Tall Trees Care Communities Provide the Elderly with the Dignity of Risk
Announcement posted by Tall Trees Care Communities 03 Apr 2014
Private alternative to traditional aged care and assisted living facilities in Brisbane reveal why their business model may be the “wave of the future” in aged care.
Australia, 3 April 2014 - “Dignity of risk” is a term that has been used in sectors of mental health and people with disabilities for over a decade. Recently, those in aged care sector are also beginning to use the term. Dignity of risk is a term that means respecting the autonomy and self-determination of every individual when making decisions.
In the aged care field, it means allowing all residents and patients to make their own decisions and choices when it comes to their health and their levels of care. As the aged care sector begins to move toward a business model of consumer directed care (CDC), it will be essential for their residents and patients to be allowed the dignity of risk when making choices.
In Australia, the aged care industry is subject to a high level of scrutiny and regulation. While this is necessary to avoid possible abuses of the system and ensure the safety of residents and patients, it can also be a detriment. For residential aged care to ever fully operate under a CDC model, most industry observers feel that a balance is needed between duty of care and dignity of risk and that duty of care should exist to enhance lives, not restrict them.
The Current Paragon
Currently, one facility is being used as the industry ideal for true CDC in a residential aged care setting—a dementia village in Weesp, Netherlands, called Hodeway. The site looks like any other village, but it is a closed community. The units are arranged in two-storey buildings that form a perimeter around the outside of the village. The shops, restaurants and amenities are staffed by Hodeway carers.
Residents go about their lives as in any other village. They go to eat or get their hair cut and walk around as they please. Many residents there feel as if they aren’t in a facility at all, but that they moved to a great neighbourhood. For safety’s sake, they are monitored from a distance. This is seen as the epitome of CDC in a residential setting—residents go where they want, when they want and make their own choices without being intruded upon.
Can It Happen in Australia?
Many think that such a model can’t work in Australia and that the laws are too restrictive to allow residents to make their own choices. Phil Usher, co-founder of Tall Trees Care Communities, begs to differ. According to Mr Usher:
“At Tall Trees Care Communities, our residents own their homes and make their own choices every day. They decide whether they are going to eat at home or come to one of our restaurants. They can have family over whenever they want. They decide what care they will receive and when. We provide our residents great opportunities for flexibility, even taking them on a jetboat!”
Mr Usher concluded: “We consulted a lot of elderly Australians, including our own mums, when we created Tall Trees Care Communities. What is now being called dignity of choice is exactly what our mums asked for: independence and the right to make their own decisions. If you want to see consumer directed care in action, look no further than Tall Trees.”
Tall Trees Care Communities provides a private alternative to traditional aged care and assisted living facilities in the Brisbane area. Residents own their homes, move freely and choose their own levels of care. For more information, visit their website: http://www.talltrees.net.au/ or give them a call on (07) 3442 9378.
In the aged care field, it means allowing all residents and patients to make their own decisions and choices when it comes to their health and their levels of care. As the aged care sector begins to move toward a business model of consumer directed care (CDC), it will be essential for their residents and patients to be allowed the dignity of risk when making choices.
In Australia, the aged care industry is subject to a high level of scrutiny and regulation. While this is necessary to avoid possible abuses of the system and ensure the safety of residents and patients, it can also be a detriment. For residential aged care to ever fully operate under a CDC model, most industry observers feel that a balance is needed between duty of care and dignity of risk and that duty of care should exist to enhance lives, not restrict them.
The Current Paragon
Currently, one facility is being used as the industry ideal for true CDC in a residential aged care setting—a dementia village in Weesp, Netherlands, called Hodeway. The site looks like any other village, but it is a closed community. The units are arranged in two-storey buildings that form a perimeter around the outside of the village. The shops, restaurants and amenities are staffed by Hodeway carers.
Residents go about their lives as in any other village. They go to eat or get their hair cut and walk around as they please. Many residents there feel as if they aren’t in a facility at all, but that they moved to a great neighbourhood. For safety’s sake, they are monitored from a distance. This is seen as the epitome of CDC in a residential setting—residents go where they want, when they want and make their own choices without being intruded upon.
Can It Happen in Australia?
Many think that such a model can’t work in Australia and that the laws are too restrictive to allow residents to make their own choices. Phil Usher, co-founder of Tall Trees Care Communities, begs to differ. According to Mr Usher:
“At Tall Trees Care Communities, our residents own their homes and make their own choices every day. They decide whether they are going to eat at home or come to one of our restaurants. They can have family over whenever they want. They decide what care they will receive and when. We provide our residents great opportunities for flexibility, even taking them on a jetboat!”
Mr Usher concluded: “We consulted a lot of elderly Australians, including our own mums, when we created Tall Trees Care Communities. What is now being called dignity of choice is exactly what our mums asked for: independence and the right to make their own decisions. If you want to see consumer directed care in action, look no further than Tall Trees.”
Tall Trees Care Communities provides a private alternative to traditional aged care and assisted living facilities in the Brisbane area. Residents own their homes, move freely and choose their own levels of care. For more information, visit their website: http://www.talltrees.net.au/ or give them a call on (07) 3442 9378.