Missing residents and infectious outbreaks – topics for discussion at Ageing Consultative Committee meeting

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August 20, 2008

New reporting procedures on residents who inexplicably go missing from nursing homes and new measures on infectious disease outbreaks in facilities are among the topics for discussion at the Ageing Consultative Committee.

It is the second meeting of the group which takes place in Canberra on August 21.

The revamped industry advisory committee was set up by the Minister for Ageing, Mrs Justine Elliot to improve dialogue with the sector, workforce and representatives of older Australians.

Mrs Elliot announced the new measures on missing residents from nursing homes and new measures on responding to infectious disease outbreaks in nursing homes on June 2 and July 15, respectively. The committee will be briefed on the progress and the implementation plans.

In addition, accreditation and quality in nursing homes and nursing in aged care are also scheduled for discussion at the consultative committee. Senior executives of the Ageing and Aged Care Division of the Department of Health and Ageing would provide the updates to the meeting.

Mrs Elliot said: “It is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to improve the long-term viability and quality in nursing homes,” Mrs Elliot said.

The Ageing Consultative Committee includes commercial and not-for-profit aged care providers, consumer groups, professional and union bodies.

Mrs Elliot said this is about preparing for Australia’s ageing population and the challenges of the 21st century. Australians now have the second longest life expectancy in the world – after the Japanese.

The Australian Government is responding by over the next four years by investing more than $40 billion into aged and community care - $28.6 billion of that on residential care alone.

“The establishment of the ACC along with changes to other advisory groups will help ensure groups can provide the government with relevant advice regarding aged care,” Mrs Elliot said.

For more information, contact Mrs Elliot's office on (02) 6277 7280