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Information Sheet 19 - Aged care for older people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Information sheet on Aged care for older people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

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The Australian Government is committed to increasing culturally appropriate aged care choices for older people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

People from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are identified under the Aged Care Act 1997 as having special needs. This means that their ageing needs are taken into account in the aged care planning process.

What types of aged care services are available?

Older people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are able to access residential and community aged care services in one of three ways:

Under the Aged Care Act 1997 both residential and community aged care services are provided for all Australians. This includes Multipurpose Services located in rural and remote areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander–specific services located throughout Australia. Each year new aged care places are made available nationally through the Aged Care Approvals Round.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program (the Program) funds organisations to provide flexible, culturally appropriate aged care, to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people close to home and community.

There are 28 services funded under the Program mainly located in rural and remote areas of Australia. The flexible services operate outside the regulatory framework of the Aged Care Act 1997.

The aged care services under the Program can provide residential and/or community aged care services to meet the changing needs of the community.

As part of the Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package announced by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Ageing on 20 April 2012, $43.1 million will be made available over the next 5 years. This will result in around 200 additional aged care places being made available in Indigenous communities, some of these in new residential aged care services.

Under the National Respite for Carers Program and the Home and Community Care Program, community aged care services are available for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their own homes and communities. Although these are not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific services it is important to know that care is delivered with sensitivity to the cultural diversity of the individual.

Promoting culturally appropriate aged care services

The independent Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd assesses Australian Government residential aged care homes receiving funding under the Aged Care Act 1997, for compliance against the Accreditation Standards.

The Accreditation Standards require that homes have regard for the cultural diversity of each person in the home by taking into account their individual interests, customs, beliefs, and that their cultural and ethnic backgrounds are valued and fostered.

All older Australians, including those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, may also access support services.

As part of the Australian Government’s User Rights Initiative, clients of these services also have access to Advocacy Services and the Aged Care Complaints Scheme.

Advocacy Services provide free and confidential services to assist in promoting the rights of the consumers of residential aged care services by providing information, advice, support and representation to residents (and/or their chosen representative). An Advocacy Service operates in each state and territory.

The Aged Care Complaints Scheme seeks to resolve complaints about any aged care service funded under the Act, and where necessary, assist with negotiations, refer to an Advocacy Service, or engage a professional mediator to resolve issues. The Aged Care Complaints Scheme is overseen by an independent Aged Care Commissioner.

For more information

Information about the location and types of aged care services available specifically for older people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is available by calling a Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre on 1800 200 422* or visit the Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre Website.

*Cost of phone calls

• Calls to 1800 numbers are generally free to the caller when made from a land line.
• Calls to 13 or 1300 numbers are charged at a low fixed amount to the caller when made from a land line.
• All calls made from mobile phones are charged at the rates applicable to each phone provider.
• All calls made from public phones are charged at the rates applicable to each phone provider.

All information in this publication is correct as at March 2013

Disclaimer: This document is only a guide to the Government’s law and policies, and cannot take account of individual circumstances. The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing recommends that you seek appropriate professional advice relevant to your particular situation.

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