LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) provided comments on the exposure draft of the new Aged Care Act (the Act). As a human-rights based aged care legislative framework, it promises significant improvements for older people receiving Government-funded aged care services.
LHA is a signatory to the Joint Submission from the National Organisations Working with Older People and Carers (Joint Submission), coordinated by Council of the Ageing (COTA) and the Older Peoples Action Network (OPAN), including calling for the new Aged Care Act to have:
- Enforceable rights of older people that address the current power imbalance
- A robust, independent complaints system
- Transparency of timelines and funding
- Strong regulation and penalties for those found guilty of not upholding the rights of older people
- A guaranteed right to aged care visitors at all times
- new Act delivers supports for family and friend carers
- Strengthened diversity requirements, including through the referencing to the existing Aged Care Diversity Framework.
LHA also supports the call from the National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) to lower the age of access to aged care services to 50 for people with HIV. This is consistent with view expressed in the Joint Submission that there should be expanded scope for access before the aged of 65 for cohorts of the population who experience early ageing.
LHA in its submission for:
- Reference to diversity obligations in the legislation
- Introduction of a reference to obligations to address intersectionality
- Funding provided to encourage aged care providers to undertake specialise in LGBTI care and to have their specialisation verified.
