Form questions

Aged care survey questions for residents and families

Ask 10 to 14, in large text, with help available. Never skip who is answering, the dignity and respect questions, and whether the resident feels safe. Those three carry the most weight in aged care quality and show whether the home is meeting its most basic duties to the people who live there.

Aged care survey questions should ask residents about the things that shape their days: being treated with dignity, staff who respond, meals they enjoy and activities that matter to them. These twenty questions can be answered by a resident, a family member or both together, and record who answered so the results are read correctly.

The questions

Who is answering

  1. Who is completing this survey?Single choiceRequired

    The resident, a family member, the resident with help from family, the resident with help from staff.

  2. How long has the resident lived at the home?Single choice

  3. Which wing or house?Dropdown

Dignity and respect

  1. How much do you agree with each statement?Rating gridRequired

    Rows: staff treat me with respect, my privacy is respected, I can make my own choices, staff know what matters to me, I am encouraged to do as much as I can. Columns from never to always.

  2. Do staff knock before entering the room?Single choice

  3. Are cultural or religious needs respected?Single choice

Care and staff

  1. How quickly do staff come when called?Single choice

    A five point scale. Large buttons help residents with limited dexterity.

  2. Do staff explain things in a way that is easy to understand?Single choice

  3. Is the resident's health care well managed?Single choice

  4. Does the resident feel safe here?Single choiceRequired

Meals and daily life

  1. How much does the resident enjoy the food?Single choice

  2. Is there enough choice at meals?Single choice

  3. Which activities does the resident enjoy?Multiple choice

    Music, outings, exercise, crafts, religious services, visits from children, none.

  4. Are there enough things to do that the resident likes?Single choice

  5. Does the resident feel at home here?Single choice

Speaking up

  1. Would you feel comfortable raising a concern with staff?Single choice

  2. If you raised a concern, was it dealt with?Single choice

  3. Would you recommend this home to someone who needs care?Single choice

  4. What is one thing that would make life better here?Long text

  5. Would you like the manager to contact you?Single choice

Which questions to make required

Three are required: who is answering, the dignity and respect grid and whether the resident feels safe. Knowing who answered changes how results are read, because family members and residents often see different things. The grid and the safety question are the core of quality in aged care. Everything else is optional, since residents tire quickly and should be able to stop when they wish.

The form built from these questions

A static copy of the finished form, from its own example page.

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Please do not type your name, Medicare number or details about your health anywhere in this survey. Answers are stored without any link to your patient record.

What kind of appointment was it? *

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Three ways to change this bank

For home care clients living in their own homes, replace the meals and activities sections with questions about the reliability of visits, whether the same workers come and whether the client has a say in the schedule. For a respite stay, shorten to dignity, safety and whether the family would use respite again. For a dementia specific unit, plan to complete the survey as an assisted conversation with a family member or a trusted staff member who is not the person's main carer, and record that it was assisted.

Questions people ask

How do you survey aged care residents who have trouble reading?

Offer the survey in large text, read it aloud if asked, and allow a family member or volunteer to help. Use simple words and few answer options. Record whether the answers were given with help, so the results are interpreted fairly. Short sessions work better than one long sitting.

Should staff help residents complete the survey?

Preferably not the staff who care for that resident, since residents may not want to criticise people they rely on. A volunteer, family member or staff member from another area is better. Make it clear that answers will not affect care, and keep individual answers private.

What do aged care quality standards expect from feedback?

Australian aged care standards expect providers to seek and act on feedback and complaints from residents and families, and to involve residents in decisions about their care. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission publishes the standards and guidance. A regular survey is one part of meeting that expectation.

How often should residents be surveyed?

Once or twice a year for a full survey is common, with informal checks in between through resident meetings. Over surveying tires residents. Always report back what changed, for example at a residents' meeting, so people see their answers made a difference.

Should families and residents be surveyed separately?

Both views matter, and they often differ. You can use one survey with a question on who is answering, as this bank does, or run separate versions. Either way, report resident and family answers separately so one group's view does not hide the other's.

How should a home respond to concerns raised in a survey?

Treat a serious concern, especially about safety or abuse, as a complaint or report straight away rather than waiting for survey results. For general themes, share what was heard and what will change. Residents and families who see action are more likely to speak up again.

Can the survey be done in languages other than English?

Yes, and it should be where residents speak other languages. Translated versions or an interpreter make answers more reliable. The question on cultural and religious needs also helps show whether the home is meeting the needs of residents from different backgrounds.

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On writing the questions themselves, read Anonymous survey best practices. For everything the builder can do, see the form maker. Step by step: Create a conversational form with AI, then View, export and manage your responses.

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