The Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) is a powerful monitoring system for health, service and medication use, mortality, and other outcomes of people receiving aged care services.

ROSA combines datasets collected by organisations Australia-wide to provide a full picture of the ageing pathway, and evidence to guide decision-making for quality, coordinated, efficient, innovative, and age-friendly services and practices.

ROSA’s Outcome Monitoring System (OMS) of quality and safety indicators for aged care providers and facilities was used in several reports of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. It monitors 12 indicators:

  • falls
  • fractures
  • medication-related adverse events
  • weight loss/malnutrition
  • delirium and/or dementia
  • emergency room presentation
  • pressure injuries
  • high sedative load
  • use of antipsychotics, chronic opioid use
  • antimicrobial prescriptions and
  • premature mortality.

By mid-2022 ROSA OMS reports will be available to South Australia-based aged care facilities for the first time, to help with benchmarking and quality improvement initiatives.

ROSA also conducts research on the provision of medication reviews to older Australians.

Funded by the Australian Government, the Residential Medication Management Review aims to identify, prevent, and resolve medication-related problems and support best-possible health outcomes. A similar service is available to those living in their own homes.

ROSA found that only one in five older Australians had their medication reviewed on entering an aged care facility and a low uptake of the medication review service among people on Home Care Packages.

With people accessing aged care services taking an average of 10 different daily medications there is potential for greater use of this service.

If you or a family member would like a medication review, ask your GP, pharmacist, or nurse how to access this free service. A pharmacist will visit you at home or in residential aged care to review your medicine use, and then discuss recommendations with your GP, who will prepare a medicines management plan with you.

To find out more, visit the ROSA website and to keep up to date on other ROSA news and events, sign up for the ROSA newsletter.