Aged care needs to be more in your face
A former high court judge has told the sector that it needs to stop being passive and tell it like it is.
Former high court judge Michael Kirby has told the aged care industry to be a bit more “in your face”.
Speaking at the Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA), Justice Kirby said the sector deserves more respect and honour than it currently receives.
But he said part of the problem was that aged care providers are too passive.
“I think this industry tends to reflect, and perhaps imbibe, the attitude of the people it cares for,” Justice Kirby said.
“The older generation was ‘brought up properly’ and didn’t speak out. It was prudent in how it spoke and not too in your face.
“I’m here to tell you that sometimes it’s alright to be a bit in your face to get your message heard.”
The former judge urged the aged care industry to follow the example of oppressed minorities, such as indigenous Australians, Asian Australians, women and gays, who gained recognition in spite of discrimination.
“How did they achieve change? Because people began to stand up and tell it how it was. They weren’t going to be prudent and simply stand back.
“I think there is a great lesson in these struggles for the people looking after people with disabilities and people who are older.”
Despite admitting that he had never personally used email until he retired from the High Court in February this year, Justice Kirby encouraged the sector to embrace new media forms such as Twitter to spread positive stories about aged care.
“It’s a very difficult thing in the age of modern media to get the good news stories across,” he said.
“It is a challenge but it is a challenge that must be addressed and some of the new technologies like Twitter could present an opportunity.”
