• Forum aims to compile suggestions and present a Dubbo community submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
• Community members invited to voice their ideas and to discuss how the elderly should be supported in the future, as people aged 65 years or over are projected to increase to more than 21 per cent of Australia’s population by 2066
• Guest speaker Charles Sturt University Associate Professor Maree Bernoth will share her insights from 34 years experience in the aged care sector

Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) Three Rivers University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) invites community members to attend a forum in Dubbo on Tuesday 7 May to voice their ideas and discuss how our elderly should or could be supported in the future.

Charles Sturt lecturer in Rural Health Ms Cathy Maginnis saidThree Rivers UDRH, the Charles Sturt School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, and Dubbo Regional Council will co-host the forum on aged care to engage the Dubbo and surrounding regional community, with the aim to compile suggestions and present a Dubbo community submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

“The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety highlighted the importance of health care and support for an ageing population in October 2018,” Ms Maginnis said.

“With the proportion of people aged 65 years or over in the total population projected to increase from 15 per cent at 30 June 2017 to between 21 per cent and 23 per cent by 2066 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017) now is the time to focus on developing an understanding of what high quality support, care and safety should look like for this population.”

Ms Maginnis said the healthcare workforce is also a primary area of concern in our region, with universities and government agencies working hard to ensure there are adequate training positions and opportunities for students to experience living and working ‘in the bush’.

“The Charles Sturt UniversityThree Rivers UDRH is one such initiative which aims to support students to live, study and work in regional and rural Australia,” she said.

“It also aims to engage with the local community and to provide regional leadership in addressing solutions to workforce recruitment issues.”

Ms Maginnis said Three Rivers UDRH is delighted to announce the guest speaker at this forum is Charles Sturt Associate Professor Maree Bernoth, who has been involved with the residential aged care sector as an academic and a Registered Nurse for 34 years.

“Professor Bernoth’s PhD explored what it means to be safe working in residential aged care, and she was awarded an Office of Learning and Teaching Award in 2013 for her innovative approaches to teaching ageing,” Ms Maginnis said.

“She has undertaken extensive research and practice development projects in the residential aged care sector.

“Professor Bernoth has led a number of research teams exploring rural ageing, mentoring nurses, elder abuse, and the inclusion of older people in teaching ageing as well as gaming as an approach to engage students in learning about ageing.

“She is an author of peer reviewed publications including a book, chapters texts related to ageing and research, and has presented national and international conference papers in China, Sweden and New Zealand.”

The aged care forum is an interactive workshop at the Wesley Community Centre, 66 Church Street, Dubbo, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm onTuesday 7 May.

This is a free event with light refreshments provided. 

Please register and RSVP for catering purposes and register by contacting Cathy Maginnis Lecturer in Rural Health email cmaginnis@csu.edu.au or phone 02 6885 7324.

“I encourage anyone with an interest in aged care, healthcare professionals working in aged care, and anyone supporting an aged person to join us with Associate Professor Maree Bernoth to engage in the workshop, to share experiences and make suggestions for supporting our elderly community in the future,” Ms Maginnis said. 

For more information about this event contact Ms Cathy Maginnis, Lecturer in Rural Health (Clinical Educator), Three Rivers University Department of Rural Health at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo on 6885 7324 or 0436 368 285.

Three Rivers University Department of Rural Health is a department of Charles Sturt University and is part of a consortium partnership with The University of New South Wales, Western Sydney University and Notre Dame University. Charles Sturt University and its consortium partners acknowledge the financial support provided by the Australian Government Department.