Werribee residents passing by will be able to sign a giant blue ‘Time to deliver for aged care in Budget 2010' postcard addressed to their local federal member asking Ms Gillard to ensure the next federal budget addresses the complex challenges facing the residential aged care sector.
The community event is part of the Australian Nursing Federation's national Because We Care postcard campaign which is aiming to have more than 100,000 postcards signed by the community and sent directly to Federal MPs and Senators. The Because We Care campaign has devised a four-point action plan to address the existing and future challenges residential aged care is facing across the country.
The campaign aims to:
- address the steady decline in registered nurses employed in aged care
- establish mandated nurse resident ratios to ensure safe quality care for residents
- increase aged care nurses' wages. Aged care nurses earn about $300 less each week than hospital nurses
- guarantee taxpayer funding is used for nursing and personal care for each resident.
ANF (Vic Branch) Assistant Secretary Yvonne Chaperon said: "The Rudd Government must increase funding in the next budget and it must attach strings to that funding to ensure the aged care sector employs a mandated minimum number of skilled registered nurses and qualified care staff to provide quality care to older Australians.
"Our loved ones, our parents, our grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends living in nursing homes require a loud voice at the table when the Rudd Government makes the budget decisions that will impact on their health and quality of care. We are asking Ms Gillard to be one of those voices." she said.
