:
- the legal right to decide and the differences between choice and decision making
- how people can identify their levels of need within the spectrum of support
- power imbalances, vested interests and boundaries
- dignity of risk versus duty of care, and safety versus safeguards
- the decision making process and how to provide appropriate supports
- how to map support networks
- the importance of having decision review mechanisms
- how to support residents to provide feedback, including complaints.
Learning Outcomes
Workshop participants will understand how to:
- enable residents to express and record their values, will and preferences
- help residents to identify as decision makers and participate in decision making
- support decision making for older people and tools that can assist with this
- recognise ways to support resident participation in decisions.
In addition, participants will understand:
- the legal and social context of supported decision making in Australia today
- decision support is a tool for promoting equality and opportunity
- the importance of feedback to create a better living environment.
Target Audience
Care workers in a Residential Aged Care setting.
Delivery Method
Workshops can take place over Zoom or on Microsoft Teams software.
In person workshops will take place at a location convenient to you, this might be your home, a health care setting, your workplace or a residential aged care home.
Workshop Fees
Each workshop is customised to meet the specific needs of the workshop participants. Our facilitators draw on their expertise and lived experience of disability to provide a practical, relatable and informative workshop experience. Workshops are on a fee for service basis.
Resources Supplied to Workshop Participants
Supported Decision Toolkit
Supported Decision Making Factsheets
Mapping a Support Network Factsheet
Me and My Decision Form
My Decision Making Worksheet
Dignity of Risk Infographic