NARI shines a light on older people’s rights  

More than 80 leaders, government officials, advocacy experts, industry representatives, academics, researchers, health and aged care professionals, and older people the National Ageing Research Institute at its recent annual summit.

Entitled Human Rights are Older People’s Rights Too, the 20 September event in Melbourne, opened by the Federal Assistant Minister of Ageing Kate Thwaites.

Ms Thwaites said that the government must ensure their “social policies” reflect the “spectrum of circumstances” of older Australians.

“As a society, we need to acknowledge that older people have lived full lives quite capably, and that their right to agency and self-determination does not diminish with age,” said Ms Thwaites.

“The work of NARI and the many academics and advocates here today all contribute to helping the Albanese Government deliver on our vision of an Australia where everyone is entitled to respect, dignity and the opportunity to participate in the social, cultural and economic life of our nation.”

Age Discrimination Commissioner Mr Robert Fitzgerald discussed the urgent imperatives for our communities to address human rights gaps for older people, while Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Ms Andrea Kelly provided an overview of her findings from more than 135 national consultations and engagements with both the sector and older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Esteemed LGBTIQA+ advocate, Dr John Davis, spoke about his personal insights into navigating health and aged care systems in Regional Australia, both as a carer to his partner and as an older person himself, and was joined by an assorted panel of advocates and lived experience experts to discuss solutions-focused perspectives and the “how” of change regarding human rights and older people in the real world.

Panel Speakers included Nikolaus Rittinghausen from the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing, Anne Muldowney from the Older Persons Advocacy Network, aged care advocate Robin Vote and consumer representative Dilnaz Billimoria.

Also highlighted during the summit was the vital role that translational research plays in aiding older Australians to achieve their full participation in numerous areas of life, with NARI researchers showcasing a diverse collection of world-leading projects in areas such as: elder abuse, dignity in continence care, co-designing education programs with people impacted by dementia and engaging older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in research.

Executive Director of NARI, Professor Tracy Comans thanked Australian Unity for hosting the event and the lineup of guest speakers, panel members, NARI researchers, and summit attendees who contributed to such “purposeful, powerful” and “passionate discourse” regarding human rights and older people.

“For almost 50 years, NARI has been dedicated to improving the lives of older Australians through research and research translation. We are committed to advancing the discourse on ageing and human rights in Australia, with this year’s summit providing a timely opportunity to discuss key reforms, in particular, the new Aged Care Act which was introduced to Parliament on 12th September 2024,” said Ms Comans.  

“The open, honest and trusting atmosphere that was created by all participants on the day provided a productive space for the exchange of authentic insights and the generation of revolutionary ideas to ensure that the rights and freedoms of all older Australians are recognised, respected and realised.”

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