From our CEO

200 Minutes of care

How many minutes adds up to a life well-lived? Or, more importantly, what needs to happen in those minutes for life to feel rich, meaningful or satisfying?

COVID is constantly pushing many of us back into the corners of our homes where these questions can become more pressing. If we are in a place experiencing lockdown(s), some of us are left groping in the dark as we look for ways to live well without our usual routines or supports. It is a tiny window into what it might be like to live in residential aged care, or alone in the community, with mobility challenges.

For people who are accessing residential aged care services, these questions have been answered by Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. They have identified that a life well lived cannot be enabled without enough dedicated time. 200 minutes is the number and the government has begun a process to implement this recommendation.

Part of our mandate is to seek support for funding of holistic care. With this in mind, I met recently with the Department of Health to explore some of these pressing questions – and the important contribution roles and activities that are focussed on meaning in life can make to those precious 200 minutes.

Be ready. Continue to find ways to ensure each minute of support you offer is contributing to a rich, satisfying and meaningful life for each older person. If your organisation is not yet a member, you might like to join others who are getting behind this important work. If your organisation isn’t quite ready to join, perhaps start by sharing our free webinar series, where we offer great content for the benefit all who are impacted by aged care.