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Ending elder abuse
Elder abuse alliance aims to eliminate “ scourge ” on society .
Quelling elder abuse will be the charge of a national alliance , officially launched by Commonwealth attorneygeneral Christian Porter at a recent event hosted by Seniors Rights Service . The federal government earmarked funding for a new elder abuse peak body in October last year .
Elder Abuse Action Australia ( EAAA ), a network of organisations and individuals targeting the issue across Australia , will work towards the development of a national plan to combat the problem .
Pat Sparrow , chief executive of alliance partner Aged & Community Services Australia , said EAAA will contribute significant resources to tackling the problem of abuse at its root cause and develop solutions to address abuse in all its forms .
“ The work of EAAA brings the issue to prominence and demonstrates a commitment to eliminating elder abuse in all forms through education and prevention .
“ The community has a role to play getting behind this issue and raising awareness and understanding to help eliminate elder abuse once and for all ,” Sparrow said .
Chief executive of COTA Australia Ian Yates said elder abuse is a manifestation of ageism and a sign of a much broader complex societal problem in our attitudes towards older Australians .
“ Elder abuse is an epidemic gripping our nation , and we are delighted to see politicians , industry bodies and advocacy groups working together to develop a meaningful social response to tackle elder abuse ,” he said .
“ COTA Australia welcomes the federal government ’ s allocation of $ 500,000 towards the establishment of the EAAA to protect the rights of older Australians , and a further $ 50,000 in sponsorship for the sixth elder abuse conference in July next year .”
Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation assistant federal secretary Annie Butler encouraged nurses and carers working in aged care in particular to report any concerns they have about possible abuse of nursing home residents or others in the community to the Aged Care Complaints Commission .
Sparrow said the best antidote to elder abuse is a society that recognises the inherent worth and dignity of older people . “ Elder abuse is a scourge on our society that has devastating consequences for older people ,” she said . ■
Improving transparency
Providers to publish Consumer Experience Reports each quarter .
Eight of Australia ’ s largest private residential aged care providers have pledged to publish quarterly evaluations of their facilities .
The Aged Care Guild has published the collated results of Consumer Experience Reports ( CERs ) conducted by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency .
Moving forward , the guild will report on responses to CERs conducted each quarter .
The move follows the government ’ s budget announcement of measures to improve the transparency of information on aged care provider quality through $ 8.8 million of funding over four years .
The budget held that differentiated performance ratings of residential service providers will be published on the My Aged Care website from July 2020 , along with a tool to compare providers .
“ Simplified , plain English accreditation reports will be published with the existing Consumer Experience Reports , and providers who obstruct the resolution of complaints can be publicly identified ,” the budget said .
In response to consumer demand for further information on the consumer experience of quality of care , the Quality Agency developed the CERs to be published alongside the re‐accreditation audit report for each home on its website .
Guild members said they will report on responses to the surveys , which are also considered and deliberated on at guild board meetings , and provide a simple and straightforward measure of consumer sentiment and experience .
“ The reports and individual CERs provide consumers and our members with a valuable insight into residents ’ satisfaction with the care and services they receive , as well as highlighting and informing management of areas that require attention ,” the guild said .
Interim chief executive Lee Hill said the guild appreciates the reasoning behind Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt ’ s announcement of performance ratings against the quality standards .
“ Giving consumers entering care the power to choose their level of care and services is key to the future of aged care ,” Hill said . “ Providing this kind of information is an important first step .”
As part of the reporting process , the guild said it would backdate the reports to April 2017 . “ We ’ re proud of the progress our members ’ homes have made during this time ,” Hill said .
He said that the reports will augment the federal government ’ s new performance ratings system , which the guild supported as a recommendation from the Carnell-Paterson review into aged care quality . ■
2 agedcareinsite . com . au