Mr Turnbull responded quickly and appropriately to the report into the abuse of youths in the Northern Territory correction’s system. How long before he responds to Monday night’s 7.30 program into elder abuse?
Over the past few years, there have been numerous reports of abuse in, and several inquiries into, aged care homes. The federal government‘s future of Australia’s age care sector workforce (2016) received 73 submissions from staff and relatives who are extremely concerned about declining standards of care in aged care homes.
Unlike in childcare centres, hospitals and schools, there is no federal legislative requirement for aged care homes to have mandated staff-to-resident ratios, skill prerequisites or even have a registered nurse on site.
Without registered nurses in aged care homes, the risk of elder abuse increases. How many more inquiries describing neglect and abuse will be needed before a royal commission into residential aged care is held?
First published as a letter in The Age on 27 July 2016