The Catholic Leader Flipbook - Issue 5577 - November 10

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The Catholic Leader, November 10, 2019
News
Canossa Village
Peaceful Living
There are currently 2 & 3-bedroom independent living units and
1-bedroom serviced apartments available for sale!
For further information please contact Heather Clarke (07) 3717 5552.
At Canossa we are committed to caring by fostering the core
values of respect, justice, love and compassion.
Canossa Village is a twenty minute drive from the Brisbane CBD overlooking 13
hectares of serene bushland providing a relaxing setting and a great place for
family and friends to visit.
We have the following accommodation options:
• 1 and 2-bedroom Serviced Apartments
• 1, 2 and 3-bedroom Independent Living Units
Canossa offers all the amenities to maintain an active lifestyle and facilities that
include a Library, Hairdresser, Heated Pool and on-site chapel.
Residents enjoy easy access to public transport visiting shopping centres and
recreational activities in the City, Mt Ommaney, Indooroopilly and surrounding
suburbs without the worry of driving or parking.
Positioned adjacent to Canossa Private Hospital, Medical Centre and Canossa
Aged Care Services residents have access to the entire range of health and
clinical support services giving peace of mind. Safety and security are a priority at
the Village.
Canossa has a team of highly qualified staff across our range of health and
residential services to assist people receive care and accommodation. Canossa
Village provides a community of caring Canossian Sisters in pastoral care and
nursing and is a registered Retirement Village.
HEALTH industry leaders have demanded major
changes following a shocking Royal Commis-
sion report describing the nation’s aged care as
“cruel and harmful” and older Australians in
nursing care as “just another body to be washed,
fed and mobilised”.
“It’s distressing to hear how the current
system has failed to deliver older Australians the
care, dignity and respect they deserve,” Catholic
Health Australia chief executive Pat Garcia said.
“All of us in the sector must listen carefully
and be ready to make significant changes to how
people are looked after.”
Formal recommendations from the Royal
Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
are not due until November 2020, however the
interim report handed down on November 1 lists
shameful failings requiring urgent action.
Topping the list is the widespread inadequate
management of wounds, that sometimes leading
to septicaemia and death.
There is poor continence management, with
aged-care residents often left “sitting or lying in
urine and faeces”.
The food in aged-care homes is “dreadful”;
malnutrition is widespread.
Assaults are commonplace, on both residents
and staff.
Old people are sedated en masse.
Palliative care is “patchy and fragmented” –
underlining the dire need for more resources and
funds to be spent.
“It is shameful that such a list can be produced
in 21st century Australia,” the interim report
said.
“At the heart of these problems lies the funda-
mental fact that our aged-care system essentially
depersonalises older people.
“A routine thoughtless act – the cup of coffee
placed too far from the hand of a person with
limited movement so that they cannot drink it,
the call buzzer from someone left unanswered,
the meal left uneaten with no effort to help –
when repeated day after day, becomes unkind-
ness and often cruelty.
“This is how ‘care’ becomes ‘neglect’.”
While the final recommendations are still a
year away, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has
promised extra aged-care funding will flow
before Christmas.
Mr Garcia said action could start by urgently
addressing the financial pressures faced by
residential providers.
“In the short term, the introduction of more
high-level home-care packages and an immedi-
ate injection of funds, pending the completion
of work on a new funding model for residential
aged care, would be beneficial,” he said.
“We also believe there should be an increase
to the viability supplement for rural and remote
services, a large proportion of whom are operat-
ing at a loss and do not have the reserves of
bigger operators.
“This could be delivered as part of a drought
relief package and would be a hugely significant
help for aged-care services in the bush.
“We respectfully suggest these constructive
ways forward are readily implementable, and
will still allow for more systemic, evidence-
based reform to be developed.”
Catholic Health hears
‘distress’ of aged care
It’s distressing
to hear how the
current system has
failed to deliver
older Australians
the care, dignity and
respect they
deserve.
‘Everything I wanted for our Church in one room ...’
Kingdom Now source of hope
By Joe Higgins
“THE great message of the day was we don’t have
to be so broken to need renewal, we can just be
renewed in the every day,” Regents Park parish lay
ministry co-ordinator Carrie McCormack said.
Mrs McCormack helped organise Kingdom Now, a Logan
Deanery renewal event, which saw 400 Brisbane Catholics gather
at the Logan Entertainment Centre last Sunday.
She said it had been a “great sign of hope” for the Church.
“Hope mostly to do with the atmosphere and seeing parishioners
– the Church – engaging with renewal ministry,” she said.
“Also (it was about) the opportunity to pray for our families
who aren’t practising their faith,” she said.
Liam Desic, who co-led the event, said it was great being a part
of an all-ages experience of the local Church “gathered in the midst
of creative, visionary excellence that put Jesus at the centre”.
Regents Park parish priest Fr John Conway said from his own
reflections there was a buzz among the people.
Fr Conway, who is the dean of the Logan Deanery, said seeing
people mingling after the Mass was finished, “I think that’s an
indication there was energy for renewal”.
“Guest speakers, Emma (Fradd) and Robert (Schroeders), and
the panels, their contribution to the day energised and enthused
those in attendance,” he said.
Renewal was also a challenge to see what was working and
what was not working in parish life.
“How do we as a parish continue to grow and build?” Fr Con-
way said.
Ms Fradd said during the panel discussions the renewal event
was everything that was needed.
“Everything I wanted for our Church in one room – lay people
empowered to go out,” she said.
“I can’t wait to see where God brings our Church in Brisbane.”
Mr Schroeders echoed Ms Fradd, saying “Kingdom Now was a
sign of hope for the local Church”.
Mrs McCormack said a stand-out moment for her was dur-
ing the panel section when Men Alive co-founder Robert Falzon
brought statistics to the discussion.
Mr Falzon discussed church attendance and particularly the
absence of fathers in attendance.
“It’s important to hear that there’s a lot of positive action hap-
pening and we’re all wanting renewal and we can work together to
achieve it,” Mrs McCormack said.
“In planning this event, it has brought our deanery together, it’s
united us and that’s been fruitful in itself.
“And going forward, we’re going to have a much stronger 2020
plan as a deanery.
“We’ve committed to youth plans, but we also want to commit
to parish renewal.”
Fr Conway said the deanery would review the event with the
co-ordinating team and he would take that to the priests of the
deanery and the youth co-ordinators and through those conversa-
tions, they would get a clear picture of the insights of the event.
“We’re considering the possibility of making this an annual
event,” Fr Conway said.
Supporting renewal: At Kingdom Now are (from left) Peter Pellicaan, Robert Schroeders, Emma Fradd, Josephine Cullen, Carrie
McCormack and Fr John Conway.