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Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt . Picture : Gary Ramage
Lobby the pollies
New aged care lobby group to target marginal seats .
A new aged care lobby group composed of six of the sector ’ s largest peak bodies has announced a campaign to target marginal electorates to force change in aged care .
The Australian Aged Care Collaboration ( AACC ) recently launched the ‘ It ’ s Time to Care About Aged Care ’ campaign in a bid to pressure politicians in the electorates with the oldest residents to increase federal
funding in the sector , among other demands .
AACC representative Sean Rooney said the residential aged care sector was in crisis with 64 per cent of homes operating at a loss in 2020 , almost double the medium-term average of 33 per cent .
“ It is the responsibility of all parliamentarians to recognise the injustice and inequity of maintaining a system the Royal Commission described as ‘ a shocking tale of neglect ’,” he said .
The AACC has identified the 30 members of the 151-member Federal Parliament who represent the ‘ oldest ’ Australian communities by age , and , they say , who have the greatest obligation to fix the system .
Of these seats , 15 are marginal , the group says , with seats held by only a few hundred votes . They hope to convince the 814,950 voters aged over 55 to put pressure on these MPs and act as a large voting bloc .
Among these pollies is minister for Aged Care Greg Hunt who , according to the report , sits in the eighth ‘ oldest ’ electorate , Flinders , in Melbourne , with 50.7 per cent of voters aged over 55
“ These MPs have the opportunity to truly achieve something great – and avoid the mistakes of the past – by creating a sustainable and equitable aged care system that will stand the test of time ,” the report states .
The group points to the comparatively low amount Australia spends on aged care in an international context as a major issue .
Australia spends 1.2 per cent of its GDP on aged care compared to the international average of 2.5 per cent .
AACC spokesperson , and Chief executive of peak body Aged & Community services Australia ( ACSA ), Pat Sparrow said after 20 years and 20 government aged care reviews that have failed to fix the problems , the time for change is now .
“ Enough is enough – Australia should no longer accept the drip-feed of piecemeal rescue packages and ad-hoc changes ,” Sparrow said .
The AACC is comprised of ACSA , LASA , Anglicare Australia , Baptist Care Australia , Catholic Health Australia and UnitingCare Australia . ■
Drug downfall
Call for deprescribing plans for people with dementia .
Doctors are being urged to put
deprescribing plans in place when placing people with dementia on antipsychotic drugs .
Associate Professor Stephen Macfarlane , head of clinical services at HammondCare ’ s Dementia Centre , and the centre ’ s director , Associate Professor Colm Cunningham , wrote about the issue in the February edition of Australian Prescriber .
The pair said up to 44 per cent of Australia ’ s aged care residents are on antipsychotic drugs despite estimates that only 10 per cent of prescribing for people living with dementia is “ appropriate ”.
“ These drugs are often prescribed for the management of the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia . This is despite a lack of efficacy and high rates of adverse effects ,” they wrote in the journal .
The authors said a deprescribing plan as part of standard clinical practice and involving all members of a person ’ s care team would allow for non-drug strategies to be set up for any behaviours that might re-emerge as the drug is withdrawn .
Macfarlane previously told the aged care royal commission that the only way chemical restraints can modify behavioural manifestations of dementia is by sedation .
And in their final report to the royal commission , the counsel assisting said the widespread use of chemical restraints in Australia was “ plainly unacceptable ”.
The HammondCare experts said it was important for multidisciplinary teams to identify what may be causing the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and pursue non-drug psychosocial interventions .
Common causes of symptoms include unrecognised or undertreated pain , depression and delirium . ■
8 agedcareinsite . com . au