Victorian Minister for Ageing, Ingrid Stitt, has announced an extension to applications for the Residential Aged Care Equipment Program, which will now remain open until 16 December – giving aged care homes more time to apply to upgrade essential equipment and support nursing care.
The program offers grants of up to $10,000 for residential aged care homes to purchase or upgrade tools that help nurses carry out comprehensive health assessments.
“We’re giving our aged care homes the tools they need to keep residents healthy and out of hospital,” said Minister Stitt.
“We know that timely health assessments make a real difference. This program ensures nurses have the skills and equipment to care for our ageing population with confidence and compassion.”
Alongside the funding boost, all nursing staff can access free Comprehensive Health Assessment of the Older Person training, delivered by La Trobe University. More than 280 nurses have already completed the training, with another 900 registered.
The training supports nurses to undertake 47 different assessments – covering mobility, pain, hydration, cognitive health and more – giving our aged care workforce the confidence and skills to provide the best care for residents.
Grants for the Residential Aged Care Equipment Program are open until 16 December 2025 at 4pm.
More information is available at health.vic.gov.au/residential-aged-care-equipment-program.
Information on the training is available at latrobe.edu.au/funded-chaop-victoria.
