ACT Discrimination, Health Services, Disability and Community Services Commissioner Karen Toohey will be at Goodwin Aged Care Services on Wednesday for the second successive week talking to retirement living operators about the territory’s Amendments to the Retirement Villages Regulation 2013.
All retirement village operators in the ACT will be required to have an elder abuse strategy in place from 27 May. It requires operators to develop and implement a strategy that supports staff and residents to identify and address abuse, neglect, exploitation or mistreatment of older people living in their retirement villages.
“As I have a complaint handling function re retirement villages in the ACT and I also have a complaint function regarding abuse, neglect or exploitation of older people in the ACT, I am running the workshops to support operators in implementing the new regulation which requires them to have a strategy to identify and address elder abuse in their villages,” Karen told The Weekly SOURCE.
Erik Boddeus, Goodwin Aged Care Services’ Executive Manager Retirement Living, Property and Development, said the operator has an unwavering commitment to protect their residents, ensuring they live with dignity and security.
“We categorically reject any form of abuse, particularly when it targets seniors and the most vulnerable within our communities. We strongly advocate for robust regulation and comprehensive education initiatives to combat elder abuse. We deeply appreciate and welcome the vital support the sector receives from the ACT Human Rights Commission, as it reinforces our collective dedication to safeguarding the rights and well-being of older Australians," Erik said.
