the Aged Care Today magazine featured articles

What I am seeing and hearing from the sector right now is that the anticipation surrounding the new reforms has shifted to concern. Concern that the tools, resources, guidance, and funding needed to make these reforms work are not yet in place.

With the interests of older people at heart, providers are eager to transition their operations. Without clarity, support and critical information, they simply cannot prepare. Members are rightly worried about the practical impacts, not just on compliance, but on the older Australians they serve every day.

What I want our sector leaders to know is this: we understand and hear your frustrations. Everything we have heard from our members since the new Aged Care Act was passed in Parliament is being reflected in our conversations with decision makers. We’re echoing sector concerns loudly and consistently at every level. We’re advocating hard on behalf of the sector, every single day – as we have been from day one.

We’re talking to the Minister’s office and senior advisors daily, and are actively engaged in the forums where policy direction is shaped and decisions are made. And we’re pushing for a realistic, staged approach to implementation, because these reforms are too important to rush, and too significant to get wrong.

We also have is a new head of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC), Commissioner Liz Hefren-Webb, who is as committed to supporting your organisation as you are. Both the government and the ACQSC want you to succeed in implementing reform because this directly translates to older people receiving the quality care and services they deserve. Providers can access numerous ACQSC resources to help them through this period of transition. Commissioner Hefren-Webb has been clear about her pragmatic approach to reform, and Ageing Australia will continue to work closely with the ACQSC, in the interests of the sector; it essential we have transparency and ongoing dialogue.

There is much more to be done – and the current challenges are real – but we mustn’t lose sight of the incredible things we have achieved together. Achieving proper remuneration for aged care workers was a significant victory, demonstrating that the needs of older people are now being treated more equitably. A rights-based Aged Care Act and greater programs to support Australians to age in place are much more closely aligned with the person-centred choices and place-based care and services we want to offer older Australians.

Australia is now a regular participant at the World Ageing Festival, and Ageing Australia has signed a memorandum of understanding to cement our relationship with Ageing Asia. I had the privilege of presenting at this year’s festival in Singapore in April, and also serving as a judge for the 13th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards. It was fantastic to see several of our members recognised and winning awards – a clear sign that Australia is already leading on the global stage when it comes to aged care. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners on this well-deserved recognition.

Our successes are not just evident in the national and international awards won by Australian aged care providers, but also in their day-to-day work. When I was in Cooma recently, I discovered one of our members had gone from 80 per cent agency staff to 100 per cent permanent employees. When I was sharing a meal with residents at Southern Cross Care Tasmania in Hobart, I was delighted with the quality of the food – as were the people at my table – who told me they felt respected and heard by staff and managers. In both big and small ways, we are delivering incredible outcomes for older people, and we should be proud of that every day.

And now, we must turn our attention to what lies ahead – the future of ageing in Australia. This will require not just policy change, but a philosophical and cultural shift. A national conversation about how we perceive ageing, how we design our communities, and what we want ageing in Australia to truly look like.

A key part of that future lies in retirement living and seniors housing – a vital and growing part of the Ageing Australia membership. I believe these communities will play an increasingly important role in the years ahead. They offer older Australians the opportunity to live where they choose, stay connected to community, and enjoy independence – all within the support of a trust, caring safety net.

We need to consider not only how we support older people, but how we embrace an ageing population and recognise the value, wisdom and contributions older Australians bring to all of us.