It is now one year since Australia’s new aged care legislation came into effect, marking an important shift in the way aged care is understood and delivered.
At the heart of the reforms is something that should be very simple: older people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, to have a voice in the care and services they receive, and to make choices about how they live their lives.
For Leigh Place, rights-based care is not simply about meeting legislative requirements. It is about what those rights look and feel like in everyday life.
It is being listened to when making decisions about your care. It is having your individual preferences, routines, relationships, culture and identity respected. It is being supported to maintain independence and connection with the people and things that matter to you.
Importantly, it is also about having the confidence to speak up.
Residents should feel comfortable raising a question, making a suggestion or expressing a concern, knowing that they will be heard and treated respectfully. Families and representatives also have an important role, particularly where residents want them involved in their care and decision-making.
The changes across aged care over the past year have involved considerable work for providers, employees, residents and families. But behind the new legislation, standards, systems and reporting requirements is a much more important objective: ensuring that the experience of the older person remains at the centre of aged care.
That is an objective we strongly support.
At Leigh Place, we will continue to work with our residents, families, employees and community to ensure that rights are not something that exist only in legislation or policy. They should be reflected in the relationships we build, the decisions we make and the care and services we provide every day.
Because ultimately, good aged care is not defined by a piece of legislation. It is defined by the experience of the people who call Leigh Place home.