Supporting nurses in primary health care

Nursing Resources

We have gathered resources on a range of topics that are useful to nurses working in aged care and shared them below. Some items may be listed under more than one topic area.* 

 

 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

Online learning

Videos

Resource library 

 

Chronic disease management

Online learning 

  • National Lung Cancer Screening Program - Lung Foundation Australia (2025) - Free modules on early detection using biennial low-dose CT scans for high-risk individuals, aiming to prevent over 500 deaths annually.

Resource library 

  • Asthma Australia’s Health Professional Hub (2025) - Access to free clinical practice tools, including the ACQ5 and C-ACT tools and Asthma Action Plan, and resources to support Professional Development through online training. 

  • Coordinated Veterans’ Care (CVC) Program - Department of Health and Aged Care (2024) - This guide supports veterans with chronic conditions through team-based care to improve health, reduce hospitalizations, and enhance self-management, with payments to GPs for ongoing support.

  • CKD Management in Primary Care handbook – Kidney Health Australia (2025) - Provides guidance and clinical tips to help primary care practitioners to detect, manage and refer patients with CKD in their practice. 

 

Continence 

Online Learning 

  • Continence learning - Continence Health Australia (2025) - Specialised Continence Care learning modules designed specifically for registered nurses. 

Resource library 

  • The IDC-IMPROVE Project - National Ageing Research Institute Limited (2025) - Video on improving indwelling urinary catheter care in residential aged care. 

 

Culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD)

Resource library 

  • Aged Care Diversity Framework initiative - Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2025) – Provides action plans for government, aged care providers and consumers and helps providers meet the goals of the framework.

  • Communication Cards - Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing (2026) - This website contains Communication Cards that depict a wide range of daily activities and situations and can be used to prompt discussion, assist with directions, clarify a client’s needs and more.

 

Neurodegenerative disorders 

Online learning 

  • Applying a Problem-Solving Approach to Behaviours - Dementia Australia (2024) - A professional training course that equips nurses to understand dementia-related behavioural changes and use a systematic, client centred problem-solving framework to prevent or reduce their impact.

  • Communicating in a Person-Centred Way - Dementia Australia (2024) - A three-part course that teaches effective communication strategies to support people living with dementia and foster positive interactions within care relationships. 

  • Dementia and Pain in residential care - Dementia Australia (2024) - This short course aims to raise awareness of the prevalence of pain in residential aged care, helps to identify common causes of pain and assists in managing pain for people living with dementia. 

  • Learning course: What is Dementia? - Dementia Australia (2024) - This three-part course provides you with an introduction to dementia, diagnosis, treatment and support strategies for both the person living with dementia and their carer.  

  • Equip Aged Care Learning Packages - University of Tasmania - Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre (2025) - Equip's packages are available to anyone in aged care. Topics include dementia, oral health, palliative care, and soon, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awareness. 

Resource library 

  • Behavioral modification interventions to improve quality of aging - Australian Association of Gerontology (2025) - This webinar explores international examples and perspectives on approaches to achieve positive behavioral change and physical and cognitive health outcomes for older people and their carers.

  • Cognition - dementia, delirium and depression - Victorian Government Department of Health (2024) - Screening tools designed to screen for depression when a patient is admitted to hospital. 

  • Dementia from the inside - Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) (2015) - See what it's like from inside out to experience dementia - great reflective tool for health professionals for empathy.

  • Identifying delirium screening and assessment - Victorian Government Department of Health (2024) - Screening tools to support healthcare professionals in identifying delirium in older patients.  

  • LGBTIQ and Dementia; Understanding changes in behaviour -  HammondCare (2022) - This booklet has been developed for aged care staff who are caring for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

  • Seminar in Ageing (SiA): Frailty in Primary Care - National Ageing Research Institute (2025) - This video presentation provides an overview of the Australian Frailty Network consensus statement on frailty, explores practical tools for frailty assessment, highlights evidence-based prevention and management recommendations, and emphasises the importance of a holistic, team-based approach to support older adults in maintaining quality of life.

 

Nutrition and oral health 

Online learning 

Videos 

Resource library 

 

Palliative care 

Online learning 

  • Online Learning Pallative Care - APNA (2025) - This training covers key palliative care concepts and promotes quality care through assessment, communication, and teamwork.  

  • Residential Aged Care Toolkit - End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) (2021) - A series of modules explaining end of life care in aged care facilities. 

Resource library 

  • CareSearch - Palliative Care Knowledge Network (2024) - The CareSearch Project consolidates online palliative care knowledge for health professionals, people needing palliative care and their families, and for the general community.  

  • End of Life Directions for Aged Care - ELDAC (2025) - Provides information, guidance, and resources to health professionals and aged care workers to support palliative care and advance care planning and improve the care of older Australians. 

  • National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List (2024): The National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List identifies four medicines for use by home-based palliative patients in the terminal phase who require urgent symptom relief. In response to requests from key national stakeholders, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care supported caring@home to develop a core medicines list applicable across all Australian States and Territories. 

  • Overview of Voluntary Assisted Dying (2023) - This factsheet explains the common features of state laws regarding VAD, including eligibility criteria, processes for accessing VAD, safeguards, and the obligations of health professionals and institutions regarding VAD. 

  • palliAGED - Flinders University (2023) - palliAGED is the palliative care evidence and practice information resource for the Australian aged care sector. 

  • The Older Person -  palliAGED (2025) - This content highlights research evidence underpinning Standard 1: The Person and the broader principles guiding the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. 

 

Prevention 

Resource library 

  • Falls Prevention for Older Adults - Injury Matter (2024) - This video is a Stay On Your Feet webinar, hosted with ESSA, shared WA statistics, evidence-based prevention practices, and strategies like screening and exercise to reduce falls in older adults.  

 

Regulations

Online learning 

  • Aged Care Learning Information Solution - Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (2025) - Free online modules and workshops to help you understand and apply aged care standards, codes, and regulations in Australia. 

Resource library 

  • About the Aged Care Bill - Department of Health and Aged Care (2025) - A summary of each chapter of the Act and explains what the Australian Government is doing to support the changes now and in the future.

  • Medicine use in older people - Department of Health and Aged Care (2024) - This article highlights the complexity of medicine use in older adults and the importance of careful monitoring to ensure safety and effectiveness. 

  • Standardised care processes - Victorian Government Department of Health (2025) - Standardised Care Processes (SCPs) for high-risk clinical areas in care settings for older people. 

 

Support 

Online learning 

  • APNA's Online Learning Products - APNA - Free and paid resources for primary care nurses on a range of topics.  

  • Best Practice Guidance for Medicines Use by Nurses in Aged Care - Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) 2025 - This comprehensive guidance is the result of an extensive and detailed review of the ANMF Nursing Guidelines: Management of Medicines in Aged Care, reflecting the ANMF’s commitment to enhancing the quality of care in aged care settings.

  • Resilience in Primary Healthcare - APNA (2025) - This training explores resilience through its traits, strengths, and strategies, covering adaptation to change, stress management, risk and protective factors, and evidence-based self-care techniques for primary care settings.

Resource library 

  • Foundations of Aged Care: a Workbook for Nurses - APNA - The Foundations of Aged Care workbook is a tool to guide you in transitioning to aged care nursing, whether in the home, in a residential care facility, or providing flexible services. 

 

Student education 

Online learning 

Resource library 

  • Clinical reasoning - Care Research (2022) - An article exploring clinical reasoning, a vital nursing skill, and looks at different frameworks to guide the skill. 

 

 

We welcome feedback. Please let us know what you think of the Aged Care Knowledge Hub and what resources you would like to see included. 

The Aged Care Knowledge Hub is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the Aged Care Nursing Clinical Placements Program.

 

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