Source: The Adelaide Advertiser [Letters to the Editor, Opinion]

I REFER to "3000 more visits to care homes ordered'" (The Advertiser, 24/3/08).

This is good news for families of residents who live in aged-care facilities. This provides families with some peace of mind knowing that the Government cares about the safety and wellbeing of their ageing parents.

However, spare a thought for people with intellectual and physical disabilities who are living in disability care facilities in South Australia.

SA is the only Australian state which does not have the legislation to support accreditation and monitoring of disability support services in the form of an official visitors scheme. Other states have adopted such a scheme to protect the safety and wellbeing of their family member who has disabilities and cannot speak up for themselves

SA does not provide any mechanism to protect these vulnerable people. Consequently, unlike the protection afforded the ageing population, we cannot talk about the abuse which occurs in these facilities.

The organisations are protected from any criticism or correction, with the absence of a legislated process to monitor these services in SA.

So while the Government recognises the need to increase the monitoring of neglect and abuse, which may occur in aged-care facilities, people with disabilities who live in disability care facilities have no option but to accept whatever happens to them.

F. JUCHA,

Marion.