Foreign
THE Australian government has announced more than half a billion dollars in funding for the aged care sector after a landmark report revealed a “shocking tale of neglect.”
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety published its interim report in October, revealing systemic failures in the sector that have left elderly Australians neglected and living in “unkind and uncaring” conditions.
It called for immediate action in the three priority areas: increasing home care packages, reducing chemical restraints and getting younger people out of residential aged care.
Responding on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 537 million Australian dollars (365 million dollars) in additional funding for the sector.
Almost 500 million Australian dollars (339.9 million dollars) will be spent on providing an additional 10,000 homecare packages to keep the elderly out of aged care facilities.
More than 25 million Australian dollars (16.9 million dollars) will go towards better medication management and 4.7 million Australian dollars (3.2 million dollars) to help meet new targets to remove younger people with disabilities from residential aged care.
“I want to assure all Australians that we will deal with these issues as you would if you were standing in my shoes today.
“I know quite precisely the sorts of things that you are thinking about at the moment when it comes to the treatment of your loved ones in aged care.
“My family is no different to yours in that respect,” Morrison said. (Xinhua/NAN)
– Nov. 25, 2019 @ 13:55 GMT |
Tags: Australian PM earmarks $365m to address aged care failures
