Giving a gift to someone who may otherwise not receive a Christmas present is an opportunity to show someone compassion, care, support and make them feel loved and appreciated. At Christmas time each year, the team at Lockeridge Financial Advisory complete their Aged Care We Care Christmas Appeal to collect as many Christmas gifts as possible for aged care residents across the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers areas, explains Attwood Marshall Lawyers Wills and Estates and Aged Care Department Manager, Donna Tolley.
Aged Care We Care Christmas Appeal – the gift of giving
Over 500 residents across 39 aged care facilities, as well as patients at Gold Coast University Hospital and Robina Hospital, will receive gifts as part of the “Aged Care We Care Christmas Appeal”.
Lockeridge Financial Advisory undertakes the Aged Care We Care Christmas Appeal each year and Attwood Marshall Lawyers love being able to do our bit to collect as many Christmas gifts as possible to contribute to this wonderful cause. From November through to early December, the team collect Christmas gifts to present to aged care residents in time for Christmas. Attwood Marshall Lawyers Legal Practice Director Jeff Garrett also makes a significant contribution to this appeal.
Many aged care residents spend Christmas isolated and away from their families and loved ones. Sadly, many aged care residents don’t have any family or friends to celebrate this time of year with, which means many will not receive a gift for Christmas. The gifts touch the lives of those who are lonely and forgotten.
Elderly residents in care don’t need much as they don’t have a large amount of space. The Aged Care We Care Christmas Appeal has collected appropriate and thoughtful gifts including puzzles, games, perfumes, hand creams, soaps, chocolates, cookies, stationary, books, socks, after shave, nail polish and more, to hopefully bring that little bit of joy and care to those who need it most.
These gifts will be wrapped over the coming days by the team at Lockeridge Financial Advisory and volunteers and delivered to the aged care facilities and hospitals over the next week.
Aged Care Crisis
The past two years has been extremely difficult for the aged care sector. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the aged care industry was already facing systemic failures on a massive scale. Poor-quality care assurance, critical staffing shortages and financial strain were just some of the issues putting vulnerable aged care residents more at risk.
As 2021 comes to an end, we are starting to see some of the aged care reforms gain momentum. Some of these improvements include:
- A funding agreement that increases total program funding for the National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP) from $52.6 million to $151.1 million over four years to support greater choice and quality safeguards for elderly Australians
- 80,000 new home care packages worth $6.5 billion were also allocated to help support older Australians who wanted to live at home for longer
- Stronger clinical care standards developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
- Up to 120,000 additional GP services through boosted Aged Care Access Incentive
- Palliative care services expanded to support end-of-life care at home
- New prudential monitoring, compliance, and intervention to help providers build financial sustainability, capability and resilience.
The Morrison Government committed to an investment of $17.7 billion towards an aged care reform package as part of the 2021-22 Federal Budget. This followed on from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety which recommended an expanded aged care advocacy, recognising advocacy support that identifies and actively considers consumer needs. The ultimate goal is to deliver an aged care system that encompasses respect, dignity and consumer choice and control.
A dedicated Council of Elders for senior Australians will be established over the coming months to provide advice to Government, which will be based on the experience of aged care residents, to ensure those who are most impacted by the system can have their say and help shape the new system. Nominations for the Council of Elders are now closed and are being considered, with members to be announced in the near future. Once the council is established, they will meet 6 times per year or more frequently as required.
The Government hopes that once they reach the end of the Five Pillar, Five Year reform plan in 2025, they will have achieved a once in a generation reform of the aged care sector, with the reforms. Progress has been very slow, according to many industry figures, and the COVID-19 lockdowns have not helped, but hopefully, we will see further changes in the new year. A complicating issue is the Federal election likely to take place by May of 2022.
Attwood Marshall Lawyers can help you with your transition to aged care
Attwood Marshall Lawyers have helped many clients navigate the complex aged care industry. We are passionate about making sure our clients make an informed choice about the care they receive and the living arrangements they want for themselves as they make the significant transition to aged care. There are so many options available, and our lawyers can provide clear advice to help people make an informed choice about their future. We have one of a very few lawyer Accredited Aged Care professionals in Senior Associate Debbie Sage who heads up our Aged Care team and is very knowledgeable in this complex area.
If you would like to find out more about transitioning to aged care, service agreements, or estate planning, contact us any time on 07 5506 8241, email dtolley@attwoodmarshall.com.au or freecall 1800 621 071.
Attwood Marshall Lawyers Wills and Estates Department Manager, Donna Tolley (left) with Julie Lockeridge and Bindy Marshall of Lockeridge Financial Advisory with the gifts donated by Attwood Marshall Lawyers to the Aged Care We Care Christmas Appeal.
Read more:
Part 1: Transitioning to aged care – it’s important to plan for the future
Part 2: Transitioning to aged care – what to expect when entering a residential aged care facility
Aged care sector receives good budget news
