Rights

Topics in this section:

Charter of Resident Rights
Community Aged Care Packages

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, advocacy being one example.

Part 4.2 of the Aged Care Act 1997 and the User Rights Principles 1997 recognise that a person's rights are not diminished when they move into a residential aged care facility and set out a number of user rights and related provider responsibilities including a Charter of Residents' Rights and Responsibilities.

This Charter is a statement of the rights and responsibilities of older people in approved residential facilities and includes 'the right to have access to advocates and other avenues of redress." The Charter also recognises that older people have the responsibility to respect the rights and needs of other people within the residential care service.

The User Rights Principle 1997, under the Aged Care Act 1997 also recognises that a persons rights are not diminished when they are receiving a Community Aged Care Package and sets out rights that older people have when receiving a Package.

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