Page 468 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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The strategy has yielded significant initiatives. A land bank of sites has been developed which will enable the future development of 400 new high and low care beds and 600 independent living units. The services of a case manager in the Chief Minister’s Department will assist aged care providers with development proposals. As well, $4 million in concessions will be made available to a number of service providers to assist in developing their accommodation projects. Since the strategy was tabled in 2003, the ACT government has released additional land for an extra 900 aged care beds in Canberra, with 128 under construction and another 548 to be built over the next two years.
The government is well aware that population characteristics have a major impact on the economy, types of housing and related infrastructure, government services and the lifestyle of our population. The government also strives to meet the needs of seniors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Four community housing units for the Tamil Senior Citizens Association were opened recently to accommodate older members of that community. The property will provide older members of the ACT community on low to medium incomes with appropriate and affordable accommodation and will enable residents to continue to live both independent and active lives.
The units are the result of a proposal to the ACT government by the Tamil Senior Citizens Association. An ACT government grant of $550,000 was provided under the community housing funding program towards the cost of the construction. The Tamil community also raised significant additional funds to assist with the construction of the units and for the commencement of a new community centre on the premises. The Tamil senior citizens housing project was a combined community project to ensure that the design of the units met the needs of the residents and their community.
As Mr Hargreaves said earlier today, the ACT public rental housing assistance program has been revised to sharpen its focus on people most in need, including seniors. Under the new priority system, applicants with the most critical needs can expect to be housed within three months, compared with a much longer period under the previous system. A refocused system of needs targets groups of applicants with complex needs, such as those with disabilities, including the frail aged and people with serious and chronic health and mental health issues.
The ACT government is committed to supporting older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible or for as long as they desire. One of the major forms of assistance available to assist older people to live independently in their homes for as long as possible is the home and community care program. The home and community care program is a joint ACT and commonwealth program. It provides support for frail older people and younger people with disabilities to assist them to remain in their homes and avoid premature admission to residential aged care.
One of the support services provided under the HACC program is transport to enable people to go shopping and keep appointments and to travel to social activities and visit friends. One of the major impacts on an older person’s life is the loss of their drivers licence. Without the ability to travel, many people experience isolation. In addition to employed drivers, volunteers play a major role in the provision of
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