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Speaker 1: Now we know that the long awaited Aged Care Act

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Speaker 1: has been passed through the Senate, laying the foundations required

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Speaker 1: to stop the neglect of older people in aged care.

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Speaker 1: That new Act aims to improve the ways that aged

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Speaker 1: care services are delivered to people in their homes, community

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Speaker 1: settings and in residential age care homes and has been

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Speaker 1: welcomed by the Counsel of the Aging here in the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory. And joining me in the studio is Sue Shira,

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Speaker 1: the CEO. Good morning to you, sir, Good.

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Speaker 2: Morning Katie and all the lovely seniors out there and

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Speaker 2: other listeners.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, lovely to have you in the studio as always. Now,

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Speaker 1: Sue tell us, what are some of these details with

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Speaker 1: the new laws, and you know what safeguards are sort

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Speaker 1: of in place for senior territories.

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Speaker 2: They're going to be a lot more collaboration and the

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Speaker 2: standards are going to be a lot tighter, especially enshrining

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Speaker 2: in the Act their rights, senior's rights to obviously have

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Speaker 2: a complaint if they're not happy with the services that

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Speaker 2: they're giving. Before a lot of them are a little

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Speaker 2: bit too frightened to make a complaint because it's very

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Speaker 2: hard to complain about the service you're getting to the

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Speaker 2: service deliverer, So that's you know, that's one of the

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Speaker 2: things that will change. But also the Age Care Quality

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Speaker 2: and Safety Commissioner will get more more powers, which is

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Speaker 2: what's neared because before, if a complaint was made about

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Speaker 2: a residential age care facility to the Agecare Quality and

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Speaker 2: Safety Commissioner, the only all they could really do was

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Speaker 2: sanction that particular residential place, so which made it, As

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Speaker 2: I said to Janet Anderson, the commissioner, you know, it

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Speaker 2: makes it very difficult. You sanctioned, Okay, nobody can go

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Speaker 2: in there places of sort after up here, but we

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Speaker 2: also haven't got a choice. We can't take our loved

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Speaker 2: one anywhere out of that facility and put them anywhere else,

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Speaker 2: maybe just in the hospital. And we all know the

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Speaker 2: hospital is overflowing with age care patients which should be

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Speaker 2: either on a home care package or in a facility.

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Speaker 1: So it makes it hard, then, doesn't it, or it

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Speaker 1: would have it would make it really difficult to make

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Speaker 1: a complaint.

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Speaker 2: It did make it very difficult to make a complaint.

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Speaker 2: So you know, the standas are now then they're enshrined,

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Speaker 2: and also the care and protection is really important. And

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Speaker 2: they'll have more of a voice, especially the obviously the

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Speaker 2: family as well. And to do with prescribed drugs and

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Speaker 2: unprescribed drugs, like I think if that been able to

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Speaker 2: facility have been able to administer an unprescribed drug to

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Speaker 2: the lady in New South Welles, she wouldn't have been

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Speaker 2: tased because lots of times if a patient in a

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Speaker 2: facility is being and also with NDIS, you can't obviously

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Speaker 2: it's very difficult to administer unprescribed drug And if somebody's

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Speaker 2: having or causing havoc there's a danger to themselves and

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Speaker 2: other people in the facility, there's not a lot they've

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Speaker 2: got to contact the family or contact this or contact

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Speaker 2: another person to say, you know, your your loved one

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Speaker 2: is a danger or is it creating a danger the

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Speaker 2: audio or so's be done. Yeah, those sorts of issues,

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Speaker 2: and you know, we could probably talk about it all day.

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Speaker 1: You know. Yeah, but look, it does sound as though

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Speaker 1: it's going to be a good thing. Were there certain

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Speaker 1: sort of changes that you were really pushing for that

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Speaker 1: will come into play.

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Speaker 2: There was visitors. Visitors should always be allowed. We found

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Speaker 2: obviously during COVID a little bit difficult. But then there

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Speaker 2: were lots of you know, a person to die alone

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Speaker 2: and not be able to say goodbye to their loved one.

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Speaker 2: So that's also one of the big changes that the

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Speaker 2: visitors can be allowed in at all times and now

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Speaker 2: the one you know, to advocate to deliver a minimum

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Speaker 2: of rights based education. But in the there's quite a

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Speaker 2: few changes as well. To support at home.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, now that it's a really important aspect.

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Speaker 2: Well, you've got people in the hospital waiting for a

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Speaker 2: support package at home and unfortunately the wait list is

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Speaker 2: very long. So four point nine billion to deliver more packages,

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Speaker 2: but who's going to deliver it. As we said to

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Speaker 2: the minister, you know, that's fine, but there's a shortage already.

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Speaker 2: But we found yesterday NTPHD are doing grants to providers

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Speaker 2: to employ another four thousand workers.

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Speaker 1: Right, so that's hopefully going to be a good thing.

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Speaker 2: The main thing is that I think they are listening.

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Speaker 2: Another example with support at home, which we just laughed

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Speaker 2: at eighteen hours a year mowing.

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Speaker 1: Well that's not going to mow very much.

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Speaker 2: We watched the grass grow up here and then one

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Speaker 2: hour a week cleaning, you know, as you said to

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Speaker 2: them up here, that's just ludicrous. And whole growth that fast.

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Speaker 2: It's a health hazardous everything else. So they did re

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Speaker 2: look at that and they are changing and so they

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Speaker 2: are listening.

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Speaker 1: Which is because the thing is, i mean, eighteen hours

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Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory for a senior is not

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Speaker 1: going to go very far. And I'm not, like, I

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Speaker 1: know that this can really really help my granddad in Cans.

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Speaker 1: He lives in supported living, but he certainly you know,

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Speaker 1: he's got a cleaner that comes and assist, he's got

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Speaker 1: somebody else that comes and assists with different things. And

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Speaker 1: it means that he can continue to live even though

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Speaker 1: it's supported age care, it's not in an actual home.

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Speaker 1: It means he can continue to live like that at

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Speaker 1: the ripe old age of ninety six exactly.

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Speaker 2: That's fantastic. To take him out of.

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Speaker 1: His environment would be detrimental.

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Speaker 2: Exactly, and you know, the lifespan would decrease his life

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Speaker 2: span and his enjoyment in life. He knows his home,

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Speaker 2: he knows his community also, which is really important. So

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Speaker 2: that's the reason, that's what the federal government wants. They

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Speaker 2: want people to age at home, but saying a hell

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Speaker 2: of a lot more age care beds because it might

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Speaker 2: come a time and your dad might be able to

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Speaker 2: with that supported help, and he might end up in

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Speaker 2: hospital or he might need a bed in an age care.

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Speaker 2: So there has to be a too pronged approach to this.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely. So I also want to ask you. I understand

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Speaker 1: you're off to Alice Springs this afternoon.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I am my old home town.

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Speaker 1: Can't wait, mind for a while where I like to party,

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Speaker 1: to be honest, when I was younger.

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Speaker 2: But it's very sad. The stories that we're still hearing

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Speaker 2: from Alice Springs and Age Care Navigator was interesting. The

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Speaker 2: police called us and asked us if we could help

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Speaker 2: this lady who's windows are all being broken again. Victims

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Speaker 2: of crime had assisted the first time, but they came

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Speaker 2: back and broke all the windows again. So she's living

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Speaker 2: in a house with no windows. So yeah, it's just

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Speaker 2: really that's just one example. Really when did that happen?

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Speaker 1: So when did that happen to her?

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Speaker 2: That happened about probably three weeks ago. And another lady

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Speaker 2: who used to be a chair of the National Seniors

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Speaker 2: in Alice Springs, the local branch. She was attacked also

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Speaker 2: in Alice Springs and her bag taken. So you know

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Speaker 2: she's too frightened how to go out.

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Speaker 1: It's really that's heart breaking.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I'd like to go and see Margaret so so

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Speaker 2: hello Margaret if you're listening, Yeah, you're okay. And that's

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Speaker 2: really sad. And they were adult men that attacked her,

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Speaker 2: so you haven't got really how can a woman of

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Speaker 2: late seventies, early eighties defend herself?

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Speaker 1: That's appalling, It is absolutely appalling behavior. When did that

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Speaker 1: happen soon?

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Speaker 2: That only happened last week.

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Speaker 1: I'd be keen to find out how she's going after

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Speaker 1: you speak to her, But I'd be very keen to

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Speaker 1: hear as well all more about the senior territory. And

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Speaker 1: with all of her windows broken, do you know if

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Speaker 1: they like, is there any way that she can be

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Speaker 1: helped in terms of replacing those we're asking?

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Speaker 2: I would like to talk to the obviously the Sepia

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Speaker 2: government about funding victims of crime because it's just not enough.

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Speaker 1: Well, and this is the thing, but also you know,

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Speaker 1: we're in a situation with those victims of crime where

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Speaker 1: if they're targeted once and they then replace those windows,

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Speaker 1: are they then able to get them replaced again? Because

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Speaker 1: no one asks to be a victim of crime twice.

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Speaker 2: Exactly, and that's that's the problem. But again, the buckets empty, yeah,

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Speaker 2: that old song, you know, the buckets ye John. Unfortunately,

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Speaker 2: they need to really and it is a crisis at

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Speaker 2: the moment, especially in Alice and with the school holidays

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Speaker 2: coming on. You know, quite a few of the seniors

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Speaker 2: are too frightened to go and do their Christmas shopping,

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Speaker 2: which is really quite sad.

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Speaker 1: That's appalling.

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Speaker 2: It is appalling. It's just you know, and I've got,

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Speaker 2: as I said, more friends leaving, which is another sad

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Speaker 2: thing because they're all most of them are self fund

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Speaker 2: of tires and they sell their house. But even if

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Speaker 2: they can't sell their house, they'll probably just try and

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Speaker 2: list it out and it's.

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Speaker 1: Like, yeah, then you're losing one million.

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Speaker 2: Dollars and have left Alla Springs in the last three Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Even so, with those sceniors that are too scared to

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Speaker 1: go and do their Christmas shopping, we don't broadcast all

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Speaker 1: the way to Alice Springs. I know that there are

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Speaker 1: some people that listen to the show in Alice on

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Speaker 1: their iHeartRadio app and various other platforms, but I just

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Speaker 1: like I reckon there would be other people in the

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Speaker 1: community who are happy to go out and go shopping

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Speaker 1: with them for a couple of hours if they need

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Speaker 1: somebody to not a bodyguard, but you know someone who

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Speaker 1: if they want that's you know, that's the thing I reckon.

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Speaker 1: There'd be people who'd be happy to do that.

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Speaker 2: They would be and that's why we're looking at. One

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Speaker 2: thing we're looking at when I get down there is

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Speaker 2: there's a bus that there's a senior citizens bus where

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Speaker 2: our offices in there in the Seniors building in Alice Springs.

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Speaker 2: So looking at maybe like we do up here for

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Speaker 2: different instances, we pick up a whole lot of people,

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Speaker 2: like we pick up the Italian people, pick up the

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Speaker 2: Chinese people, the Portuguese people and take them shopping and

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Speaker 2: then we bring them back or we take that they

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Speaker 2: go to lunch. But the but it's safe, the bus

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Speaker 2: is there, and we also liaise very closely with Casuarino

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Speaker 2: have done a lot to make sure that centers a

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Speaker 2: lot safer. Yes, terrific. So we also need to obviously liaise.

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Speaker 1: With YEP well, so let us know because if they're like,

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Speaker 1: if there is a way that that can happen, if

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Speaker 1: there's something that we can do here on here to

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Speaker 1: help you kind of make that happen. Let us know,

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Speaker 1: because I think it's really important peace you can go

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Speaker 1: and do a.

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Speaker 2: Lot of these people I've known for a long long time. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: and it's just sad to see them again isolated and

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Speaker 2: trapped in their homes. I think it's terror happens. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: it is. It's absolutely appalling.

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Speaker 1: It is absolutely appalling. So we've run out of time,

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Speaker 1: but we'll catch up with you again very soon because

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Speaker 1: I know that even with the voluntary Assistant dying legislation,

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Speaker 1: we're waiting to see if there's much movement on that

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Speaker 1: this week. I'm anticipating probably not, but I know it's

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Speaker 1: something that just us.

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Speaker 2: Seventy five percent according to the report, the VAD report

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Speaker 2: of Territorians want the choice, and our survey says eighty

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Speaker 2: five percent. So don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, please,

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Speaker 2: this government have a look at it and consider what

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Speaker 2: Territorians want. They want the choice, but anyway, we're going

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Speaker 2: to go hard next year. We want it on the

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Speaker 2: parliamentary agenda for next year. So let's just do it.

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Speaker 1: Sue. Always good to catch up with you. Please keep

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Speaker 1: me up to date with those seniors in Ollie Springs.

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Speaker 1: I'll be really keen to catch up with you again

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Speaker 1: about that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I talk to you next week. Holidays.

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Speaker 1: Thank you sushi, right be CEO of Coda there