Speak Out April 2016

In Focus - Aged care

How does SPA advocate for aged care?

Speech Pathology Australia is a member organisation of the National Aged Care Alliance (NACA). NACA is a representative body of peak national organisations in aged care including consumer groups, providers, unions, and health professionals, working together to determine a more positive future for aged care in Australia. Speech Pathology Australia has representation on a number of NACA and department advisory groups and working parties. This includes current representation on the Department of Health’s Quality and Compliance Standards Technical Advisory Group and Aged Care Funding Instrument Technical Reference Group. In 2014, Speech Pathology Australia provided budget support to the WA branch to produce the Communication Matters video. The video highlights the importance of communication in residential aged care facilities and is a useful resource for SPA represents the interests of the profession in the area of Aged Care through actively responding to government inquiries and discussion papers. Recent submissions include responses to: the Victorian Parliament’s Legal and Social Issues Committee Inquiry into End of Life Choices, the Australian Government Department of Social Services’ Commonwealth Home Support Programme and Good Practice Guide consultation feedback, the NHMRC Partnership on Dealing with Dementia and Related Functional Decline in Older People Draft clinical guidelines for dementia, and the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee Inquiry: Furure of Australia's Aged Care Sector Workforce. Successful outcomes of these submissions have included a requirement that speech pathologists funded under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme must hold the Speech Pathology supporting advocacy and education activities. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WPyp2wNZ08

Australia Certified Practising Speech Pathologist credential. These submissions can be found on the SPA website: www. speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/lobbying-and-advocacy/ submissions SPA has a dedicated National Advisor in Aged Care, Jade Cartwright, based at National Office. The aged care project officer position was established to refine SPA’s strategic response to the My Aged Care reforms currently underway in Australia. This demonstrates SPA’s commitment to aged care. Aims of this project include increasing recognition and understanding of the speech pathology role in aged care and ensuring an adequately prepared and supported speech pathology workforce. Strategies to increase recognition of communication as a basic human right will also be explored. The aged care advisor is supported by a newly established Aged Care Working Party (ACWP), bringing together a panel of speech pathologists with clinical and research experience in the area of aged care. The ACWP will assist the identification of priority areas and key issues facing the profession, while promoting evidence based services and models of care for older Australians. The ACWP is currently developing a speech pathology training package for the newly established Regional Assessment Services. SPA’s Find a Speech Pathologist search function includes aged care in the area of clinical interest search function. For further information and/or to join this community, please go to: www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/information-for- the-community/find-a-speech-pathologist

Jade Cartwright National Advisor Aged Care

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Speak Out April 2016

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au