Page 1809 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 7 June 2006
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otherwise end up in residential aged care facilities are living in the community with their family or other peers, enjoying the social, recreational and family benefits that the ACT has to offer.
As members would know, Disability ACT currently provides a number of services and supports to young people with disabilities who would otherwise be at risk of entering an aged care facility. These include accommodation support in four specialist Disability ACT group homes and funding of two non-government organisations—Centacare and Koomarri—to provide specialist support for people with high and complex physical support needs. In the 2005-06 budget, one individual who was residing in a nursing home received community support and crisis intervention initiative funding for the provision of appropriate alternative long-term residential care and support.
This new initiative will offer assessment and planning services to those people currently inappropriately accommodated and to those who are currently in hospital settings awaiting accommodation and support. I am trying to answer all of Mr Smyth’s questions; I think I am getting through them bit by bit. Ms MacDonald will follow up on the question about Hughes.
A purpose-built group home will be constructed to accommodate four people with high support needs and will be staffed specifically to meet the needs of this group. This home will provide long-term accommodation and will be designed to meet both physical care and social support needs of the residents. A number of other people who may otherwise be forced into residential aged care facilities will be assisted with support in their own homes so as to be in a position to access their community.
In conclusion, the actions of the government in supporting these services to people with disabilities will improve access to appropriate supports for people with high and complex needs, improve community and government responses to people with a disability, minimise barriers and maximise opportunities for people with disabilities to access the ACT community.
I thank Mr Smyth for his comments. It is good to have a united Assembly position on this, an acknowledgment that young people living in nursing homes or other aged care residential settings is inappropriate, and that we will work together to make sure we address that and more appropriately accommodate them and provide them with the support they need to enjoy their lives.
MS MacDONALD (Brindabella) (11.08), in reply: I would like to thank Mr Smyth and, of course, the minister for their support. I would also like to apologise to Mr Smyth. We were trying to find out an answer to the question he posed earlier on but, unfortunately, we have not had it come down yet. We will have to give it to him at a later point. It is an important thing to address, so we are keen to do that.
I do not think anybody would have an issue with supporting this motion. We do not want to see young people condemned to spend their lives in inappropriate settings; that is why I have brought the motion on today. I commend the motion.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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