Grand opportunity on the box

The celebrity duo promoting The Grand Plan election campaign have appeared on Channel Ten’s 7pm Project to talk about choice, access and sustainability in aged care.

John Safran and Father Bob Maguire decided to lend their support to the campaign in a bid to get people talking about the importance and value of older people.

Mr Safran told the panel show that the objective of the campaign was to raise the profile of aged care services and to counteract negative stereotypes about ageing.

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“All the aged care providers, the big names like the Salvation Army etc., want people to contact their local members to try to convince them that we should change aged care so it’s better,” he said.

“We’re very arrogant aren’t we? You know, you learn more from old people than from entering something in Google.”

Father Bob said he and Mr Safran had “banded together” to put a humorous spin on the serious business of supporting Australia’s elders.

“So many old people have got no choice in where they end up. The government won’t give them enough money,” he said.

“When you’re treated as old, you end up thinking you’re old and when you start thinking you’re old you feel you’re old and when you feel you’re old, you start acting old.”

So far, more than 800 post cards have been sent to grand older people and over 1,000 emails have been sent to the Minister for Ageing through The Grand Plan website.

Click here for more information about the campaign and to see how you can get involved.