Tag: Ageing and Community

Older people in Perth’s north eastern and Hills suburbs can gain access to care and support designed to maintain their independence and quality of life at home.

Juniper, part of WA’s UnitingCare network, delivers a full range of home care services that can be an effective option for older people who want to live independently at home but may need assistance.

Juniper community executive manager, Daymon Joseph, said the organisation’s care packages are for people aged 65 and over, or 50-plus for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander clients.

“We understand that support in the home may be a new opportunity for some, so our aim is to help people live their life on their terms,” he said.

“Today’s release of the Intergenerational Report (IGR) provides an opportunity for us to think about the policy decisions we face. It should focus us on ensuring all Australians can participate and contribute,” said Lin Hatfield Dodds, National Director of UnitingCare Australia.

“The forecasts in the report don’t tell us the future, but they do give us a sense of the significant demographic shifts that are likely to occur. The IGR provides an opportunity for us to make plans now, to ensure we have a reliable safety net and can provide opportunities for people in the future.”

“A strong safety net should not be seen as a barrier to a good future, but as a central plank for a good society now and in the years ahead.”

“With government currently spending more than it collects in revenue it is clear that some changes are needed. We should be giving less government assistance to people who don’t need it and more assistance to those who do.”

“Reform to superannuation will also be important to secure the government’s long-term revenue stream and ensure retired Australians can meet the costs of their ageing.”

The Government’s announcement of $54.4 million in funding that will go over four years to a new initiative to support people with severe symptoms of dementia in residential care facilities is very good news,” said Lin Hatfield Dodds, National Director of UnitingCare Australia.

“Our agencies provide the largest share of aged care in the country and we are consistently hearing that the challenges of caring for people with dementia are growing. Additional support to assist residential care providers in meeting this challenge is most welcome.”

Approximately 1 in 4 people aged 85 and over have dementia. With an ageing population it is expected that by 2050 nearly 900,000 Australians will be living with dementia. At the moment, more than half the permanent residents in Government-funded aged care facilities around the country have been diagnosed with dementia.

Juniper has long had a commitment to providing pastoral support to our residents, clients and staff expressed through Uniting Church Chaplains and arrangements with Uniting Church congregations.
In recent years Juniper has observed the huge increase in diversity in belief systems and spirituality within the Australian community and among their residents, clients and staff.

In light of these changes, Juniper has recently committed more resources to a new dimension of spiritual care by creating a new Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team to respond to the variety of pastoral and spiritual needs of its people.

The team has recently been appointed and comes together with skills, training and experience in chaplaincy, pastoral care and aged care and from different Christian denominational backgrounds.

They work across 17 of Juniper’s residential facilities in Perth and Northam providing one-on-one support for the different expressions of spirituality and spiritual journey amongst the residents and staff.