Federal Member for Dobell, Ms Emma McBride, will host Labor’s Medicare Taskforce at The Entrance on July 11.
Taskforce Chair, Ms Sharon Claydon, the Member for Newcastle, and, Dr Mike Freelander, the Member for Macarthur, will meet with residential and home care providers, aged care workers, carers and people living with dementia. “Aged care is a really important issue on the Coast, where one in five of us is aged over 65,” Ms McBride said. “There are more than 100,000 people in Australia, 750 of which are on the Central Coast, waiting for home care packages.
“Many of these have high needs and are living with dementia. “We have repeatedly called on the government to fix the aged care crisis. “In the Budget, the Government made only 14,500 new packages available over three years, when the waiting list grew by 20,000 in six months,” she continued. Ms McBride said the Taskforce was also keen to hear positive stories about living well with ageing and dementia. “They will meet members of the Central Coast Dementia Alliance, of which I am a patron, and hear about ways our community is working to make the Coast a more dementia-friendly community,” Ms McBride said.
The Taskforce will also visit Bupa Aged Care, Bateau Bay, to see the University of Newcastle’s Senior Smiles dental program in action. The Taskforce will meet at The Entrance Community Centre and will host a doorstep event from 12:15pm, pending the conclusion of the roundtable.
Source: Media release, Jul 5 Alysson Watson, Office of Emma McBride MP