The Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia supports the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Andrea Kelly’s calls for urgent action by the Federal Government to transform the aged care system, which continues to fail older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
AHCWA and its Member Services took part in extensive consultations on older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ experiences with the aged care system for the Commissioner’s Report Transforming Aged Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, which was released this month.
It highlights how the system is still largely culturally unsafe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, not supportive of their cultural wellbeing and needs, alienating, difficult to understand and challenging to access.
The report showed that there was a significant lack of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific data inhibiting informed policy and program decisions, and that when entering the aged care system, this group faced additional barriers and challenges compared to other Australians.
AHCWA Chair Vicki O’Donnell OAM commended the Interim Commissioner on her proactivity in releasing the report and genuinely engaging with community on understanding their needs, but said the findings revealed in the report should compel immediate action from Government.
“We know that when ACCOs and ACCHS deliver comprehensive, holistic and culturally secure services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the outcomes are far better,” Ms O’Donnell said.
“The Government must commit now to a transformation plan, co-designed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, that builds an aged care sector that is culturally safe and appropriate, and which meets projected growth in demand for these services.”
Ms O’Donnell said the establishment of a permanent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner was a vital step in this process, and endorsed the Interim Commissioner’s recommendation for a dedicated aged care response to the needs of Stolen Generation survivors and their families.
“The Commissioner’s Report is a significant first step, but it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to work in genuine partnership to build an aged care sector that supports our older people,” Ms O’Donnell said.
Alongside the report, a community booklet has been developed to ensure that the insights and outcomes from the consultation process are shared in an accessible and meaningful way.
The report, the community booklet, and a video are available here.