Introduction
Australia is lucky to have a publicly subsidised aged care system. However, if we don’t address the unintended consequences of current reforms, we risk overwhelming the very systems we seek to sustain. While the Aged Care Act 2024 and delay in its implementation aims to support transitional arrangements and ensure continuity for older people and providers, it does not go far enough to protect those most vulnerable during this period of reform – CALD older people.
The Aged Care Act 2024 introduces a rights-based framework, including a Statement of Rights, and embeds stronger expectations for meaningful partnership, governance, and continuous improvement. These changes are positive, but without deliberate accommodations, they risk exacerbating existing access and participation gaps for CALD older people. There remain significant structural issues which create gaping holes for CALD older people and risk the implosion of our aged care service sector.
The strengthened Standards require partnering with individuals to set priorities and inform continuous improvement; however, if providers are not given sufficient funded time to ensure bilingual or interpreter engagement, translated materials, culturally capable governance or provide culturally safe care, CALD voices will be under-represented in the very mechanisms intended to lift quality.
As CALD older people fall through the cracks or disengage from the system and the system moves towards implosion. Many aged care providers will no longer be financially viable, resulting in the closure of essential services and reducing access to critical care for CALD older people. In turn, the hospital and health system will become overwhelmed with prolonged hospital stays due to discharge delays from preventable admissions.
