Te Hopai Home and Hospital

TE HOPA I HOME AND HOSP I TAL facility than the hospice.” Te Hopai caregivers are now paid according to their qualifications in level three and level four. And the facility is one of the highest level four qualified organisations in Wellington and probably outside the region. Staff members take great pride in their education and they are encouraged to take level three and level four dementia-specific training. As Sari explains, “We are using Altura online staff training based on the new Australian standards, so we’re quite excited about that. Staff can log onto online training where they complete and are reviewed by our Education Coordinator. Also we have target-based training. With that, care managers and registered nurses observe the caregivers and then give reports to our Education Coordinator about the needs of the individual staff. If someone needs manual handling training, or infection control training, that additional training is either provided one-to-one or online.” Te Hopai employees about 150 staff, including caregivers, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, medical staff and laundry staff. In addition to two registered nurses with a PhD in nursing, three with post-graduate qualifications, and one doing post-grad studies – and nurses are supported to achieve those qualifications so they are up to date on the latest methods of care. As a result, the facility is able to provide residents with continued care from rest home to dementia and hospital. It is also a very inclusive organisation in terms of staffing and meeting residents’ needs from different cultural backgrounds. A particularly timely and important focus is on how the rainbow community is aging and how aged care is meeting that need. Stewart notes, “The levels of care have changed so much in the last few years. Whereas in the past we may have had someone enter rest home care in their 60s, now they’re in their 80s. And the people coming into the hospital are often palliative care. The tenure or longevity of our residents has dropped alarmingly. And one of the