2024 NARI Annual Summit:‘Human rights are older people’s rights, too!’

On Friday 20th September 2024, the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) welcomed over 80 distinguished leaders, government officials, advocacy experts, industry representatives, academics, researchers, health and aged care professionals and older people themselves to their 2024 Annual Summit titled: ‘Human Rights are Older People’s Rights, Too’.

The summit, held in Naarm (Melbourne), was opened by the recently appointed federal Assistant Minister of Social Security, Ageing and Women, The Hon Kate Thwaites MP, who spoke about the importance of valuing and supporting older people across the spectrum of ageing experiences.

“As a society, we need to acknowledge that older people have lived full lives quite capably, and that their right to agency and self-determination does not diminish with age. As a government, we must ensure our social policies reflect the spectrum of circumstances of older Australians.”

Assistant Minister Thwaites praised the efforts of NARI and fellow collaborators, many of whom were in attendance at the summit, for their shared aspiration in making a difference to the lives of older people and those who care for them.

The new Aged Care Act, Working for Women Strategy for Gender Equality and National Elder Abuse Awareness Campaign were highlighted by the Assistant Minister as examples of the government’s commitment to supporting older people to age well, feel financially secure, and live in communities that meet their needs and respect their rights.

“The work of NARI and the many academics and advocates here today all contribute to helping the Albanese Government deliver on our vision of an Australia where everyone is entitled to respect, dignity and the opportunity to participate in the social, cultural and economic life of our nation.”

In delivering his keynote address, ‘Participants not Onlookers – The Human Rights of Older People’, Age Discrimination Commissioner Mr Robert Fitzgerald AM discussed the urgent imperatives and opportunities for our communities to address human rights gaps for older people.

However he stressed that addressing ageism in our health and aged care systems, empowering age-inclusive work forces and reducing elder abuse requires collective effort that actively involves older people.

“Older Australians must not be consigned to being onlookers in the decisions that affect, nor the systems that support them.”

The theme of not only listening, but actually hearing the voices of older people was reinforced by Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Ms Andrea Kelly who provided an overview of her findings from over 135 national consultations and engagements with both the sector and older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Having an aged care system that is accessible, ensuring appropriateness and cultural safety of services and care, flexibility and choice in service delivery, and having local Indigenous workforce in caring roles were identified as being crucial in what matters to older First Nations people.

“We have the right to be Aboriginal in this place” – Andrea Kelly on findings from her SA consultation

This was echoed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc. (VACCHO) Dr Jill Gallagher AO who shared her mother’s experience of the Australian aged care system, reinforcing the need to put Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands to create culturally safe experiences that ensure that best quality care is available.

The role of the Aged Care Council of Elders in providing a direct voice to government from older Australians about their experiences and perspectives on changes to the aged care system was introduced to the summit audience by current member of the council, and well-known LGBTIQA+ advocate, Dr John Davis.

He also shared his personal insights into navigating health and aged care systems in Regional Australia, both as a carer to his partner and as an older person himself, later in the day alongside an esteemed and diverse panel of advocates and lived experience experts that included:

• Mr Nikolaus (Niki) Rittinghausen – Manager, Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing
• Ms Anne Muldowney – Acting Director, Policy and Systemic Advocacy, and the Older Persons Advocacy Network
• Ms Robin Vote – Aged Care Advocate and Member of OPAN’s National Older Persons Reference Group (NOPRG)
• Ms Dilnaz Billimoria – Consumer Representative for the Communities Council On Ethnic Issues (CCOEI), Women’s Health East (WHE), Eastern Health, Interfaith Networks and NARI MindCare Project

The insightful and thought-provoking panel discussion offered solutions-focused perspectives and the “how” of change regarding human rights and older people in the real world.

It was inspired by a moving presentation earlier in the summit from the CEO of Wintringham Mr Bryan Lipmann AM who described how he founded Wintringham in 1989 in response to his frustrations of watching elderly men and women die in homeless persons’ night shelters, unable to access mainstream aged care services.

Finally, the summit also showcased the critical role of translational research in supporting older Australians to achieve their full participation in various aspects of life, with NARI researchers presenting a range of world-leading projects in areas such as: elder abuse, dignity in continence care, co-designing education programs with people impacted by dementia and engaging older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in research.

Executive Director of NARI, Professor Tracy Comans acknowledged the generous support of Australian Unity in sponsoring and assisting with the event, as well as the serendipitous choice of this year’s summit topic given the recent introduction of the long-awaited Aged Care Act to Parliament just last week.

“For almost 50 years, NARI has been dedicated to improving the lives of older Australians through research and research translation. We are committed to advancing the discourse on ageing and human rights in Australia, with this year’s summit providing a timely opportunity to discuss key reforms, in particular, the new Aged Care Act which was introduced to Parliament on 12th September 2024.”

“NARI would like to thank Australian Unity for hosting the event, as well as the incredible line up of guest speakers, panel members, NARI researchers, and summit attendees who contributed to such purposeful, powerful and passionate discourse regarding human rights and older people.

“The open, honest and trusting atmosphere that was created by all participants on the day provided a productive space for the exchange of authentic insights and the generation of revolutionary ideas to ensure that the rights and freedoms of all older Australians are recognised, respected and realised.”