The idea is to throw open the doors of aged care services so people in the community can come and see for themselves, meet staff, look at facilities and talk to residents and families. And everyone is invited.
Let’s face it: aged care gets a bad rap but it isn’t always deserved. Most people are terrified about the concept of frailty, of losing independence and needing to be cared for by others. There’s nothing unnatural about that fear but it means our instinctive reaction to aged care is generally a negative one.
Of course the media, subject to the same fears as the rest of us and knowing precisely how to push our buttons, is always eager to jump on the first hint of a ‘scandal’, however isolated and unrepresentative the incident might be.
Like dentists (whom we also love to hate), the people who work tirelessly to care for frail elderly people can often be left feeling pretty unloved.
Nobody is saying that aged care in Australia is universally terrific either. Of course it isn’t. No service sector that relies primarily on humans to achieve best outcomes can ever be perfect. But aged care in Australia has changed substantially in the last decade and it continues to change right now, arguably faster and more fundamentally than ever before.
We’ve written a bit about some of the main changes taking place – big audacious reforms of the whole system – but there is nothing like finding out for ourselves, first-hand – particularly when we have the time and are not facing an emergency situation.
Introducing the second annual Aged Care Open Day
Enter the Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) National Open Day 2015 – this Friday 19 June.
On this day ACSA will join the United Kingdom, Malta, South Africa and many other countries around the world, in an open day to promote and showcase the work of aged care providers.
The idea is to throw open the doors of aged care services so people in the community can come and see for themselves, meet staff, look at facilities and talk to residents and families. And everyone is invited.
According to ACSA’s CEO, Adj Prof John Kelly, residential care facilities, community care providers and many retirement villages provide care to 1 million Australians every year, yet people in the wider community are not always aware of what services are available. And neither do they have accurate expectations about what aged care services are like.
“Often people who need care and support have no idea what aged care services are available in their local community,” said Prof Kelly. “On Friday 19 June 2015 they can walk through the doors of their local facility to discover what is on offer.
“These services are a vital part of local communities and help older people continue to live rich and inspiring lives,” said Prof Kelly
You be the judge
Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield is right behind the event, saying he was delighted to encourage Australians to visit their local aged care provider on ACSA National Open Day, 19 June 2015.
“There are significant changes occurring in aged care but the one thing that doesn’t change is the commitment of staff and volunteers to provide the best possible care for our older Australians.
“Australia’s aged care system is being made more sustainable, efficient, flexible and easier for older Australians to access and navigate.
“By opening their doors on National Open Day, aged care service providers will showcase what they offer to their local community,” Senator Fifield said.
There you go. You can’t say you didn’t have the chance. Go along, look around, ask the questions and you be the judge. Then we’d like to hear what you think!
