19 June 2009:
The lessons of selling off the caring role to the private sector have not been learnt. The failed ABC Learning Centres left families in the lurch with child care. Now 300 Victorian residents, who are either frail or experiencing disability, have lost, or are under threat of losing, their residential care homes.
Three nursing homes and seven supported residential services have failed to provide the security that vulnerable people require. The two companies running these homes are in debt and have gone into voluntary administration.
Yet again, we find that private-for-profit aged-care and disability-care providers can’t manage their affairs. Yet again, frail residents fall victim to the vagaries of market forces.
It is as simple as ABC to know that caring for both the very young and the very old is a community responsibility and should not be driven by the need to generate profits.
The Aged Care Crisis Team asks calls for an urgent review of the Aged Care Act (1997) which made caring a commodity and not a community responsibility. It is now 12 years since this Act was in force and there has been no evaluation of its affect on the lives of frail, older people.
The Aged Care Crisis Team asks why it is so hard to achieve a fair go for frail older Australians.
Aged Care Crisis asks, yet again, for better protection and support for our most vulnerable citizens.
For further information contact Aged Care Crisis
