The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
18 July 2004

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De La Salle, Cronulla, just keeps on giving

Row rages over TV doco on abortion

Christian Brothers won’t quit schools

Afternoon tea for Cardinal

State aid challenge ‘a waste of time, money’

Pope’s condolences

Appeal for information on Changi priests

Prior re-elected

Pitter patter: Chatterbabe

‘Festival’ became Catalyst for Renewal

Stability of marriage ‘is crucial to society’

Cardinal’s Comment: Honesty – it will always be the best policy

Editorial: Sure to shock

Letters: Great joy

Conversation: Matthew Hayden, Test cricketer and man of faith - When I’m in trouble, I ask: ‘What would Christ do?’

St Vincent de Paul: Future care of frail, aged

‘Grave obstacle’ to peace

‘Time of grief’ when abortion documentary airs on ABC

Church in Papua New Guinea looks to stand alone as a self-reliant entity

Aunt would have been ‘delighted’

Any food for the orphans?

Assisi turned Marilla to song

Early Mozart in Latin for ACO

Bars no barrier to the message of the Gospel

Green, green grass of ...

St Vincent de Paul: Future care of frail, aged

By John O’Neill

A TOTAL of 930 frail, aged people depend on Vinnies for care in the special work facilities of the Society of St Vincent de Paul across the State.

Our aged care facilities give preference to the disadvantaged. They come to the Society for care, love and dignity during the last years of their lives.

The Society’s aged care program in NSW is undergoing a restructure of management responsibility from a regional and diocesan structure to a company structure, incorporating the 20 aged care services operated by the St Vincent de Paul in NSW.

The major reasons for these structural changes are the ageing Australian population, increased government regulations and funding complexities.

As a large provider of aged care services in NSW the Society must plan for future challenges in caring for frail older people.

Australia’s ageing population will have almost doubled from 12 per cent in 1999 to an estimated 20 per cent in 2020.

This growing demand is placing great strain on government funding of such services and, in consequence, on other providers like the Society.

If the Society is to remain an effective and viable carer of the aged, then it must make the best possible use of its aged care facilities.

Our focus must be on setting the highest standards of individual care for the loved ones of families who place their trust in the Society to care for their relatives, parents and grandparents.

Increasing regulations and issues of occupational health and safety have made it more challenging to focus on the individual needs of residents.

The Society’s new structure for aged and special care services will provide its 20 facilities with centralised administrative and management support, freeing staff and committees to spend more time on our core business, resident care.

Under the new arrangement the former local management committees will be invited to continue with a new function and terms of reference enabling them to focus on the social, recreational and pastoral care of residents.

The complexity of the law governing aged care has made the restructure necessary, but we do owe a debt of gratitude to the management committees for their good work over many years and hope they will remain with the new terms of reference.

The changes include the incorporation of a new subsidiary which will progressively assume responsibility for each service as quickly as possible.

The new subsidiary – St Vincent de Paul Society Aged and Special Care Services Ltd – has been in operation since July 1.

This company will operate as a separate business and involves the appointment of a board of directors with a depth of experience in aged care, business and finance.

The Trustees of the St Vincent de Paul Society (NSW) will be the sole shareholder or member of the new company and hold the ultimate power of veto over the board of St Vincent de Paul Society Aged and Special Care Services Ltd.

The changes to the management structure of the Society’s aged care will foster more efficient organisation and financial management, thus improving the resources available to our residents.

The goal of this restructure is at all times the provision of better services to the residents.

All decisions are made with the Society’s mission statement as our foundation, to achieve this goal.

We have tried to treat and will continue to endeavour to treat people with dignity and justice throughout these changes and ask for your prayers during this transition period.

Keep smiling and God bless.