20 August 2010

Caring for Older Australians
Productivity Commission
PO Box 1428
Canberra City ACT 2601
Email: agedcare@pc.gov.au

Productivity Commission Inquiry: Caring for Older Australians

Aged Care Crisis (ACC) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Productivity Commission public inquiry, Caring for Older Australians.

ACC is an independent group of Australian citizens. Members of our group are engaged with the aged-care sector in a variety of ways – as health professionals, as consumers of services and as volunteers.

The web site www.agedcarecrisis.com seeks to provide a strong consumer voice to aged care. The by-line is 'where little voices can be heard'. The site provides accessible information on many aspects of aged care, access to topical journal articles and an opportunity for site visitors to express their views and concerns.

ACC believes that reform of aged care is long overdue. Daily correspondence to our web site – mostly indicating grave concerns about the current system of care - confirms this view.

We make the following general comments.

• Shortcomings in the current system of aged care are leading to widespread lack of confidence within the broader community.
• Frail older people across Australia are at risk because aged-care providers are not required to adhere to mandated minimum staff/resident ratios.
• Consultation with independent consumer groups on all aspects of aged care should be paramount. For too long the voice of the aged-care consumer has been neglected.
• We draw attention to the current reliance on the market economy for the provision of care to a significant proportion of frail, older Australians. This increasing dependence is creating serious problems within the sector. In particular, the pressures associated with cost cutting are driving many of those staff who seek to provide humanitarian and personal empathic care out of the sector.
• ACC asks that there be real transparency, accountability and disclosure in all aspects of aged care.

We note that the Issues Paper encourages those making submissions to this Inquiry to raise any relevant aged-care issues. This submission, therefore, takes a broad approach.

ACC has contributed to various inquiries, reviews and consultations - including the following:

• Review of the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme (October 2009)
• Review of the Residential Aged Care Accreditation Process for Residential Aged Care homes (July 2009)
• Inquiry into Aged Care Amendment (2008 Measures No. 2) Bill 2008
• Aged Care Amendment (Security and Protection) Bill 2007
• Inquiry into Older People and the Law (2006)
• Elder Abuse Prevention Project (2005)
• Inquiry into Aged Care (June 2004)

ACC has played a unique and pivotal role in examining events and trends within the aged-care sector. We have taken the time and effort to gather scattered information and compile it for critical examination. We have published articles from the coal face and created a forum where participants can tell of their experiences and comment critically. We produce a periodic newsletter.

ACC draws attention to the loss of human rights that so often occurs at the end of life – when it is far too easy for individuals to lose their social identity and the rights of citizenship once they enter the pressured world of the aged-care home. None of us should become merely a 'feed' or a 'toilet change' and all of us must work to ensure that the human rights of frail, aged people are upheld in every respect.

On behalf of Aged Care Crisis,
Lynda Saltarelli and Linda Sparrow.

Submission: Caring for Older Australians 597 Kb

Related links:

• Review of the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme (October 2009)
• Review of the Residential Aged Care Accreditation Process for Residential Aged Care homes (July 2009)
• Inquiry into Aged Care Amendment (2008 Measures No. 2) Bill 2008
• Aged Care Amendment (Security and Protection) Bill 2007
• Inquiry into older people and the law (2006)
• Inquiry into aged care (June 2004)