Tuesday, 26 March 2024
    09
    Mar
    Aged Care

    Sisters call for radical change

    The Sisters of Saint Joseph have joined the call for radical and lasting change to Australia’s aged care system, following the release of the aged care royal commission final report.

    “The Report of the royal commission is distressingly unambiguous,” said Sr Monica Cavanagh, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph. “We’ve seen growing institutionalisation, poorly paid employees, large buildings, lack of engagement with local community.

    “What is at the heart of the commission’s recommendations is the call to ensure equity and a full life for all, and especially for those who are most disempowered, such as people who are seeking asylum and First Nations peoples.”

    The Sisters of St Joseph believe four radical changes are needed:

    • A permanent injection of desperately needed Government funding, both for residential and home care packages
    • An exploration of new models of aged care for all, including for those living alone or in small groups (such as the Buurtzorg Aged Care System in the Netherlands)
    • A new aged care act with a focus on human rights, unambiguous transparency, and the dignity, rights and wishes of the individual
    • Attention to adequate, well-trained, permanent staff in retirement homes and in ‘out-of-institution’ programs.

    “We urge the Government to heed the recommendations of the royal commission and to support a complete revitalisation of care for the aged members of our society,” Sr Monica said. “Embracing new possibilities will lay the foundation for the kind of future we want, a future which is life-giving for all of us, based on the human and economic rights of each person. The potential is in this report to achieve such a transformation.”

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    Josephites join call for radical and lasting change to aged care (Sisters of Saint Joseph)

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