Care Home Assessment Tool (CHAT)
The Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing has developed this Assessment Tool to support application of the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines. The Design Principles and Guidelines aim to improve quality of life for older people living in residential aged care homes. The tool will guide users through each of the four Design Principles and the Guidelines that sit beneath them. This will allow users to see the extent to which their aged care home meets the Design Principles and Guidelines and areas for improvement.
Use of the tool is voluntary. When you click “Start Assessment” below you will be prompted to enter the name of your aged care home and the ‘Unit(s)’ you will be reviewing. You can choose the sequence in which you complete the Principles. The tool will then guide you through a series of questions for each Guideline. Focus your attention on one specific unit, wing or household, then re-engage with the tool to repeat the process for the other Principles and/or the other units to provide a holistic report on your whole site.
Within each Principle you will be asked CORE QUESTIONS. Your response to these questions will have a higher weighting to the others due to their significant impact on health and wellbeing.
How to Start a CHAT
Step 1: Enter name of aged care home
Step 2: Enter the Unit name you will be assessing
Step 3: Pick a Principle to begin
Principle 1: Enable the Person
Principle 2: Cultivate a Home
Principle 3: Access the Outdoors
Principle 4: Connect with Community