Elderly living in nursing homes get more protection

From July 1 aged care providers will have to satisfy a number of conditions before restraints can be used, including assessment by an approved health practitioner for physical restraints or  assessment by a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner who has prescribed the medication for chemical restraint.

The aged care facility will also have to have the informed consent of the resident or their representative before using physical restraint unless restraint is necessary in an emergency.

In all cases the home will be required to document the alternative options to restraint that have been used and any use of restraint must also be regularly monitored.

Aged Care minister Ken Wyatt said: "Restraint must only be used as a last resort.

"Protecting our senior Australians, ensuring their health, safety, well-being and quality of life when they are receiving aged care is a top priority."

The changes follow an 18-month investigation into physical and chemical restraint use and media reports including of a 72-year-old nursing home resident who was regularly restrained and one day spent a total of 14 hours tied to his chair.

The government also plans to reduce the amount of red tape older Australians face when applying for assistance with the costs of aged care services.

The changes to be introduced in May, will benefit about 180,000 people a year who are currently required to spend considerable time filling in long and complex forms as part of the means testing.

About 110,000 of these people will no longer have to complete any forms if they do not own a home and are receiving an income support payment such as the age pension.

Those with straightforward financial affairs will have a new shorter form with about half the current number of questions.

" We acknowledge that entering aged care can be a difficult and complex process to navigate at what is often a highly emotional time for people and their families," said Minister for Human Services Services Michael Keating.

"We've listened to feedback from customers going through this process who've told us the current paper forms are lengthy, confusing and take a long time to complete. The new forms remove the complexity and will take around half the time to complete - a major achievement."