Count us in! social inclusion for people living at public sector residential aged care services

Page contents: Overview | Phase I: 2006-07 | Phase II: 2008-09 | Phase III: 2009-10 | CIU evaluation | Other relevant information | Contacts | Download documents

Overview

Being part of a community can contribute to well-being throughout our lives.  People living in residential aged care are recognised as being at greater risk of social isolation and disconnection from their community due to their increased care and support needs as they age.

Social inclusion strategies are essential to ensure that people living in residential aged care services are supported to remain involved and connected to the many social interests and contacts within the local community.

The Count us in! (CUI) initiative aims to promote and facilitate community inclusion, good health and quality of life of older people living in public sector residential aged care services.

Some of the key outcomes for the initiative are to: improve the health and wellbeing of residents; increase local social inclusion opportunities for residents; build service and community capacity to support social connections and engagement opportunities for residents; and promote a positive image and attitude towards older people and residential aged care services within the local community.

Phase I: 2006-07

The CUI initiative was launched in 2006, with 16 pilot projects funded over a six month period in 2006-07 across Victoria. Community based organisations, in partnership with public sector residential aged care services, were funded to identify and break down barriers to social inclusion, provide successful strategies to improve social inclusion for residents and support the move towards a more inclusive life for older people.

Count us in! social inclusion for people living in residential aged care Report on the 2006–07 pilot projects draws together the achievements, challenges and learnings experienced by the sixteen projects.

Phase II: 2008-09

In 2008–09 a mentoring grant and 19 implementation grants were funded across Victoria, building on the successful strategies and resources developed by the Phase I projects to support and provide social inclusion opportunities for residents, with their family and friends, staff and the community. The 2008–09 Count us in! project summaries provides information on each project.

Key focus areas

In the second phase, projects were funded over 12 months to deliver support services and build sustainable social inclusion projects for residents. Each project targeted up to two key focus areas to strengthen individual (resident, family and friends), community and organisation capacity to facilitate social inclusion for residents in the local community. The key focus areas targeted by projects included:

• Residents: projects aimed to empower and improve resident lifestyle and aspirations.
• Community: projects aimed to strengthen community capacity to facilitate social inclusion for older people through the provision of innovative and sustainable service models suitable to the needs and resources of the local community.
• Organisation: projects aimed to strengthen organisational capacity to enhance social inclusion practice, culture and workforce.

Social inclusion approaches

• Community gardens: The community garden approach was very successful in implementing sustainable and meaningful community engagement, which also saw the development of new relationships between residents, staff and community members.  Projects set up committees with resident representation to assist with the planning, development, design and construction of multifunctional sensory, vegetable, herb, fruit and landscaped gardens on the site of residential aged care services.  Community volunteers, members from local community gardening clubs, local businesses, schools, family, friends and staff partnered to share information, skills, horticultural knowledge and worked together to build the gardens. These projects also instilled a strong sense of community pride and ownership.
  

• Intergenerational programs: Working with schools in the local area or establishing a facilitated playgroup in residential aged care services are great examples of practical and workable intergenerational social inclusion approaches.  Residential aged care services provided a setting and opportunities for multiple generations such as students, teachers, parents, toddlers and staff to connect, develop relationships, share life stories, skills and knowledge, and develop mutual respect for all participants.
  
  
• Gender specific programs: Men in residential aged care services represent a minority, as most residents and workers in aged care facilities are female.  Social inclusion programs that specifically target men are much needed to support social and community engagement for male residents.  These gender specific projects established partnerships with community organisations that focused on male activities and programs which improved residents’ interaction with staff and other club members through their visits to the Men's Sheds, farming events and vintage car clubs.
  
  
• Social networking tools: Using information technology and social networking tools promoted and maintained social contact between residents and their family, friends and community.  Tools such as Skype, Facebook and email programs ensured residents remained in touch with relatives and interests.

Resources

A range of resources has been developed to strengthen and support individual, community and organisational capacity to promote and facilitate social inclusion opportunities for residents.  For services and individuals interested in developing social inclusion for residents, resources provide practical information on a range of social inclusion approaches and include instruction manuals on social networking tools, volunteer resources and policy guidelines, informative DVDs and slide shows on community gardens, the transition experience moving from home to residential aged care, and engaging the local community to support social inclusion for residents.

Phase III: 2009-10

A third phase of 28 funded projects were implemented in May 2010 across Victoria. These projects were completed in April 2011. The 2009-10 Count us in! project summaries provides information on each project. 

CUI Evaluation

In December 2010, the Department of Health commissioned the Nucleus Group to undertake a review of Count us in! against program objectives. Specific aspects of the review included:

• reach and impact on project participants
• the extent to which Count us in! projects incorporated social inclusion programs efficiently and effectively into organisational policy, practice, structure and culture
• sustainability of approaches
• the effectiveness of the role played by the Department of Health in supporting services to embed Count us in! in PSRACS
• future directions for Count us in!

A summary evaluation report was completed in November 2011.

Other relevant information

• What is social inclusion?
• Social inclusion issues for senior Victorians in residential aged care
• The Count us in! project
• Australian Social Inclusion Board
• Further reading and references

Contacts

For information on the Count us in! social inclusion for older people living at public sector residential aged care services initiative please contact:

Sarah Yallop
Aged Care Service Development Unit
Aged Care Branch
Department of Health
Phone (61 3) 9096 1030
Email: sarah.yallop@health.vic.gov.au

Download documents

Evaluation of Count us in! Summary report, November 2011 (128kb, pdf)

Count us in! 2009-10 project summaries (39kb, pdf)

Count us in! 2008-09 project summaries (31kb, pdf)

Count us in! social inclusion for people living in residential aged care: Report on the 2006-07 pilot projects - 2008 (468kb, pdf)

Count us in! booklet - November 2006 (267kb, pdf)

Public sector residential aged care - List of facilities 2011

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