Dr Lucy Morris' response to Today Tonight story: Pension or Prison

The following is Baptistcare CEO Dr Lucy Morris' direct response to the Today Tonight story: Pension or Prison aired 4 August, 2010.

"The choice put by pensioner Henry Poole in the Today Tonight story broadcast 4 August 2010 left me desperately sad and frustrated.

"How can we give this choice any serious consideration? And yet, the fact that a comparison has even been made says something about the financial value placed on our services to our seniors by the wider community and government.

"It has not, however, addressed the care, love and attention present in our residential and community services which makes a mockery of the choice offered in this story.

"It seems to me that governments respond to pressure from the community – that is how our democracy is meant to work. If governments don’t see the need to prioritise funding and resourcing for our aged care services – perhaps we need to take a long, hard look at how we as a community see our seniors and maybe start to rearrange our expectations of ourselves and our governments.

"I believe that currently, our aged care system is designed by government to provide an adequate risk management strategy for potentially troublesome seniors issues, so the government can successfully outsource blame, risk and care.

"Aged care providers make good scapegoats and deflect true accountability. Quality of life really is not and can not be a consideration while ‘quality’ is viewed in a punitive, retributive aged care system, where all providers are seen as ‘shoddy’, ‘unprofessional’ and ‘out to rort the system’ and all residents and families are seen as ‘survivors’, ‘beating the odds’.

"As the CEO of a large, faith-based not-for-profit organisation, I am outraged, frustrated and upset that this is the only perspective on show for the wider community and wish that we could have a sensible debate about the difficult choices everyone makes as they decide on care for themselves and family members; and as the provider, what choices can we offer to residents and staff that ensure homelike, caring, relational, stimulating environments for seniors in lieu of continuing to live at home.

"Our choices in how we provide care are severely limited by governments, regulation, compliance, punishment and institutional practices and do not reflect community expectations. We achieve far better than what is reported and it is a credit to the staff and families that they are able to do so. Finding room to be innovative and creative while being good at what we do is a challenge. Baptistcare will go on meeting that challenge to the best of its ability, as a not-for-profit, faith-based community service provider. We will go on improving, sharing, caring and celebrating life, our residents, families and each other. But we need the help and support of communities and governments. We are community citizens seeking to do the best we can.

"So, Today Tonight, can we have a different sort of story please?"