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The New Charter of Aged Care Rights as of July 1, 2019

On July 1, 2019, a new Charter of Aged Care Rights replaced the Charter of Care Rights and Responsibilities. Previously there were four different charters for aged care services and these have now been condensed into one.

Following is a summary and overview of the new Charter of Rights for 2019.

Changes to the new Charter of Rights

The purpose of changing the old charter of rights was to make them simpler and plainer language, easily understood by anyone who reads them. The new charter aligns more with the Aged Care Quality Standards (ACQS) that also commenced July 1, 2019. The Charter and the new ACQS place the consumer at the centre of care by giving them choice and recognising their right to be treated with respect. It also supports continuous improvement in the delivery of Consumer Directed Care.

The 14 consumer rights of the new Charter

There are 14 consumer rights under the new Charter of Rights as follows:

I have the right to:

  1. Safe and high quality care and services
  2. Be treated with dignity and respect
  3. Have my identity, culture and diversity valued and supported
  4. Live without abuse and neglect
  5. Be informed about my care and services in a way I understand
  6. Access all information about myself, including information about my rights, care and services
  7. Have control over and make choices about my care, and personal and social life, including where the choices involve personal risk
  8. Have control over, and make decisions about, the personal aspects of my daily life, financial affairs and possessions
  9. My independence
  10. Be listened to and understood
  11. Have a person of my choice, including an aged care advocate, support me or speak on my behalf
  12. Complain free from reprisal, and to have my complaints dealt with fairly and promptly
  13. Personal privacy and to have my personal information protected

Communicating the new Charter of Rights to residents and consumers

At St Louis Aged Care, we are committed to staying up to date in aged care developments to provide the best care we can. This includes staying abreast of changes to aged care standards, approaches to delivery of care and the technology used to support our residents and their families.

As standards change, we inform our residents and consumers so that they are always kept up to date. To communicate the new Charter of Rights, we are meeting with each and every one of our residents and consumers to explain the changes and answer their questions.

We also offer the new Charter of Rights agreement to sign but this is not mandatory and is up to the individual.

Other resources available about the new Charter of Rights 2019

Your aged care provider will be able to give you up to date information about the new charter and there is information available online at the following links:

Charter of Aged Care Rights
Previous Charter of Care Recipients' Rights and Responsibilities

St Louis Aged Care – since 1946

For more than 70 years, St Louis has been looking after the needs of older Australians throughout Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula. We have evolved with the industry through many changes in Aged Care Standards, with a commitment to delivering the best quality of care over our many years.

We have a residential facility in leafy Parkside, with independent living units next door, and we provide home care services to people in Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula. Call us for a confidential conversation about the aged care needs of your loved one or for yourself, on 9332 0950.

Want to learn more?

Charter Blog