When Lola Went Back to Africa: C2bMe Program with Uniting and SWS PHN
VR in aged care mental health programs is giving clinicians a new way to reach residents who have lost access to the experiences that shaped them. Uniting’s C2bMe program, funded by South Western Sydney PHN, delivers 1:1 therapeutic support to residential aged care residents experiencing mild to moderate mental illness. For 87-year-old Lola, a single VR session returned her to Africa — and to a version of herself she had not visited in over thirty years. This is her story.
The Accreditation Question Most Aged Care Engagement Programs Cannot Answer … Yet
Most aged care engagement programs were built to record activity, not demonstrate outcomes. The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards have changed what accreditors are asking, and activity logs alone are no longer a sufficient response. Standard 2 now holds governing bodies directly accountable for evidence of quality improvement, not just documentation that programs ran. This piece examines the gap most providers have not yet closed.
Why the New Aged Care Quality Standards Are Changing Who Owns the Engagement Conversation
The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards have fundamentally changed how aged care engagement is understood — and who is accountable for it. Standard 5 now requires providers to explore and document non-pharmacological supports before or alongside pharmacological responses to changed behaviour. Most engagement programs were not built to produce that evidence trail. This is what the shift means for your organisation.
Bringing the World to Residents Who Never Had the Chance: VR in Aged Care at RALAC
RALAC’s Lionsbrae specialist residential care home has embedded VR in aged care delivery to open up experiences for residents who would otherwise never access them. For a cohort where many have had little opportunity to travel or explore the world, the impact reaches well beyond entertainment. Lifestyle Coordinator Verity Hooman Sobhani and her team have built a program that doesn’t wait for residents to come to the session. It brings the session to them.
Why Multi-Site Consistency in Aged Care Engagement Is Harder Than It Looks
Across the sector, multi-site aged care providers are facing a consistency problem they rarely discuss openly. The quality of engagement a resident experiences often depends on which home they live in and who is on shift — not on the organisation’s standards. Under the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, that is no longer just an operational gap. It is a compliance one.
The End of the Activity Model: How Leading Providers are Rebuilding Engagement Programs
Two aged care homes. Same size, same residents. One can answer the accreditation questions about engagement. The other cannot — yet. The difference is not care or staffing. It is whether engagement has been built as something that can survive the people running it.
Aged Care Engagement Programs: Why Enthusiasm Isn’t Enough
Recreational therapists are now recognised as allied health professionals in Australia under the Aged Care Rules 2025—but only if they are certified members of the Australian Recreational Therapy Association (ARTA) and hold a Bachelor-level qualification (AQF Level 7 or higher). This update clarifies a key distinction for aged care providers: while lifestyle and diversional therapy roles remain essential, they are not classified as allied health unless they meet ARTA certification standards. Understanding this difference is critical for compliance, staffing, and delivering evidence-based, person-centred care.
VR in aged care: what MACG learned after 1000 hours
MACG introduced SilVR at Parkdale in Dec 2024 to better reach residents who were isolated or less engaged. Led by Beverly, the team has now delivered 1,000+ hours of VR in 12 months, with 70% of participants rating sessions “Very Good” or “Exceptional,” and staff observing more calm, connection and storytelling. SilVR has since expanded across all MACG homes, with the program earning multiple award nominations and early access to the new SilVR Pathways platform.
Introducing SilVR Pathways: Engagement that Scales
Great engagement shouldn’t depend on who’s on shift. SilVR Pathways is a structured engagement platform that turns individual VR sessions into a consistent, measurable, organisation-wide practice — built for teams, not just champions.
Are Recreational Therapists Allied Health Professionals in Australia? (2026 Update)
Recreational therapists are now recognised as allied health professionals in Australia under the Aged Care Rules 2025—but only if they are certified members of the Australian Recreational Therapy Association (ARTA) and hold a Bachelor-level qualification (AQF Level 7 or higher). This update clarifies a key distinction for aged care providers: while lifestyle and diversional therapy roles remain essential, they are not classified as allied health unless they meet ARTA certification standards. Understanding this difference is critical for compliance, staffing, and delivering evidence-based, person-centred care.
