According to Vision Australia, more than 190,000 vision impaired seniors will miss out on disability and aged care programs because they don’t qualify for support.
DisabilityCare Australia will revolutionise the way people under 65 with disability receive support. But, with the age cut off for DisabilityCare and the aged care system not focused on providing support for people with disability, senior Australians are missing out.
Vision Australia Special Projects Manager, Gerrard Gosens said: “This creates not a gap but a chasm for people over 65 who are blind or have low vision and need support.”
“Seniors tell us that they want to feel physically and emotionally safe, remain connected to their local communities, families, friends, and continue living in their own homes for as long as possible,” Mr Gosens said.
Despite major reforms in both disability and aged care, we still do not have a national program in place that helps Australian seniors who are going blind to manage its effects while staying independent and safe?
In response, Vision Australia has united with more than 20 leading blindness organisations in the nation (through the Australian Blindness Forum) to voice the concerns of people over 65 years old.
“We want political parties and candidates to commit before polling day to implement a coordinated program,” Mr Gosens said.
The blindness community has taken the step of asking Members of Parliament and candidates to sign a pledge that would see issues addressed within the next Parliament. The candidates’ Roll of Honour and Pledge is available at: www.visionaustralia.org/federalelection
Fast Facts:
- The incidence of blindness and low vision increases with age as follows: Age 60-69 (3.39% or 1 in 30 people); 70-79 (5.67% or 1 in 16 people); 80-89 (9.59% or 1 in 10 people); 90+ (14.82% or 1 in 7 people).
- The report “Clear Focus – the economic impact of vision loss 2009,” concluded that vision impairment prevents healthy and independent ageing and is associated with increased risk of falls (double), hip fractures (quadruple), depression (triple), and admission to nursing homes three years early.