industry & reform
A study , led by the Dharriwaa Elders Group in Walgett and UNSW , tells what ageing means to Indigenous Australians and what the government should focus on . Image : News Corp Australia
‘ Come and talk to us ’
The aged care system has failed Aboriginal people . Here ’ s what Elders say needs to change
By Ruth McCausland , Peta MacGillivray , Sacha Kendall Jamieson , and Virginia Robinson
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recognised the aged care system has failed to provide culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as they age . It recommended major reforms , including active partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people .
The Australian government has also committed more funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care services , with a focus on boosting the role of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations .
So , what do older Aboriginal people need to age well ? And how can aged care funding and systems enable that ?
This was at the centre of our study , led by the Dharriwaa Elders Group in its long-term partnership with UNSW , known as Yuwaya Ngarra-li . The study involved speaking with 22 Elders in the remote New South Wales town of Walgett about what ageing well means to them .
ELDERS ARE THE ‘ WELLSPRING ’ FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE Aboriginal Elders play an important role as community leaders and protectors of cultural heritage . This involves passing down knowledge and stories , leadership , caregiving and safeguarding family , community and intergenerational well-being . Supporting this aspect of ageing well is crucial . As one Elder explained :
“ Talking about our stories and storylines , and telling those stories […] It ’ s Aboriginal culture – it ’ s an oral system of educating people and giving people information . It ’ s part and parcel of Aboriginal life […] you
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Aboriginal people are closer to the language , to the extended family . They ’ d be good , to be trained up in aged care
know your stories , you know where you come from .” For Elders who have worked away from Walgett in various careers , this means a kind of “ active retirement ” – returning to Country to bring back knowledge and continue a legacy for future generations . One said : “ Once you have an education , you take it back to your community .”
ADDRESSING THE ONGOING IMPACTS OF COLONISATION Elders explained how community health and well-being continue to be harmed by dispossession and climate change , drought and water insecurity :
“ When I think about ageing and culture , I think one of the big things that is on people ’ s minds , especially elderly Aboriginal people , is the fact that the rivers have dried up , and how that affects culture .
14 agedcareinsite . com . au