Abstract

For an Australian aged care home, the focus is compassion and empathy and striving to connect with the older person, regardless of their past. All people are treated with respect and dignity and hope ‐ a fresh start or a new beginning. The home offers hope for them in their new life, where in the past they had little. They go through the last months and years of their life with warmth, compassion, love and laughter ‐ to the end of their journey. Homeless people in care While the Australian population is ageing, the homeless population is ageing at a faster rate and the demand for residential care services for will intensify. Older people who are homeless have disproportionately high rates of poor health, antisocial behaviour, limited access to care services and lower reports of quality of life. Poor physical and mental health both result in and from homelessness. Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged that homeless persons may age prematurely. A multi‐pronged approach has been adopted across multiple residential care facilities across two states in Australia to address inequality. The approach has included facilitation of education, organisational support, and the allocation of appropriate internal resources including access to specialist clinical support.