Thursday Three - 09 02 2023

  • #ReadyToListen update and call to action;
  • Goverment to decide funding for pet care
  • The importance of arts and culture

    #ReadyToListen update and call to action

    In December 2022, AAG CEO Renu Borst, together with AAG Policy and Research Manager Dr Amber Mills, joined the #ReadyToListen town hall event held in Melbourne. 

    #ReadyToListen was launched in 2021 to improve responses to and prevent sexual assault in residential aged care. The project was funded by the Department of Health and led by the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), in partnership with Celebrate Ageing and the Older Women’s Network, New South Wales.

    The new report (available on the OPAN website) from the December town hall event contains a community call to action focused on preventing the sexual assault of older people and people living with dementia at home and in residential aged care. It also incorporates the priorities of the diverse stakeholders who attended the session online or in person, is a record of the accompanying discussion and contains commitments made by participants. OPAN - Ready to listen.

    Members may also recall that in 2018 AAG co-hosted a workshop on sexual assault with the OPAL Institute, with a summary and recommendations made available in a report. We’re pleased that this report is still used as a reference to address this urgent challenge.

    Government to decide funding for pet care support

    A few months ago, the president of Pets and Positive Ageing contacted AAG CEO Renu Borst after reading her interview in Australian Ageing Agenda.

    Pets and Positive Ageing is a voluntary community organisation committed to supporting the needs of older pet owners and their pets. Their initiatives have improved access to in-home pet services and rental properties for the wider pet-owning community.  

    A government advisory body will soon be considering pet care assistance/pet support as part of the new federally funded in-home aged care program due to come into effect in July 2024. The decision on this will obviously be significant for many thousands of older pet owners. Please share the link to this survey to provide government decision-makers with valuable information about what older pet owners need and want. 

    The importance of arts and culture

    There is strong recognition of the important role of creativity, art and culture in our lives, regardless of our age or capacity. Several presentations on this topic were made at #AAGConf22, and two books on creativity, art and care were jointly awarded the AJA Book Award for 2022.

    Along similar lines, independent arts and culture think tank A New Approach (ANA) has released the results of a study on the perceptions of arts and culture among ‘baby boomer middle Australians’. Described as people from low to middle income households in the outer suburbs and regions, this group is often stereotyped as disinterested in art and culture. Results of this study say otherwise: arts and culture help them ‘stay young’, facilitate community connection, boost their mental health and enrich their lives. Read more about the study here. There’s a useful snapshot of the study findings and opportunities.