The NurseWatch team were there at the ABC studios on Monday night when Q&A took an in-depth look at the Aged Care sector and what needs improving. The panel included our very own favourite chef and restaurateur, Maggie Beer, along with consumer advocate Sarah Holland-Batt, the CEO of Leading Age Services Australia Sean, Rooney, the Minister for Aged Care, Richard Colbeck and the Shadow Minister for Ageing, Julie Collins. It was a great debate and all hosted by Fran Kelly.
NurseWatch’s Kate Radcliffe asked the last question of the night, complementing Maggie Beer on her “Role model for ageing well.”
Kate asked Maggie: “Firstly, Maggie I’d like to say I want you to be you when I grow up. You represent a wonderful caring accomplished person in her senior years who is still doing what she loves, and you always take an interest in everyone you encounter. And I really admire that. You are a recognisable role model for ageing well. which I am sure we all agree. And I really admire that. Do you think we, as a community, need to make more of an effort to celebrate ageing, so that we do not forget our elders, nor subject them to substandard healthcare and, as a society, allow them the best quality of life in their final years?”
Maggie answered: “Absolutely. Celebrating age is what we should be doing. And what we should be doing is making sure we’re all connected, that we’re doing something that we love, and that we encourage everyone around us to do this. And, um… and see the respect for those that have lived long lives and gone through so many things that, you know, have made this country what it is today. And, you know, there has got to be joy in life. There’s got to be pleasure, and so I bring so much back to food, where… Nutrition is not enough…”
Fran Kelly said: “You bring it all back to food!”
Maggie: “Nutrition is not enough. Pleasure. Pleasure and the will to be engaged and be part of a community and multi-generational… And, you know, getting back to what we’re talking about in this sector, professionalism. We have to raise these standards so everybody that is part of it has got to show that they know what they are doing and to be so registered, and look at every good bit of information that is around, and utilise it and change your thinking, and love life. That’s what we all should be doing!”
Fran: “And on that note, that is all we have time for tonight. Could you please thank our panel: Sean Rooney, Sarah Holland-Batt, Richard Colbeck, Julie Collins, and Maggie Beer. And thank you, all of you, for your questions tonight, and the hundreds of questions we received in anticipation of this. It was really overwhelming, the interest in this. You can continue this discussion on Facebook and Twitter.
To watch NurseWatch’s Kate deliver her question to Maggie, click here.
To watch the entire episode, click here.
To listen to the podcast of the Aged Care edition of Q&A, click here.
Thanks to all the panelists of #abcqanda – especially Maggie Beer – and here’s to a better future for Aged Care in Australia!
