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Media Releases for 2003

Contents

• Seniors welcome chance to improve community care services 28 March 2003
• 50 + job seekers invited to have their say on finding a job 24 March 2003
• Grandparents study: Tuesday 4 February 2003

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Seniors welcome chance to improve community care services

28 March 2003

Seniors and their families welcome moves to improve access to community care services by making the complex and confused system more streamlined.

"Community care services play a critical role in enabling older people and people with disabilities to live confidently in their communities", said David Deans, joint chief Executive of COTA National Seniors. He was commenting on the release of A New Strategy for Community Care' a discussion paper by Commonwealth Minister for Hon Kevin Andrews.

Community care provides services such as home care, personal care, meals-on-wheels and home nursing.

"At present it is very difficult for people to find the right service when they need it," Mr Deans said. "Members of the community don't know where to go or what they can ask for. There are numerous funding bodies each with their own rules and regulations and thousands of service providers."

Patricia Reeve, Director of the COTA National Seniors Policy Secretariat commented, "The problems have been recognised by all levels of government and service providers. We now need action to produce a better quality of life for those needing support because of the impacts of disability, injuries or chronic disease."

The discussion paper has four key elements:

- Organising services around three levels of need.
- Providing integrated information and entry to services on a regional basis.
- Reducing unnecessary duplication in assessments.
- Reducing administrative and accountability requirements.

"These seem to be practical first steps", said Ms Reeve. "The first two should provide immediate benefits to consumers. It is only fair that people receive services according to their level of need rather than whatever happens to be available. Reduction in inefficient procedures should reduce stress and release skilled staff to work directly in providing services."

"We welcome the Ministers invitation for us to consult with our members and provide advice on the best ways to implement these changes. Amongst our 270000 individual members and over 1000 seniors organisations, there is a wealth of expertise and experience from people who receive these services, their families and friends, and those who work as volunteers in the various programs."

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50 + job seekers invited to have their say on finding a job

24 March 2003

COTA National Seniors is inviting job seekers aged over 50 years to participate in workshops designed to hear their problems with finding work, and to give them practical advice on finding employment in today's jobs market.

Veronica Sheen, Deputy Director of the COTA National Seniors Secretariat,is leading an Australia wide project on mature age employment issues, to discover problems and assist individuals in meeting the challenge of finding employment if they are over 50. The project is funded by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

"Mature age workers face job challenges across Australia,"she says."I have conducted workshops in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Bundaberg in 2002 and have just completed Darwin, with Tasmania, NSW, Qld, WA and Victoria soon to follow."

"Everywhere people talk about the impact of companies selling up and selling out, coping with IT in jobs, the importance of networks and contacts, and discrimination against older workers and job seekers."

"Our workshops enable mature job seekers to have to say, and can also help them in understanding and operating in the new job market. Flexibility is the key – to businesses operating and surviving and to job seekers marketing themselves, understanding the job market and employment opportunities."

Veronica Sheen says the workshops are aimed at people who are actively interested in employment who may be currently in work, out of work or have retired early but are contemplating a return to work. They may be actively looking for work at the moment or you may be a discouraged jobseeker and have given up looking although you would like to work.

The one day workshops have a range of expert speakers in the area of workforce and economic change and also in looking for work. They are geared to exploring local labour market conditions, opportunities and challenges including the possible benefits of portfolio employment.

Participants have much to contribute to the workshops from their own experiences. There will be ample opportunities for them to speak, ask questions, network, relate their experience and tell the Government, through COTA National Seniors what they think are the key issues and what would most help.

The aim is to link them to some useful services following attendance at the workshop, for which there are no charges.

Dates and Times

One day workshops will be held at: NSW: Wagga Wagga on 25 March, Gosford- Wyong 1 April, Fairfield- Liverpool 2 April, Wollongong 4 April;Qld: Logan 15 April.WA: Perth 21 April; Albany 22 April. Vic: Dandenong 18 June; Geelong 19 June

More information, registration:

COTA TAS 02 6228 1897;COTA NSW 02- 9286 3860;COTA QLD 07 3221 6822;COTA WA 08 9321 2133; COTA VIC 03 9654 4443

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Grandparents study

Tuesday 4 February 2003

Hon Larry Anthony, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has commissioned Australia's leading seniors' organisation, COTA National Seniors(1), to investigate the experiences and needs of grandparents who have taken on a significant, sometimes fulltime, caring role for their grandchildren.

Spokeswoman, Patricia Reeve, says: " The grant will enable us to conduct a series of forums and seminars across Australia to gather information on the experiences of grandparents. These will also provide opportunities for networking and sharing of experiences. The forums would involve and benefit from the work of existing grandparent self-help groups.

"Many such small groups are isolated from other groups and could benefit from the resources and experiences of others."

"We will use the experiences and results of the meetings to report to the Minister on how government could best respond to the needs raised. These could be in areas of financial and legal issues, support which may be required and any impediments to the well-being of the children or their grandparents."

"This Project is to be completed by June 2003. It will contribute to our on going work with grandparents. Over the next two years we hope to work with more grandparents, with the Australian Early Childhood Association and other organisations, on a more comprehensive project."

"Our aim is to explore the most effective ways of enabling grandparents to tap into the expertise and support of a wide range of children's services, seniors' groups and community organisations," Patricia Reeve concluded.

1. Council on the Ageing (COTA) and National Seniors Association have formed a partnership to promote the wellbeing of seniors. Combined membership of the Partnership includes 1500 seniors organisations and over 250,000 individuals over the age of 50 years.

See more on this project

For comment on any media releases or articles please contact

COTA National Seniors Policy Secretariat
Level 2, 3 Bowen Crescent
Melbourne 3004
Tel: (03) 9820 2655 Fax: (03) 9829 9886
email: cota@cota.org.au

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