Australians deserve to Age Well

Posted 07-02-12
The National Aged Care Alliance has launched a new campaign website which will be used as a tool to promote the united voice of the industry in the lead up to the 2012-13 Budget.

Twenty-eight organisations across the aged care sector have joined forces to call for bipartisan support for radical reform to Australia’s ailing aged care system. This includes ACCV and our members who are represented in this coalition through national associations Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) and Aged Care Association Australia (ACAA).

Age well: Preparing for our future now

If you’ve ever tried to access aged care services for yourself or your family you’ll know the system can be a minefield. It’s hard to know where to start, it’s inconsistent and very complicated. In-home support services are extremely limited and residential care based on arbitrary ratios not demand. And yet we know our population is ageing. By 2050 over 3.5 million Australians are expected to use aged care services each year. This is more than a threefold increase on a system that is already buckling under pressure today.
 
How will we afford it? How can we fix the system today so it can provide all of us with the choice, quality and dignity we deserve as we age?
 
In 2011 the independent Productivity Commission released the Caring for Older Australians report recommending comprehensive reform of the aged care sector. The suggested changes would result in a much more people centred system with more choice which is fairer for everyone across the country. Neither the Gillard Government nor the Opposition have officially responded to the report or committed to its recommendations.
 
We can’t afford to wait any longer. Decisions need to be made now to avoid much tougher decisions in the longer term.
 
Getting older is something that happens to all of us. Let’s act now, we all deserve to age well. 

Visit the website at www.agewellcampaign.com.au to share your aged care story, 'like' the campaign and 'tweet' about it.

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