This unique case from the UK brings to light the fine balance courts have to maintain between a disabled consumer’s rights and his or her need for ‘protection’ from engaging in risky behaviour. This is never more so than when ...

Nursing shortages have been predicted worldwide, with headlines reporting that this is one of the dominant issues in healthcare today. Nursing attrition is on the cusp of becoming a crisis, with perilous implications for patients and healthcare providers alike. Can ...

Sometimes the best ideas are so obvious no one seems to pay attention to them. Reablement is such a clever idea that it seems almost unnecessary to have a specialised word in aged care for it. Yet it may be ...

It is often challenging for older adults to make the transition into aged care. Many new residents experience grief as they are leaving behind their homes, spouses and possessions. Being placed into an unfamiliar environment with new people can lead ...

An increasing number of hospital and health services are collating, storing and utilising medical and nursing records in electronic databases. These databases are usually protected with individualised passwords which can be monitored and checked to preserve patients’ privacy and ensure ...

The healthcare industry is quickly expanding, with longer Australian life expectancies and a growing population lifting demand for skilled nursing clinicians. However, much of this demand is not being met in the bush and more funding and training is needed ...

Fred was a resident with Alzheimer’s disease living at one of our aged care homes. He was a quiet man; in fact, Fred had not spoken for years. Like many people with dementia he became agitated and upset, particularly around ...

The Royal Commission into Aged Care needs to go beyond the urgent problems of residential aged care to look at the full formal system of care and support. We need to ensure we can increase staffing levels in residential care ...

A Red Cross field hospital in the heart of the world’s biggest series of refugee camps is the only 24-hour emergency facility to service close to a million people. The morning call to prayer wakes me up at 5.30. I ...

In the emergency department, the ‘bat phone’ is reserved for urgent referrals of incoming patients. One busy afternoon, the bat phone rang to advise that a four-year-old boy had fallen off a motorbike.* He'd ridden over a river bank and ...