Why is this outcome important?
Outcome 1.2 explains providers’ obligations to make dignity, respect, and privacy a key part of their aged care services. Providers need to make sure they include these values in all aspects of how they deliver care. It’s important providers understand the rights of older people under the Statement of Rights. This includes the right to be free from all forms of violence, degrading or inhumane treatment, exploitation, neglect, coercion, abuse and sexual misconduct. Outcome 1.2 is relevant to, and supports, all other standards. To meet Outcome 1.2, providers and workers need to understand each older person so they can deliver person-centred care.
Outcome 1.2 focuses on the rights of older people to:
- not be discriminated against, coerced, abused or neglected
- maintain their dignity
- protect their privacy.
Supporting these principles makes sure older people are empowered to decide how they receive care. This helps to create a sense of autonomy and control over their lives. Providers need systems and processes that help older people to make informed choices about how their aged care services are delivered. These choices respect their preferences, support their wellbeing and protect them from discrimination.
Personal privacy is a key part of Outcome 1.2. Care needs to be delivered in a way that respects an older person’s privacy and dignity. To help strengthen trust and maintain older people’s privacy and dignity, make sure that:
- intimate care is done privately
- you protect older people's personal spaces and belongings.
Making these values a key part of how you deliver care shows that it’s important to treat older people as individuals with the right to a private, respectful and dignified life.
Providers need systems and processes that recognise, prevent and respond to discrimination, neglect and abuse. This includes incidents of coercion and sexual misconduct. This helps protect older people’s rights. Through respectful and person-centred care, providers make sure older people are treated with compassion and respect while also protecting their personal privacy.
You need to give focus to:
- recognising and respecting the relationship between older people, their supporters, family and carers
- making sure older people have a choice about when and how they receive physical care or treatment
- carrying out intimate care in private.
All providers are responsible for delivering aged care services in line with the older person’s rights, as set out under the Statement of Rights. This includes older people’s right to be treated with dignity and respect, to have their personal privacy respected, and to not be discriminated against, abused or neglected. This helps to protect older people as they are particularly vulnerable to abuse, including coercion and financial abuse.
Providers are required to have systems to recognise, prevent and respond to abuse, neglect and discrimination. Providers delivering aged care services in a home or community setting are not accountable for abuse and discrimination that occur outside of their delivery of aged care services. However, when they become aware of these occurrences, they have responsibilities to identify these may change the nature of the older person’s care and service requirements, and if required, provide emotional support and access to other services. This is part of their holistic approach to aged care services delivery. Providers should report these occurrences to the appropriate authorities in line with relevant legislation and with the informed consent of the older person.
