The future of aged care calls for a rethink

Silverchain Group today welcomed The Grattan Institute’s Report, rethinking aged care: emphasising the rights of older Australians, which highlights the importance of recognising the rights of older Australians, including their ability to maintain their independence for as long as possible.

Silverchain has long advocated for the rights of older Australians, in particular to make informed choices about their care arrangements for their right to be cared for in the home.

Silverchain CEO, Dale Fisher agrees with the Grattan Institute that Australia needs to fundamentally change the culture of its aged care system.

Silverchain’s support for a client-centric approach to care is based on studies by the Productivity Commission, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) and research by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety that indicate:

• an increasing majority of older Australians want to retain their independence and remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
• older Australians face difficulties obtaining relevant information about available aged care services and care options.

Additionally, it is clear that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on older Australians and left Australians of all ages concerned about the rights of those in residential aged care facilities, who in many cases during the pandemic were denied their right to receive the care they wished for and even the support of loved ones, at the time they needed it most.

Silverchain CEO Dale Fisher said, “Australia needs a seismic shift in how we think about aged care and how it is delivered in the future. It is time for a client-centered, rights-based approach”.

Silverchain will continue to advocate for the right of Australians to be cared for in the home and to working with the sector on the development of a rights-based framework and initiatives for practical reform.