Aged care information for the community, by the Community

Friday 5 May 2017

Clients and staff from Uniting AgeWell in Hobart have been involved in the birth of an important information brochure designed to support people in their journey through the complicated aged care system.

The project forms part of a broader undertaking by COTA Australia, known as the Consumer Engagement in Aged Care (CEAC) project, which began with an Australia-wide consultation process that identified three major areas of concern from consumers and carers involved in the sector.

In order to address the areas of concern, COTA invited a number of aged care services to participate in three co-design processes across Melbourne, Newcastle and Hobart.  Each location was given one area to focus on and asked to come up with some workable solutions.

Uniting AgeWell Social Worker Kim Patmore, who was part of the process, said using a co-design approach for the project ensured the solutions would be useful and relevant.

“Co-design is essentially about consumers being involved in the development of a product,” said Kim.  “It’s about getting all the stakeholders involved and working as active participants to find a solution to a problem – which makes a lot of sense.”

The Hobart group, which included representatives from Uniting AgeWell, the Migrant Resource Centre, COTA Tasmania, rural representatives from Oatlands and surrounding communities, and South East Community Care, was asked to address the fact that ‘consumers and carers need support to access aged care services and support’.

“By working collaboratively with COTA Australia, we progressed through a structured co-design process to come up with some ideas and eventually agreed that an information brochure that identifies the key pathway into and through aged care, as well as key support agencies, would be the best way to address this issue.

“It was a very robust process that enabled us to develop a product that not only meets the needs of people in the community, but was designed by people in the community too,” she said.

The brochure will be launched at a special event on Friday, May 12, at 1pm at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart, where those involved in the process and interested parties are invited to celebrate together and learn more.

Media are invited to attend the launch

When: Friday, May 12, 2017 from 1 – 3pm 
Where: Hotel Grand Chancellor, Harbour View Room, 1 Davey Street, Hobart