Changing culture: Rethinking models of care In residential aged care
Tracks
3
Adult
Advocacy
Aged care
Change management
Collaboration
Continuous quality improvement
Dementia
Dysphagia
Innovative practice
Mealtime support
Multidisciplinary practice
Quality improvement
Service delivery
Swallowing
| Friday, June 13, 2025 |
| 1:30 PM - 1:40 PM |
Overview
Kym Torresi, Assoc Professor Jade Cartwright and Natalie O'Brien
Details
⏫ Skill-building session (extended)
⏲️ 1.30pm - 3.30pm
⌛ 120-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
⏲️ 1.30pm - 3.30pm
⌛ 120-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Foundational (new/casual familiarity with the topic e.g. treated a single case)
Presenter
Ms Kym Torresi
Senior Advisor, Aged Care
Speech Pathology Australia | National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Monash University
Changing culture: Rethinking models of care In residential aged care
1:30 PM - 3:30 PMPresentation summary
This extended skill-building session will enhance speech pathologists’ knowledge, skills, and capabilities, empowering them to become agents of change by advocating for and leading culture change initiatives to promote a whole of service approach in residential aged care. The Australian aged care sector is currently experiencing significant reforms to better meet the needs of older people both now and in the future. Reflecting on reforms such as the introduction of a new Aged Care Act and strengthened Quality Standards in July 2025, speech pathologists will gain valuable insights to proactively prepare for the changes as well as be challenged to reimagine a model of care. It is essential that allied health, including speech pathologists, are actively engaged in shaping the implementation of these reforms. During the session, participants will engage in peer-led discussion and interactive activities to explore and envision alternative models of care for people with communication and swallowing support needs in residential aged care. A vision and principles for a new model of care will be presented, drawing on evidence and learnings from Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, which designed, implemented, and evaluated a new model of mealtime care. This project illustrates how allied health professionals, including speech pathologists, can drive systemic change and promote more proactive and enabling models of care. While residential aged care is the focus of this session, the emphasis on reimagining service delivery and changing culture will ensure that many insights and skills gained will apply across various sectors and practice contexts more proactive and enabling models of care.
Refrences
1. Bennett, M. K., Ward, E. C., & Scarinci, N. A. (2015). Mealtime management in Australian residential aged care: Comparison of documented, reported and observed care. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 17(5), 451-459. 2. Cartwright, J., Roberts, K., Oliver, E., Bennett, M., & Whitworth, A. (2022). Montessori mealtimes for dementia: A pathway to person-centred care. Dementia, 21(4), 1098-1119. 3. Cartwright, J., Oliver, E., Kelly, A. & Whitworth, A.(2022). Montessori-inspired care: Changing lives for the better. Australian Journal of Dementia Care, 11(3), 21-25. 4. Etherton‐Beer, C., Horner, B., Venturato, L., Saunders, R., & Flicker, L. (2021). Development of a Toolkit to support sustainable culture change in residential aged care. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 40(1), 77-83. 5. Keller, H. H., Wu, S. A., Iraniparast, M., Trinca, V., Morrison-Koechl, J., & Awwad, S. (2021). Relationship-centered mealtime training program demonstrates efficacy to improve the dining environment in long-term care. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 22(9), 1933-1938. 6. Keller, H. H., Syed, S., Dakkak, H., Wu, S. A., & Volkert, D. (2022). Reimagining nutrition care and mealtimes in long-term care. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 23(2), 253-260. 7. Reimer, H. D., & Keller, H. H. (2009). Mealtimes in nursing homes: Striving for person-centered care. Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly, 28(4), 327-347. 8. Smith, J. D., Li, D. H., & Rafferty, M. R. (2020). The implementation research logic model: a method for planning, executing, reporting, and synthesizing implementation projects. Implementation Science, 15, 1-12. 9. Wu, S. A., Morrison-Koechl, J. M., McAiney, C., Middleton, L., Lengyel, C., Slaughter, S., ... & Keller, H. H. (2023). Multi-Level Factors Associated with Relationship-Centred and Task-Focused Mealtime Practices in Long-Term Care: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Making the Most of Mealtimes Study. Canadian Journal on Aging, 42(4), 696-709. 10. Venturato, L., Horner, B., & Etherton‐Beer, C. (2020). Development and evaluation of an organisational culture change intervention in residential aged care facilities. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 39(1), 56-63
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Kym Torresi is a speech pathologist with over 30 years clinical experience mostly working with adults across a variety of settings. She is currently the Senior Advisor Aged Care Speech Pathology Australia, as well as a Senior Research Consultant at the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Monash University
Assoc Professor Jade Cartwright
University Of Tasmania.
Changing culture: Rethinking models of care In residential aged care
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM**********
Jade Cartwright is a speech pathologist and researcher in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Tasmania with more than 20 years of experience working in the dementia and aged care field. Jade’s primary research interests span dementia, communication, culture change and holistic models of care. Jade’s research has examined how transformation in mealtime care can provide a pathway towards more humanistic and person-centred ways of caring – promoting choice, independence, social connection and respect. Jade’s research seeks to change attitudes and reduce stigma towards aged care and dementia, showing that systemic change is possible, and that more inclusive, enabling and enriching models of care can be imagined, implemented and sustained.
Mrs Natalie O'Brien
SpeechPLUS Therapy Solutions
Changing culture: Rethinking models of care In residential aged care
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM**********
Natalie is an experienced and passionate speech pathologist and advocate for people with swallowing and communication difficulties, and is dedicated to ensuring all people have safe, enjoyable and fulfilling mealtime experiences. Natalie has over 20 years’ experience working across a number of different sectors, including aged care, rehabilitation, early childhood, schools and in clinical education.
In her role in aged care, Natalie advocates for the balance between clinical safety and quality of life, integrating person centred principles and regulatory frameworks to guide clinical care. Her work focuses on training, upskilling, collaborating, connecting and finding innovative ways to ensure mealtimes are both safe and fulfilling for all.
Natalie provides support to individuals, families, facilities, communities and organisations to ensure that all people, regardless of age or ability, can find meaning and enjoyment in their lives.
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
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