Picture this: You walk into a care home and hear laughter from a sunny common room. Someone is playing cards, another is enjoying music from their youth, and a carer is chatting with a resident about her garden back home. No one is rushed. No one feels like a number. That is what person centred care looks like—and it is long overdue in aged care policy.

Let us talk about what it really means to put people first, how policy shapes that journey, and why ticking boxes will never be enough when you are talking about someone’s life story.

What Person Centred Care Really Means

Forget checklists and one-size-fits-all routines. Person centred care is all about treating older people like people, not problems to manage. It means:

• Listening to what they want
  
• Supporting their choices
  
• Respecting their routines
  
• Making space for their memories, hobbies, and personalities
  

Sounds simple, right? But it takes more than kindness. It takes policy that actually supports individualised aged care, right down to the fine print.

Why the Old Way Needs a Rethink

Many aged care policies have focused on tasks, not people. The goal? Keep the wheels turning. Meals served? Check. Medication given? Check. But when did anyone ask what kind of day the resident wanted to have?

Policies that focus only on efficiency miss the mark. People are not machines. They need more than three square meals and a roof. They need meaning. They need to feel seen. They need connection.

The truth? A care home can be clean and safe and still feel cold as a doctor's waiting room if the people living there do not feel heard.

The Building Blocks of Individualised Aged Care

To shift gears, you need to start with what matters to each person. This includes:

• Daily routines that reflect their preferences
  
• Care plans built around their goals
  
• Freedom to make decisions, even small ones
  
• Support for cultural, spiritual, and personal needs
  

This is not extra. This is the heart of care.

And no, it does not mean throwing the rulebook out the window. It means writing a better one—a policy that guides carers to look beyond the task list and toward the person in front of them.

The Role of Holistic Care Policy

Let us put it plainly. If policy only talks about safety and compliance, then that is all the system will focus on. But holistic care policy takes a wider view.

It includes:

• Physical health
  
• Emotional wellbeing
  
• Social connection
  
• Mental stimulation
  
• Purpose and identity
  

A person is more than their blood pressure or mobility level. When policies support the full picture, care becomes not just about surviving—but about living.

Bringing Person-First Thinking into Policy Language

Here is the tricky part. Policies can be full of good intentions but still fall short if they do not speak the language of real care.

Let us say you want to write a policy on meal planning. The traditional way might say:

“Meals must meet nutritional guidelines and be delivered at set times.”

A person centred policy might say:

“Meals should reflect the personal tastes, cultural traditions, and eating routines of each individual, whenever possible.”

See the difference? One tells staff what to do. The other reminds them why they are doing it.

How Person Centred Policies Change Daily Life

When policies are written with people in mind, it shows up in all the little things:

• A resident chooses to sleep in and have breakfast at ten. That is okay.
  
• Someone wants to listen to jazz instead of watching the telly. Great.
  
• Another enjoys feeding the birds each morning. Let them do it.
  

These moments are not just “nice to haves.” They are signs that a care home respects the people living there.

And yes, this also supports staff. When workers are guided by clear, kind policies, they are less stressed and more connected to their purpose. That makes a world of difference.

Putting the Voice of Older People Front and Centre

Let us not forget who these policies are really for. Older people should not just be on the receiving end. Their voices matter.

Policy mapping that moves toward person centred care needs to:

• Invite older people into the conversation
  
• Seek regular feedback from residents and families
  
• Adjust based on lived experience, not just reports
  

After all, who better to shape care than the ones receiving it?

Training and Support: Not Just a Bonus

You cannot just hand someone a new policy and expect magic. Staff need support to make person centred care real.

That means:

• Clear guidance on how to personalise care
  
• Time in the day to connect with residents
  
• Language that encourages flexibility
  
• Leadership that values kindness as much as compliance
  

Person centred care is not about big changes overnight. It is about small choices made with heart, every single day. Policies should support that, not stand in the way.

Challenges That Cannot Be Ignored

Let us not sugarcoat it. There are real barriers to making person centred care the norm. You might be nodding along thinking, “This all sounds great, but who has the time? Who has the staff? Who writes the schedules?”

And you would be right to ask those things.

• Staff shortages make personal time hard to come by
  
• Outdated funding models reward task completion, not connection
  
• Rigid routines leave little room for individual choice
  

That is why the shift has to happen from the top down and the bottom up. Policies have to reflect the reality on the ground, not just the ideal.

Small Wins That Add Up

Even if a system is stretched, small wins can still happen:

• Asking someone what they want to wear
  
• Taking five minutes to chat about their favourite movie
  
• Letting someone have tea before bed, just the way they like it
  

These might not seem like much. But stacked together, they create a life that feels personal and cared for. That is the goal.

Steps You Can Take Today

Whether you are writing policy, delivering care, or overseeing a service, there are steps you can take now:

1. Review your current policies—Do they mention individual choice or just tasks?
   
2. Talk to your team—Are they supported to care for people, not just meet targets?
   
3. Listen to residents—What do they want more of? What would make life better today?
   
4. Make space for flexibility—Not everything has to run like clockwork
   

Change does not always require fireworks. Sometimes it just starts with a conversation and a bit of common sense.

The Future of Aged Care is Personal

There was a time when people thought aged care should be about rules, routine, and risk management. That time is passing. Slowly but surely, more homes, more services, and more policies are waking up to a new truth: the best care is care that listens.

When you treat someone like a whole person, not just a list of needs, something shifts. Not just in the policy. In the atmosphere. In the mood of the room. In the smile on a resident’s face.

And that is something worth aiming for.

Final Thought
You do not need to be perfect to be personal. You just need to start by asking, “What would I want if it were me?” Then build your policies from there.