Aged care and the reforms

Both the coronavirus pandemic and the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety have shone a light on Australia’s broken aged care system.

During two and half years of hearings, the commission has heard many disturbing allegations of abuse of people in aged care by caregivers and fellow residents. It also heard that each week about 50 residents are victims of unlawful sexual conduct.

In October, counsel submitted 124 recommendations to the commission. The calls for a shake-up of the sector included mandated staff ratios, compulsory worker registration, improving staff quality through better pay and providing more funding for education and training.

The proposed reforms include a new Aged Care Act and replacing the existing regulator with a new and independent Aged Care Commission.

There have been more than 2000 cases of COVID-19 in residential aged care in Australia. Of the 900+ coronavirus deaths nationwide, 685 have been in aged care — at 75 per cent, that gives Australia one of the highest rates of deaths in aged care (as a percentage of total deaths) globally.

Joseph Ibrahim says our greatest failing in residential aged care is that we have the knowledge, skills and capability to deliver a world class system, yet the abuse, neglect and substandard care continues. While restructuring the sector will take courage, vision and funding — he says it can and must happen.

Joseph is a professor at the Department of Forensic Medicine at Monash University and at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine where he is head of the Health Law and Ageing Research Unit. A practising specialist in geriatric medicine with over 30 years experience, he is also and an adjunct professor at the Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care at LaTrobe University.

Joseph’s ongoing research is investigating approaches to reducing harm to older persons living in residential aged care, improving quality of life and ensuring proper clinical and medical care standards are maintained and practiced.

Join us for this Melbourne Forum event where Joseph Ibrahim will discuss Australia’s aged care sector and the reforms required to make it a world class system.