industry & reform
The industry needs to anticipate how the media is going to
report on the commission and how consumers, their families,
shareholders and other stakeholders are going to respond.
HOW CAN PROVIDERS PREPARE?
Rather than just reacting to the problem, aged care providers
need to think about how they position themselves to be part of
the solution.
Providers must first start communicating with their
stakeholders – residents, their families and friends, staff and
shareholders – and the general public, early, often and openly.
Providers need to be armed with detailed information that
gives integrity and confidence to the processes and procedures
that exist in aged care facilities when issues become known, and
support a culture of immediate reaction and rectification.
And finally, providers need to acknowledge the seriousness
of the issues at hand, the fragility of the sector at large, and the
impact of issues on aged care residents, employees, their families
and friends. Providers should speak with humility and empathy.
TAKE STEPS TO FIX THE PROBLEM
Action will be critical and will be the deciding factor in terms of
how people view aged care organisations during and after the
royal commission.
The aged care sector is essential, and according to research
conducted by McCrindle, Australia’s population pyramids visually
show the growth of Australia’s ageing population. In 2044 the
population pyramid will become inverted with the number of
over-60s outnumbering the under-18s for the first time.
According to the report, the over-85s are growing at an
even faster rate than the over-65s. In 1984, there were 120,862
Australians aged over 85. Today, there are four times as many, and
in 2044 there will be 14 times as many.
The aged care sector is essential and will form the cornerstone
of Australian society in the near future. We will need more aged
care providers, so the outcomes of this royal commission and how
the industry reshapes and reforms will be crucial.
Providers will need to think about aged care differently,
learn from the evidence and public reaction to the information
presented, and start to consider what the new standard of
care looks like.
Positive change in the industry will be welcomed by all, and
any organisation that doesn’t acknowledge this will be seen as
part of the problem, not the solution.
The answers might not be evident immediately, but the
responsibility to establish integrity in aged care is in the power
of the regulators, consumers and providers working together
on a solution. ■
Rebecca Wilson is chief executive at WE Buchan and specialises
in complex stakeholder engagement and communication.
JUNE
agedcareinsite.com.au 19