The Australian Government aims to “place older people in Australia at the centre of regulation, increasing protections and empowering them to exercise their rights in the context of a reformed and improved aged care system.” LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) supports this aim and is seeking practical strategies to achieve it for older LGBTI people.
One important existing mechanism is the ‘Specialisation Verification Framework’ by which aged care providers demonstrate capacity to work with older LGBTI people.
Strategies are also needed to ensure quality aged care for all LGBTI people, not just by providers specialising in care for LGBTI older people. LGBTI community-controlled organisations need resources to support and train aged care providers.
LHA has also supported action against non-inclusive practices. When service providers cannot demonstrate high quality, culturally safe inclusive services, it should be acted upon as a serious failure in meeting the Quality Standards.
