A new draft report has found aged care services for retired LGBT people will ‘need to be flexible and appropriate’.
Perth’s own GLBT Retirement Association Inc. (GRAI) released it’s We Don’t Have Any Of Those People Here report last year which was consulted in the draft report.
Recommendations from the GRAI report included creating an inclusive environment, opening up communication and initiating LGBT-inclusive practices in retiree services.
The Australian Government’s Productivity Commission draft report on caring for older Australians was released last month. Concerns were raised over some services discriminating against individuals with special needs because of the higher costs that were associated with delivering the appropriate care.
The report suggested that extra services or higher levels of funding were not the answer for groups like gay and lesbian retirees. Instead, the national commission suggested aged care services should be ‘respectful’ and ‘responsive’ to the needs of groups from diverse ethnicities and religious cultures as well as gays and lesbians.
One of the draft proposals to come from the report will be newer diversity needs to be better recognised for gay and lesbian care recipients and refugees.
The Productivity Commission is accepting submissions in response to the draft till March 21. The final report is not due till June 2011.
Benn Dorrington
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