The following press release was published back in August 2010 – when we launched Supported Living at Tweed Heads, with the Fairways Aged Care facilities

Media Statement from Jim Soorley

Former Lord Mayor says nation ill-prepared for the ageing tidal wave.

Former Brisbane Lord Mayor Jim Soorley has launched a Supported Living community at Tweed Heads with a call for greater acknowledgement of the role of the private sector in tacking the aged care crisis.

Mr Soorley said today that neither party in the election campaign had properly addressed aged care policy and both had “dropped the ball” on this critical issue.

“We’ve had two intergenerational reports now highlight the baby boom bubble coming through and the nation’s systemic failure to plan for it.

“Yet there’s no innovative policies before the electorate that deal with it,” he said.

There are currently 11 Supported Living communities in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

The new, user-pays Supported Living sector is positioning itself as a real alternative to traditional aged and nursing home care, offering to maintain residents’ independence, privacy and dignity with the right level of care and support.

The 70 home master-planned Fairways community has been developed on Soorley Street at Tweed Heads – named for the Soorley family which originally owned the land on both sides of the street.

“I’ve launched the facility both out of respect for the town of my birth and my concern that the aged care crisis must be addressed by government working cooperatively with the private sector.

“There’s a ageing tidal wave coming that the nation is ill-prepared for in my opinion.

“By sheer weight of numbers aged care must evolve into a priority political issue for the nation over the next half century.

“The population aged 80 and over will grow 400% over the next 20 years and by 2042 over 70s will comprise 20% of the population.

“Australians over 85 years is the now the fastest growing age group and we’ll have over 4 million elderly persons by 2019.

“The trouble is don’t we have enough accommodation now to deal with the current demand let alone the future needs of the nation, and not everyone wants the nursing home model” he said.

Mr Soorley said that he wanted to see both major parties move to embrace the Supported Living sector through incentives and cooperation.

“These might include:

• The Federal Government entering Public/Private Partnerships with the sector to develop new communities.
• Governments federal, state and local working together with the sector to identify appropriate new locations
• State and Council planning authorities reducing approval times, fees and charges in order to fast track appropriate development
• Approved provider or accreditation to enable Supported Living communities to apply to receive Community Aged Care Packages (CACP) – which are government subsidised care packages offered to older people who wish to remain in their own home but who require assistance with some day-to-day tasks.
• The Federal Government dramatically increasing the number of Community Aged Care Packages (CACP) available to residents of Supported Living communities.

Mr Soorley said that he viewed Supported Living as what governments have been looking for – a user pays aged care model.

“Supported Living can take the pressure off government and should be looked at as a crucial element of the mix in addressing aged care.

ENDS

For further information:

Jim Soorley on 0419 705 890

Gregg Hewitt on 0413 442 229