Oakdale Services Tasmania

Ageing & Disability Forum

" Living with the need for change... "

OST CEO Mr. Paul Byrne

Moderator Mr. Mark Pattison Exec. Director NCID

Keynote Speaker Prof. Chris Bigby Latrobe University

Dr. Jane Tolman Royal Hobart Hospital

Parliamentary Secretary The Hon. Bill Shorten

OST Forum a success

On Friday 4th December OST conducted an Ageing & Disability Forum ‘Living with the need for change....’

Attended by over 100 people, the forum brought together key stakeholders in the Aged and Disability Sectors, together with people with a disability, their families and carers, federal and state politicians, professionals, and government representatives.

The purpose of the forum was to bring to the attention of Federal and State Governments the need for immediate action to enable people with a disability to enjoy the right to remain in their home as they age. People with a disability who live in supported accommodation are currently not eligible to access funding programs designed to support people to age in their homes.

Keynote Speaker, Professor Christine Bigby of Latrobe University, presented a paper ‘Ageing with a lifelong disability: Issues, Evidence and Solutions’. This provided a well evidenced insight in to the current situation and to the options available to resolve current challenges.

Dr Jane Tolman, Director of Rehabilitation and Aged Care Services at Royal Hobart Hospital, presented her paper entitled ‘Challenges of Ageing in the 21st Century’. This demonstrated the parameters of the current challenges and the coming tide as the population of Australia more rapidly ages over the next 10 to 40 years.

Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, The Hon. Bill Shorten, addressed the Forum and answered questions. He acknowledged the lack of progress in resolving issues since the election of the Labor government. It was however noted elsewhere that this issue had been on successive Federal Government agendas since the mid 1990’s.

Mr. Shorten agreed that changes were necessary in the way Australia funded disability services. He said that last week’s announcement by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that the Federal Government would ask the Productivity Commission to undertake a study into new approaches for funding and delivering long-term disability care and support was an exciting development.

Brigid Knight, sister of a long term Lodge resident, presented the human side of the dilemma of people with growing needs living in supported accommodation.

A panel discussion ‘Supporting John’ provided for a lively presentation of views.

To pursue the issues raised on the day, a group of four CEO’s from Tasmanian based support organisations (Lea Brady, Paul Byrne, Geraldine Harwood and Paul Mayne) together with Margaret Reynolds (NDS) have agreed to pursue recommendations with the State & Federal governments and report on progress.