A few years ago, I found myself completely engrossed in an episode of The Slow Home Podcast. It featured an interview with Carolyn Tate, the author of The Purpose Project – A Handbook to Bringing Meaning to Life at Work.

It got me thinking about my own life: where I’ve been, where I’m at and where I wanted to go. It brought about deep reflection surrounding my physiotherapy career path and using these learnings to make a positive impact in my current role.

What does it mean to make an impact? When it comes to people, it requires a powerful effect to be created. We can positively impact someone with something as simple as a compliment or an act of kindness. Conversely, our words and actions can create a negative impact. In any instance, to create an impact, we need to make a choice.

With ageing, people often have complex health issues that can impact their physical function, independence and quality of life, and require specialised support from allied health professionals.

On 24 August 2021, the first day of the Tokyo Paralympics, Guide Healthcare held our Opening Ceremony for the inaugural Powerlympic Games. We decided that residential aged care needed an event where residents from across Australia could compete alongside athletes from around the world.

Though it is something most of us do without thinking, walking involves a complex range of balance, strength and motor skills, and can become more difficult as we grow older and our physical health and cognitive abilities begin to decline.

Some of the biggest changes are yet to come in the wake of the royal commission into aged care, and young people want their voices heard in the shake up. Here's what the next generation of Australia's aged care leaders want to see changed in the sector.

A petition calling for allied health services to be included in the residential aged care funding tool has collected almost 500 signatures in less than a week.

The much-awaited Final Report by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was finally released on Monday 1st March. After 2 years and $92 million in spending, Commissioner Briggs and Commissioner Pagone put forward 148 recommendations. It was disappointing to read that out of these recommendations, there were 43 points of disagreement. Whilst not uncommon in these types of reports, in an industry which has struggled for unity and a clear path forward, the last thing we needed was differing opinions. Allied health in residential aged care was an area where the Commissioners failed to reach an agreed recommendation. 

Allied health services in residential aged care have long been underfunded and undelivered. While the Aged Care Royal Commission has clearly highlighted the need to promote better access to allied health services for residents, the Federal Government continues to push forward with the Australian National Aged Care Classification scheme, which will not directly support these types of services. 

Older people in hospital recovering from a hip fracture are being sent to residential aged care on the misunderstanding they will receive physiotherapy rehab once there.

But in reality, the government only funds physios in residential aged care to provide massage services, so called ‘4B’ pain management, which do not aid in hip fracture recovery at all.

Physiotherpaist Simon Kerrigan, who is managing director of New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria practice Guide Healthcare, won the Next Gen Young Leader Award for the Get Up Guide initiative.

Five teams of aged care residents have walked 42 kilometres in just a week, well ahead of the 30-day time limit for the in-home marathon they are competing in.

The initiative to encourage residents to remain active from aged care allied health organisation Guide Healthcare involves teams of residents across Australia walking around a track in their aged care facilities to complete the Toyko Marathon.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics may have been cancelled, but older people all around Australia are still taking part in the Tokyo Marathon, from right inside their aged care homes. 

Guide Healthcare is helping aged care residents are take part in the 30 day marathon, completing legs of the track and passing Tokyo landmarks as they race around tracks set up at their homes. 

Simon Kerrigan, Managing Director of Guide Healthcare, has created an online training resource that has been made available to all aged care providers, including daily exercise sheets and a daily video training package for carers.

Physiotherapist Simon Kerrigan, Bolton Clarke’s gardening gurus and Helping Hand Aged Care are among those recognised for their dedication to aged care in recent awards.

The Next Gen Leader Award is a new category to the LASA awards this year; New South Wales physiotherapist Simon Kerrigan is one of the nominees. Kerrigan developed ‘Get Up Guide’, a series of daily exercise videos aimed at strengthening the lower limbs of older people, while increasing overall balance and mobility. The program is free and available to any aged care facility that is interested.

In late 2017, I sat with optimism as Professor Kathy Eagar from the University of Wollongong presented her findings on the Aged Care Funding Instrument and proposed alternate models.

As a physiotherapist, I’ve been frustrated with the ACFI since commencing my first aged care role in 2013. One thing that Professor Eagar remonstrated, was that the new funding tool must not have perverse incentives.