Plans for new national LGBTI aged care strategy welcomed
The special needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI) will be addressed under a new national strategy on aged care to be developed by the Federal Government.
In an announcement that has been welcomed by LGBTI health and wellbeing advocacy groups, the Minister for Ageing Mark Butler today revealed plans by the Federal Government to develop a national aged care strategy specifically targeting older LGBTI people.
“We are predicting a large increase in the demand for aged care by this group,” Butler said.
“And there is a broad community consensus that it is important to recognise people who are LGBTI in the same way as we recognise the needs of other diverse groups such as people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
“Ultimately it’s about recognising difference and ensuring equality.”
The National LGBTI Aged Care Strategy is part of the government’s wider $3.7 billion reform program on aged care, Living Longer Living Better, and has been acted on recommendations from the Productivity Commission as well as consultations with groups such as the National LGBTI Health Alliance, the GLBTI Retirement Association Inc. and ACON.
The National LGBTI Health Alliance said the plan was an important development for older LGBTI Australians.
“The plan will provide a focus to ensure that older LGBTI Australians are able to participate in aged care services, in the same way as other Australians,” said Susan Ditter, acting Chair of the LGBTI Health Alliance.
Jude Comfort, Chair of the GLBTI Retirement Association Inc. (GRAI), an organisation that advocates on behalf of older LGBTI people, said the announcement “shows a real change and a commitment to see LGBTI elders as a vulnerable group that do need special attention”.
“As a society, we need to look at ageing issues,” Comfort told SX.
“We have a group of Baby Boomers heading into that area. Our current way of handling aged care issues is not sustainable, so we’re pleased to be part that $3.7 billion that has been put aside to look at aged care reform, and that LGBTI elders has been put highlighted on a Federal Government level.”
NSW GLBTI health organisation ACON said the development of the plan will help deliver improved health outcomes for LGBTI seniors.
“About 70,000 GLBT people over the age 55 live in NSW,” acting ACON CEO Geoff Honnor says.
“Research shows that many older GLBT people fear discrimination and insensitive treatment within the aged care system, either from other residents or from aged care service providers.”
“Along with a range of other stakeholders, we have been advocating for many years for a national strategy that delivers for GLBT seniors the same rights to privacy, dignity and culturally appropriate services as all other Australians, and we congratulate the Government and Minister Butler on committing to this important initiative.
“We now look forward to working with the Government and our partners in the aged care sector to develop this ground-breaking plan.”
The Health Alliance’s Ditter said it was crucial that LGBTI people are included in the development process.
“We stand ready to work with the Government and aged care sector in the development of a plan that aged care services to provide quality care for older LGBTI people, and guide the Government’s reform in coming years.
“To be successful, the plan will need to ensure that transgender, intersex, bisexual, gay and lesbian elders are consulted on the main directions for the plan. It will also need wider consultation and review mechanisms to ensure that strategies are being effectively implemented.”
The announcement builds on the Federal Government’s LGBTI aged care training package announced in April, in which $2.5 million will be used over five years to train aged care staff in addressing the sensitive needs of older LGBTI Australians.
“We will work with the National LGBTI Health Alliance to develop a comprehensive strategy to make sure the needs of LGBTI Australians are addressed in the implementation of our $3.7 billion aged care reform package,” Butler said.
A steering committee comprising relevant stakeholder representatives will guide the development of the strategy which will begin with a broad-ranging community consultation.
- Tags: ACON, Aged care, Geoff Honnor, GLBTI Retirement Association Inc_, GRAI, Jude Comfort, LGBTI ageing, LGBTI elders, LGBTI seniors, Mark Butler, National LGBTI Health Alliance, Susan Ditter
Comments (10)
Dave...If you really want to see the National Party at work and with their hands in the till, chaff-bagging off their meeting areas so the towns people cannot see or hear what they are up to...Visit the provinces especially Central Western Queensland.
Thanks Dave...
We could stay in Sheep-dip Queensland, and watch the LNP and their mates fill up their brown paper bags...I mean... the greedy National Party cannot help themselves, helping themselves to all the lollies in the shop.
Peter you can sit back and watch the fun. The LNP are like a boy left in a lolly shop who ate himself to death. Think of the fun when we have another Royal Commission, and their morally corrupt congregation is marched back to Jail again.I would not want to miss that. Already they have united many in the community against them. It grows daily. They are the new gay cancer....
As the CEO of an aged care provider and a proud member of the GLBT community I applaud the Governments initiative!
So, we can look forward to equality when it comes to "being rolled over in bed"!
I am suprised after all these years the Labor Party has been unable to include GLBTI people in the Federal Equal Opportunity Act. A National strategy for people forced into the closet, to get a nursing hom place is welcome, but what about protecting them with legislation with teeth.
Dave, dare I say, not everyone's "forced into the closet". We put in them in there ourselves because we don't want anyone knowing we're having relationships with them.
All sounds like a society that's hell-bent on denying an ar*eh*le is as good as a c*nt!
Before reading this article we had planned to stop taking our life-saving medication rather than go into one of those Bible-Basher homes run by the Flat Earth Gangs.
Plan B was to jump from a cliff wearing a Crinoline to achieve a softer landing.
Plan C was to take one or those LNP pricks with me.
Don't give the mongrels the joy of your end Peter. If you really want to piss off a member of the LNP, keep living. Remember the majority of Christians now support Equality who run the services. Tony Abbott or Cambell Newman could not run a chook raffle without a scandal or the support of the Murdoch Mafia.