Our CEO Luke Bo’sher and policy manager George Taleporos met with Royal Commissioner Lynelle Briggs and her team in November. We are very pleased to report that young people in residential aged care and the issues related to this group are a high and early priority for the Commissioner.
We talked to the Commissioner about the importance of providing a range of options for people to tell their stories, and will be working closely with the Royal Commission to support young people to have their say.
Aspects of the recently released Terms of Reference that are particularly relevant to us include: “How best to deliver aged care services to people with disabilities residing in aged care facilities, including younger people”, and
Consideration of “the interface with other services accessed by people receiving aged care services, including primary health care services, acute care and disability services, and relevant regulatory systems. This should take into account how people transition from other care environments or between aged care settings.”
The “interface with other services” aspect provides the most opportunity for influencing change, so we can stop young people from ending up in aged care.
Issues related to the aged care pathway, hospital discharge and residential aged care as a provider of last resort for disability services will be important topics for the Royal Commission to examine.
If you or a family member would like to have your say please keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates, contact us directly or you can contact the Royal Commission by visiting: agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
Disclaimer
All information is prepared and presented by Summer Foundation to assist the public to provide submissions to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Summer Foundation is independent of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.