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Open letter to Tom Symondson, chief of the Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA).
Come on, Tom, when will you call out the whole tasering affair for the ageism it is?
Please don't tell us that more training, resources and regulation will sort this out.
Help us see that it's ageism - that it's the way society has been taught to lower our expectations, sense of urgency and value of very old lives.
Abuse, neglect, malnutrition, restraint, isolation, boredom, racism, poor dental health, medication errors, and being imaged as dying are now all commonplace in aged care.
But not for all of us.
Help us understand that only when we all say, 'frail lives matter', will we start reshaping our community, aged care and policy.
We know it's tough to be critical of all those good people working incredibly hard in aged care.
But we're not asking you to.
We're asking you to help us understand that when aged care dresses up its clients to have no past, no point to their lives, no friends, no future and no value, it makes doing bad things to them much easier.
And for the rest of us to look the other way.
Help us see that it's unreasonable to expect staff to work in non-ageist ways in services that are ageist.
As the chief of aged care in Australia, we understand you've got to keep the lights on.
But you also can lead us on a journey that helps us recognise and name ageism when it blatantly stares us in the face.
And teach us how to stop walking past it.
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Thank you Dr Rungie for putting your point of view so eloquently.
I am a Level 3 HCP recipient and have had a Package for 6 years. The changes and attitudes of the Providers have changed considerably over the past few years.
I am determined not to go to an Aged Facility where my existence would become as you describe. The trouble is people like me are tired and even though I try to advocate it’s not easy. But I take heart that more switched on Baby Boomers are coming through and will demand respect and consultation.
Once again thank you.