Aged care group concerned over welfare laws

A national body representing aged care providers says there is a danger of older people being treated like children, if the aged care sector becomes over regulated.

A Senate committee is taking evidence on proposed changes to aged care laws.

One idea is to make nursing homes and other care providers notify the Aged Care Department each time police are called to an incident.

But Greg Mundy from Aged and Community Services Australia says he is concerned it could be the first of a string of measures which would dramatically restrict the freedom of residents.

“[This] also includes things like having electronic locks on doors,” he said.

“Also covered [is] having people wearing bracelets that identify where they came from, [which] has a very strong flavour of infantilising older people … saying they actually have fewer rights to movement than anyone else in the community.”