Garrawarra Centre For Aged Care

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Speakers - Stone Mrs Lorna; Woods Mr Harry
Business - Private Members Statements

GARRAWARRA CENTRE FOR AGED CARE

Mrs STONE (Sutherland) [6.06 p.m.]: I wish to speak on Garrawarra Centre for Aged Care, which serves the people of the Sutherland shire and the Illawarra area. I call on the Minister for Health to abandon his desire to downgrade the centre and, instead, to proceed with the former coalition Government's planned redevelopment. The Garrawarra Centre for Aged Care has had a rich and proud tradition for caring that dates from early this century. It has catered especially for the aged for the past 28 years. The current role was developed by the former Southern Sydney Area Health Service, of which I was chairman. Garrawarra's geographic environment is parkland and is ideal for a specialist dementia facility, with beautiful parks and gardens, and space to wander and reflect. The physical facilities are another issue. This is another example of the withdrawal of capital works from the area by the Labor Government.

Specialist providers of dementia care should, by rights, be increasing in size and number, rather than decreasing, as New South Wales demography indicates not only an increasingly ageing population but an associated increase in the prevalence of dementia. Indeed, the Australian Bureau of Statistics data would indicate an unprecedented increase in the proportion of people aged 65 and older. Within this group the proportion of very elderly people, more likely to experience dementia and related disorders, is increasing at a profound rate. The population aged 65 and over will increase by 9.2 per cent up to 2001 and by 74.6 per cent up to 2021. The population 85 and over will increase 37.3 per cent by 2001 and by an astonishing 142.9 per cent by 2021. There is little justification for the downsizing of facilities which specialise in the management and care of aged persons with dementia and related disorders.

Currently Garrawarra has a highly skilled staff mix with 90 per cent of nursing staff being qualified as either registered or enrolled nurses. The centre also employs 14 diversional therapists, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a pharmacist, a social worker and three career medical officers. These staff are highly skilled in the management of people with dementia and related challenging behaviours and contribute to Garrawarra's reputation as a provider of skilled dementia care. The Garrawarra Centre for Aged Care has a long tradition of being a teaching centre in aged care. Until recently it was one of only two providers offering a specialist postgraduate program in aged care for registered nurses.

The centre is also the largest provider of trainee enrolled nurse positions, with an average of 40 places being made available annually in a program conducted in association with TAFE. Downsizing of service will result if the programs are not continued and funding is withdrawn. In addition to the credible educational profile, the centre is currently leading the way in aged-care nursing by establishing nursing development units in dementia care and end-stage palliative care for dementia patients - a conjoint program with the tertiary sector. Nursing development units in these clinical areas are an Australian first and provide unquestionable value in contributing to nursing research and theory development in the area of aged-care nursing, particularly in dementia management and end-stage palliative care.

How is it, then, that the department has made many statements of support about the provision of dementia-specific specialist facilities, yet for 87 years has neglected one of its largest dementia-specific services? The department has now decided to downsize that service and that is absolutely appalling. The department speaks of the need for specialist education and skilled staff in dementia care. How is it that the Garrawarra Centre for Aged Care is recognised as a teaching centre in that field yet will lose its educational role, along with its funding? It is not that Garrawarra should lose its 100 beds to the Illawarra that is the problem; the problem is that those 100 beds should be extra beds. [Time expired.]

Mr WOODS (Clarence - Minister for Regional Development, and Minister for Rural Affairs) [6.11 p.m.]: I point out to the honourable
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member for Sutherland that aged care is primarily a Federal Government obligation. Perhaps she should talk to her Federal colleagues in this regard.

Motion by Mr Woods agreed to:

That standing and sessional orders be suspended to extend private members' statements to permit a further statement, from the member for Manly.

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