Source: The Australian, Wednesday, 17 April, 1996, p.3

$800m plan for greying State

 
By JOHN KERIN 
 
   THE nation's most rapidly ageing 
State, South Australia, unveiled an $800 
million plan yesterday to overhaul aged 
care services and change negative 
community attitudes. 
 
   The Premier, Mr Brown, hailed the 
program, Ageing: A 10-Year Plan for 
South Australia, as the most 
"comprehensive whole-of-government" 
approach adopted in Australia, which was 
developed after extensive community 
consultation. 
 
   With the State's population of over-65s 
expected to reach 14 per cent, or 
223,000, by 2006, the State had a 
"chance to show innovation and 
foresight in dealing with ageing issues". 
 
   The bulk of the funds would be spent in 
the area of direct service provision to the 
elderly through the Home and Community 
Care program, funded at federal and State 
level and covering provision of services 
such as domiciliary care, respite care, 
nursing and meals on wheels. 
 
   However, the program also provided for 
an extensive study of the future transport 
needs of the ageing, and involved the 
Office of the Ageing in 
developing a structure for collaborative 
aged care research between universities 
and the private sector, along with the 
development of recreation programs. 
 
   It would involve the development of a 
pilot project for the involvement of older 
people in schools, a campaign to 
challenge the stereotypes of the aged in 
the community, scholarships for seniors 
in higher education, and the development 
of user-friendly technologies for the 
aged. 
 
   Legislation affecting the elderly would 
be reviewed to ensure the rights of older 
people were strengthened in such areas as 
mediation, advocacy and complaints, age 
discrimination and financial protection. 
 
   A Ministerial Advisory Council on 
Ageing would be set up to monitor 
implementation of the plan which would 
be regularly reviewed. 
 
   "Central to the planning for aged 
services is the need to preserve 
independence, dignity and choice of 
lifestyle," Mr Brown said. 
 
   "This period will provide enormous 
challenge at both State and federal 
levels."

Where to next?

Student Questions for this article
Teacher Discussion of this article
Index - Related articles
Index - Data Representation
Main Index - Numeracy in the News