Our mob, our health, our way

ABORIGINAL PEOPLE MUST BE PART OF CO-DESIGNING AGED CARE SOLUTIONS

Indigenous leader Ken Markwell says it’s important we get aged care right for our First Nations people.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the challenges associated with a rapidly ageing Australian population are exacerbated by higher rates of chronic disease and health conditions; lower life expectancy; and lack of access to care—specifically, care that is culturally appropriate.

We have known for a long time that there are unique factors to the provision of culturally appropriate aged care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. When we talk about our culture we talk about ‘our way’. It’s all about our mob, our health, our way. It has been well documented that our wellbeing is strongly influenced by spiritual, cultural, social and community factors—our health and wellbeing encompass every aspect of our life.

However, providing this care is challenging. The Aged Care Royal Commission’s final report noted, ‘there are currently not enough Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and other people with high levels of cultural competency, employed across the aged care system’.

The ability to provide culturally appropriate care is made even more difficult when we consider the obstacles required in providing access to age services in remote and very remote regions of Australia. In a sector already facing workforce challenges, employers in these remote and very remote locations must deal with factors including (but not limited to) worker safety issues related to the immense distances required for travel; isolation from other services; and the need for an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culturally appropriate service delivery and health approaches.

These workforce factors, coupled with the constraints of the funding, compliance, and regulatory environment for age services, contribute to complexity in recruiting, retaining, training and managing a high-quality workforce in remote and very remote areas.

The Federal Government’s $572.5 million budget response is welcome and will hopefully improve the aged care experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, increase capability and viability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander care organisations, and grow and foster a skilled and culturally safe workforce.

It is essential that Aboriginal people are genuinely involved in services and programs that have an impact on their lives. The current operating model in Australian Unity’s Indigenous Services business seeks to address some of the significant gap in holistic wellbeing outcomes faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including socio-economic and cultural barriers in accessing the services they need.

This approach includes much lower ratios of customers to Service Coordinators, with more hours spent building relationships, building health and aged care system knowledge and playing a role as trusted advisor and connector to non-Indigenous services with Aboriginal customers and their families, including through our specialised Community Access Coordinators. Services for Indigenous people are most effective when the community is involved in both the planning (co-development) and implementation stages. Australian Unity engages with Indigenous experts, Elders, community members and other local service providers in a consultative process, where we understand and measure what matters, not just what is the matter with our customers; and the most appropriate methods of implementation can be identified.

It is equally important to ensure adequate representation of Indigenous people in organisation’s structures. For example, 100 per cent of our Indigenous Services Executive and the majority of our leadership group and staff identify as Aboriginal. It is important that Aboriginal people are part of co-designing solutions alongside customers and community.

It’s imperative that our mob be involved in services and programs that have an impact on our lives and I look forward to working with the age services industry and Government to best identify and meet the needs of Indigenous people. If we get aged care right in remote and Aboriginal communities, we will get it right everywhere.

Ken Markwell is Executive General Manager Indigenous Services, Australian Unity. For more information visit www.australianunity.com.au

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