Person-centred care is an approach to aged care that emphasises the importance of partnership between older people and providers during care planning, delivery and management. A crucial aspect of person-centred care is respecting and responding to older people’s needs, values and preferences (ACQSC 2024a).
Person-centred care comprises:
Partnering with older people
Acknowledging each older person’s individuality and respecting their knowledge about their own care
Allowing older people to use their life experiences and expertise to influence care decisions at individual, service and organisation levels
Treating older people as individuals rather than just conditions to be managed
Finding out what is important to older people, their families and carers
Establishing trust and mutual respect
Shared decision-making
Treating older people with dignity, respect and compassion
Providing care that suits each older person’s needs and helps them achieve their goals
Supporting older people to understand their own health
Coordinating care between providers and ensuring continuity of care.
(ACQSC 2024a; ACSQHC 2019; Better Health Channel 2015)
What Does it Mean to Deliver Aged Care in a Person-centred Way?
The older person is at the centre of the care they are receiving and is supported to make decisions about their life.
The older person’s life experiences, age, gender, culture, heritage, language, beliefs and identity are all taken into account in the delivery of care.
The services provided are flexible to meet the older person’s preferences and priorities.
Care is strengths-based; in other words, there is a greater focus placed on what the older person can do rather than what they require help with, and the person is considered to be the expert of their own life.
The person’s support networks work with the service provider in a partnership.
(NSW Health 2022)
Overall, the goal of person-centred care is to enable the older person to establish and maintain control over their life (NSW Health 2022).
Person-centred Care Under the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards
Ensure older people feel safe, welcome, supported and understood
Establish strategies for:
Assessing an older person’s background, culture, diversity, beliefs and life experiences and using these factors to inform their care and services
Recognising and understanding older people’s individual communication needs and preferences
Recording that an older person identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person
Providing care for older people with specific needs and diverse backgrounds, including older people living with dementia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Providing culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed care
Supporting older people to develop and maintain social connections - this includes supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to connect with their community, culture and country
Improving inclusion and diversity
Recognise and respect the rights and autonomy of older people, including their right to express their sexuality and gender and experience intimacy
Ensure staff maintain a professional and trusting relationship with older people, working together with them to provide care and services.
(ACQSC 2024b)
For more information on these aspects of person-centred care, see the following Ausmed Articles:
Person-centred care has numerous benefits, including:
Increased care satisfaction
Decreased risk of depression and anxiety
Improved functional status
Increased social engagement
Increased quality of life
Improvement in changed behaviours in people with dementia
Reduced agitation, depression and neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia.
(Respect 2024; ARIIA 2022)
Viewing Older People as Individuals
An important part of delivering person-centred care is gaining an understanding of the person as an individual ‘with a past, present and future’ and acknowledging their strengths and qualities (ARIIA 2022).
It’s important to consider factors such as the person’s culture, language, age, gender, life experiences and preferences (CareSearch 2022).
Practical Ways to Implement Person-centred Care
Examples of person-centred care in everyday practice include:
Smiling and introducing yourself
Wearing a name tag
Explaining your role to the older people in your care
Asking permission before providing care or assistance
Respecting older people’s privacy
Giving older people your full attention when interacting with them
Speaking to older people at eye level
Taking the time to ask older people how they are feeling (both physically and mentally)
Remembering that the older people in your care have individual lives outside of the care environment
Treating older people as equal participants in their care
Listening to older people
Taking into consideration the knowledge older people have about their own health
Listening to older people’s families and carers
Keeping in mind that care environments are often unfamiliar and frightening for older people and their loved ones and providing care accordingly
Understanding that older people may feel lonely or isolated
Providing older people with all necessary information to make informed decisions about their care
Taking time to find out older people’s interests and hobbies and supporting them to continue participating in these.
(Health.vic 2015; CareSearch 2022; ARIIA 2022)
Conclusion
Person-centred care is a holistic and genuine approach that supports people in leading the lives they want. The way that you respond to older people’s health issues, vulnerabilities, personalities and situations can have a significant and often long-lasting impact on their health and wellbeing. Furthermore, person-centred care has been demonstrated to positively influence health outcomes and the degree of satisfaction that carers derive from their work.
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