Silverchain has launched a free training program aimed at equipping aged care workers nationwide with essential skills to support the increasing mental health needs of older Australians.
The online training program Foundations in Mental Health will enable providers to prepare their own employees for the Strengthened Standards and for Support at Home.
Effective from 1 November 2025, the updated aged care standards place a stronger emphasis on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of older Australians. Providers will be expected to offer more comprehensive support, reflecting a renewed commitment to prioritising mental health care alongside physical health.
Silverchain Chief Executive, Adjunct Professor Dale Fisher AM, said Silverchain is proactively developing innovative models of care that address service gaps across the health and aged care sectors.
“At Silverchain, our ambition is to create a better home care system for all Australians. Our commitment extends to innovative ways of supporting our colleagues across the sector, to ensure care workers can provide the skilled support and care older people need to maintain their health and wellbeing at home,” Adj Prof Fisher said.
“As part of this, we are sharing our Foundations in Mental Health training with the aged care sector, free of charge, in recognition of the benefits it will bring to older people and to the dedicated aged care workers who support them.
“With more than one million Australians receiving aged care at home and the accelerating demand from the community to age at home, we must ensure as a sector we are attuned to every health need, not just physical health care.
“While mental health is a national health priority, older people have not been prioritised by government or public health initiatives and aged care staff have historically received minimal mental health training, leaving a significant gap in their ability to support the growing mental health needs of older Australians.
“Our research shows that increasing numbers of older Australians receiving care at home face challenges with their mental health. Foundations in Mental Health was crafted to help aged care workers better understand depression and anxiety, boost their confidence in supporting clients, and reduce stigma. It will promote early detection of mental health concerns and encourage appropriate referral for further assessment and treatment. It will also enable providers to prepare their own employees for the Strengthened Standards and for Support at Home.”
Funded through the generosity of Silverchain Foundation donors, the Foundations in Mental Health training was developed as part of Silverchain’s Enhanced Management of home-Based Elders with Depression (EMBED) model of care, researched and developed by Silverchain’s Director of Research Discovery and clinical psychologist, Adjunct Professor Tanya Davison.
Over the past year, Silverchain has trained more than 1,000 of its aged care workers in identifying the need for better mental health support for their clients, and introduced routine mental health screening. Silverchain is also providing evidence-based treatments to clients with depression as part of a clinical trial, with results from an earlier pilot showing high levels of engagement and positive clinical outcomes.
Aged Care providers can click here to access Foundations of Mental Health training.
