National
Seniors Australia will be telling aged care providers and consumer groups, what
older Australians want to see in future aged care, as part of Australian Health
Care Week, the largest health care event in the country.
CEO of
National Seniors and Director of Research, Professor John McCallum, will
present the findings of a survey of more than 5,000 seniors at the event’s VIP
Age Care Summit in Sydney later today.
The
National Seniors survey asked respondents on their attitudes to helping design
or “co-designing” the future of aged care.
“The
survey gives providers a road map on how they can turn their care facilities
into a greater asset through reform and innovation,” Professor McCallum will
tell the event’s forum today.
He will
also explain the research found almost half of respondents answered “older
Australians” when asked about who should be involved in helping design a future
aged care model.
“There
are several reasons for this,” Professor McCallum said.
“Seniors
have the expertise and the wisdom in this field according to our respondents,
and they are also the most affected by the outcome.”
The
survey also found that respondents who said older Australians should be
included in helping co-design aged care should be involved in every aspect from
the ground up.
“That
includes critical parts such as food, staffing and social activities,” said
Professor McCallum.
However,
while the majority of older Australians were in favour of co-design, the survey
found a third were unsure about the concept or wary of the term if it was a government
project.
“Our
members told us it was akin to ‘government waffle’ or ‘bureaucratic speak’.
The
survey was conducted in 2021 and was open to all Australians over the age of
50. It received 5,430 responses.
