Source: Office of the Hon. Kristina Keneally, NSW Minister for Ageing and Disability Services

MEDIA RELEASE

Release Date: 28 March 2008

NSW Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, Kristina Keneally, will today join the last leg of the Youngcare Walk, raising awareness about the issue of young people with disabilities or nursing requirements who live in residential aged care facilities.

Ms Keneally said that the 10-day, 300km walk from Canberra to Sydney will finish at Parramatta Stadium at tonight’s televised NRL game between the Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights.

"There are 367 people under the age of 50 in NSW who for one reason or another live in aged care facilities," Ms Keneally said.

"The Youngcare walk is a great initiative which is drawing attention to this issue and raising funds to help construct age-appropriate accommodation for young people with high care needs.

"It is important that Governments at all levels, non-Government organisations, and the community as a whole work together to combat the challenges associated with this issue."

Ms Keneally said that the Iemma Government has already surveyed all of the people who are under 50 and live in residential aged care, with responses relatively evenly divided with:

• A third of respondents saying they wanted to move to more age-appropriate facilities;
• A third saying they want to stay in aged care with additional types of in-reach support packages; and
• A third saying they want to live in their family homes, live with a carer or live alone.

"Just like everyone else, a person with a disability has individual preferences when it comes to their accommodation, and through talking to them, listening to their needs, and designing appropriate services we aim to improve the quality of their lives," Ms Keneally said.

"The Younger People in Residential Aged Care Program is an important part of our $1.3 billion Stronger Together program, and a significant step in improving the circumstances of younger people with a disability who have very high support needs.

"Under the program, we are already rolling out new packages of services for people who wish to remain in residential aged care and new, aged care accommodation for people who do not.

"The joint five-year $81.2 million NSW-Commonwealth program, is helping to identify where young people with disabilities who currently live in, or are at risk of entering, nursing homes want to live - and help them to achieve those goals.

"There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the issue – we’ve already delivered a number of improvements, and there’s more to come."