A Mandurah aged care facility’s training space has been revamped, ensuring employees are better equipped with the skills needed to help patients.
Coolibah Care officially opened its training hub on January 31, which offers practical and online learning for the facility’s 240 staff as well as registered nursing students on work placement.
The company received a $100,000 State Government regional economic development grant to update its training space, which chief executive Amanda Crook said would teach staff in a range of areas including CPR, first aid and manual handling.
Training will be run by Murdoch University, Skills Strategies International, Above and Beyond Group, Amana Living and Christal Clear Training.
“It really helps them to improve their skills, make sure that they’re up to date on best practice guidelines and to make sure that they’re able to deliver the very best possible care for our residents,” Ms Crook said.
“Aged care over the last few years has moved from being very task orientated … to be much more person-centred care.”
Ms Crook said one of the most essential training elements that would be provided was on caring for patients with dementia, with more than 50 per cent of the facilities’ patients having the condition.
The hub features spaces for group and individual training and one-on-one mentoring, as well as computers for online instruction.
Regional Development Minister Don Punch said the redeveloped hub was a “significant step” in addressing educational needs and enhancing specialised care skills.
“With increased service demands and workforce challenges in the aged care sector, especially in the Mandurah area, providers can benefit from offering enhanced employment benefits and well-equipped training facilities to attract and retain staff,” Mr Punch said.