OPAN’s National Older Persons Reference Group meeting 2024
Age discrimination, affordable housing, and a more effective process for handling complaints … these were just some of the topics up for discussion when 23 members of OPAN’s National Older Persons Reference Group gathered in Melbourne for their annual face-to-face meeting.
Reference group members travelled from as far afield as Brookhampton, in WA, and Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, to attend the 3-day event from 7–9 August. A further 8 contributed to the conversation online.
On day one, guest speakers included Rebecca Cook, from the Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), who addressed the need for safe, affordable, and accessible accommodation for older people and risk factors in the midst of a housing crisis.
Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Andrea Kelly gave an account of what she had learned through her community consultations and sought feedback from NOPRG members on improving access to aged care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Human rights and age discrimination
On day 2, Australia’s new Age Discrimination Commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald, spoke about human rights, age discrimination and intergenerational issues.
OPAN CEO Craig Gear and OPAN Director, Policy and Systemic Advocacy Sam Edmonds led a workshop on educating older people in the community about their human rights.
On day 3, Aged Care Complaints Commissioner Louise Macleod gave an overview of the current complaints process and sought feedback on the current strategy for quality improvement.
A range of different voices
OPAN established the National Older Persons Reference group in March 2020 to hear from, and engage with, a diverse range of older people across Australia, including: people living with dementia, people living with disability, people living with mental illness, LGBQTI+ people, people living in rural and remote Australia, people living in residential care, people living with rare and/or chronic disease, Forgotten Australians, Aboriginal people, and people from culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
To further broaden the input of people from minority, isolated or diverse communities and groups, OPAN has also established a Community Voices Register of people with expertise in specific areas of ageing.
