History - Principles

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Principles
Role in Aged Care

Principles

The fundamental principle underlying the Residential Aged Care Advocacy Services Program is that:

• "Difficulty in personally exercising rights should not mean that those rights no longer apply. Rather it means that some effective method of assisting the person to exercise their rights must be found. In practical terms, the notion of an advocate or advocacy service is seen as one mechanism to meet their needs."

The Residential Aged Care Advocacy Services Program will:

• provide high quality consumer-focused services that are delivered in a manner that upholdsthe rights of older people;
• aim to ensure maximum participation of older people in the advocacy process so that they continue to be optimally involved in decision making about their quality of life;
• ensure that clearly stated standards of service are available and applicable to all members of the client group;
• strive for high quality practices delivered in a professional manner;
• include open and constructive communication, consultation and feedback mechanisms and clear points of contact;
• maintain a positive relationship with key stakeholders which, while recognising the independence of the Program, allows for collaborative approaches to improving quality of life and quality of care of older citizens;
• provide a consumer focus for the quality assurance system of the Australian Aged Care Program;
• fully utilise our unique capacity to contribute to other quality assurance mechanisms within the aged care system;
• act as a resource to further contribute to Better Practice and the Quality Assurance framework within the Australian aged care system;
• maintain internal management systems that promote accountability and best practice.

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