Younger People in Residential Aged Care: Advocacy Campaign Assignment Sample

Subject Name : Health policy and advocacy

Health Policy and Advocacy

Introduction.

What is the ‘advocacy ask’ for your policy outcome?.

What evidence is needed and how robust is it?.

Who or what is the opposition?.

Who are you seeking to influence?.

Who will be your coalition?.

What is the key message?.

Which advocacy strategies will you use?.

How will you measure the outcome?.

Conclusion.

Reference list

Introduction to Advocacy Campaign

Most of the Australian residential aged care home provides facilities to the older Australian. However, people younger than 65 years also receive care facilities in these residential care homes in case there is no suitable accommodation available for them. The current study will focus on the opposition in placing young people in residential nursing home and reason behind it.

1. What is the ‘advocacy ask’ for your policy outcome?

The “advocacy ask” is referred to the issue currently being opposed in this study. The aim of the advocacy campaign is to change the policy of Residential Aged Care against including young people in these residential care homes. As mentioned by Eastwood et al., (2019), social exclusion can be considered as a major maintaining factor of the medical issues including physical and psychological issues. It has been observed that young people at the residential aged nursing homes are broadly excluded in terms of social, civil and economic dimensions. Therefore, the current advocacy ask is changing the policy of these residential care homes in placing young people into the case homes as they feel socially excluded and increases the difficulties in recovering.

2. What evidence is needed and how robust is it?

Research o the Australian, American and European young people placed in aged care home has demonstrated that placing young individuals in the aged care home may have significant negative impact upon the young people. It has been observed that young people living in the aged care homes enjoys little opportunity for socializing that may lead them to feel socially isolated. Most of the aged care homes are equipped for taking care of the aged individuals (dss.gov.au, 2020). More than six young individual are admitted in aged care home in Australia every day, every week more than 42 young Australians are placed into the aged acre home and this numbers in two thousand on yearly basis. They are also provided with minima; care facilities and required care facilities are not given to them. In this context, the case of Lisa 43 years old Australian can be mentioned. In spite of having severe brain injuries she could not receive extensive care for her speech pathology and had no choice but to stay in the age care home with no adequate facilities at all (Martin, L020). In her words, she considers the days she was under the aged home care facilities as “nightmare”.

3. Who or what is the opposition?

The opposition in this context can be considered the administrative bodies of the residential care nursing homes. In the year 2019, the Residential care providing organizations in Australia has generated revenue of of $17.8 billion, or $269.55 per resident per day basis. It is increasing as the years are passing. It is estimated that in the coming years the revenue will increase by 4.4% (Lane, 2018). This can be considered as the reason due to which the directors of the aged care homes are not taking the case of negative impacts of placing the young people in these residential care homes. On the other hand, some of the family members are also reluctant to admit these impacts upon the care users. Therefore, both these family members or community members and the aged home care authorities are the opposition. Apart from that, local politicians can also create resistance tio fulfill the campaign’s aim.

4. Who are you seeking to influence?

The influence is required to be placed upon the community members so that minimum awareness can be raised. Along with this, the family members of young people that are placed in the residential care home for aged people. On the other hand, attention of the major Residential care industry players of Australia such as Allity, Bupa, Regis, Opal, Estia and Japara will be drawn to influence the authorities to take the opposition under consideration. Apart from that the Morrison government or the “federal executive Government of Australia led by the Prime Minister of Australia’s” attention will also be drawn to make effective governmental regulations that will regulate the activities of these residential care homes impacting negatively upon the Australian young people seeking residential care facilities. “Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA),” will also be influenced for the purpose if this opposition (Inacio et al., 2019).

5. Who will be your coalition?

The Department of Social Services Australia will be the coalition for the opposition in this matter. The Australia government has already taken some measures to minimise the need of younger people to be placed in the aged home care. The action plan of the government to meet this objective, support system for the younger people ion aged care home have been increased (Karp, 2019. On the other hand, the Department of Health and its ministry will be the coalition for this opposition. Most importantly the family members that are aware of the negative consequences of placing their young family members in aged care home will e included in the campaign.

6. What is the key message?

The message that the opposition is going to place is the rights of the young people especially with disability, life-limiting illnesses, traumatic injuries or other difficulties are to be protected against the negative impacts on their health as emerging due to lack of proper care provided within the residential care homes. Along with this, the deterioration of health both physical and mental can be highly negatively impactful on the governmental reputation. Therefore, as responsible community member’s social care advocates it is required to raise the issue for protecting the rights of the young individuals at residential aged care nursing homes.

Media release

Headline

Stopping admission of young people in aged care home needs to be a norm!

Head

Australia is required to be aware about the negative consequences every young people at aged care are facing. We people are the ones that can make changes drawing attention of the government. For this purpose a rally has been arranged ad all are requested to join.

End

For more information people can contact to the local health care authorities.

7. Which advocacy strategies will you use?

Advocacy strategies are required to build in a way that those can draw the attention of government and the media. As influenced by Zail et al., (2020), advocacy strategies for this campaign will include traditional press conferences that will be discussing the issue along with its negative consequences. The community group along with other professional groups such as social workers, facilitators, mental health workers and others will be approached to participate in the protest march. Petitions can be filed, rallies can be arranged, and social media campaigning can be used for attracting the activists that would join the campaign spontaneously increasing the viability of the campaign as well.

8. How will you measure the outcome?

Te evaluation tools that are to be used for understanding the progress of this campaign includes surveys and interviews. The stakeholders in this opposition are the community members, care users, nurses, doctors and other associated persons will be interviewed about the perceived change in the policy and procedures. Social media can be used for online polling. Polling will help understanding the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours if the stakeholder regarding the opposition success (Quinn, Zeeman & Kendall, 2016). Case studies can be analysed after successful implementation of the campaign to understand anyone of the young people placed in the aged care have been provided with essential care or attempted to be replaced or not.

Conclusion on Advocacy Campaign

In conclusion, the Campaign will focus upon removing the young aged people from the aged residential care home for aged people as required equipments and facilities are not there for supporting these people. Along with this, the attention of the government departments and family members of the young aged people placed in residential care home will also be drawn.

Reference list for Advocacy Campaign

dss.gov.au, (2020), Younger People in Residential Aged Care | Department of Social Services, Australian Government. Retrieved 10 May 2020, from https://www.dss.gov.au/disability-and-carers/programmes-services/for-people-with-disability/younger-people-with-disability-in-residential-aged-care-initiative

Eastwood, K., Bugeja, L., Zail, J., Cartwright, A., Hopkins, A., & Ibrahim, J. E. (2019). Deaths of young people living in residential aged care: a national population-based descriptive epidemiological analysis of cases notified to Australian coroners. Disability and rehabilitation, 1-6.

Inacio, M. C., Khadka, J., Lang, C., Harrison, S., Crotty, M., Whitehead, C., & Wesselingh, S. (2019). Young people in aged care: trends in the use of aged care services by younger Australians, 2008–2016. Disability and rehabilitation, 1-9.

Karp, P. (2019). Aged care to get an extra $537m, most to be spent on 10,000 home-care packages. Retrieved 10 May 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/25/aged-care-to-get-an-extra-537m-most-to-be-spent-on-10000-home-care-packages

Lane, I. (2018). Meet the major players profiting from aged care in Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2020, from https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/retirement/2018/09/19/aged-care-profits-players/

Martin, L. (2020), Six young Australians a day forced into nursing homes. Retrieved 10 May 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/09/six-young-australians-a-day-forced-into-nursing-homes

Quinn, H. D., Zeeman, H., & Kendall, E. (2016). A place to call my own: Young people with complex disabilities living in long-term care. Journal of prevention & intervention in the community, 44(4), 258-271.

Zail, J., Eastwood, K., Bugeja, L., Bassed, R., & Ibrahim, J. E. (2020). Geo‐mapping of young people in residential aged care. Australasian Journal on Ageing.

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