Dr. Aideen Hartney:

In answering the Senator's question, I will reiterate a point made by Dr. McDonagh. As we are not a representative body and we have not consulted widely among people with disabilities on this matter, it is beyond our competency to have a position on this. It is a much wider ranging debate than just the question of disability. Our competency is to advise this committee, if it is making a recommendation one way or the other, on the areas that would need to be focused on in terms of introducing safeguards.

The Senator is absolutely right to pick up on the question of inadequate home care supports and the question of housing. Professor O'Neill has mentioned that housing is an issue that has been raised in other jurisdictions. We find that the inadequate access to accessible housing stock means that people are rooted into institutional models of care as they age, perhaps as they acquire a disability or as they age with a disability. In the disability specialist services sector there is now a perception that congregated settings are not delivering good outcomes and quality of life for people. There seems to be a disconnect then at the older age end of things. This committee might like to think about delving into a few of those areas in greater detail. Organisations like ourselves can offer advice and guidance on specific matters like housing stock, transport, and access to community living and independent living. It is important, in the whole medical arena, to ensure healthcare is delivered in a way that is accessible to all who wish to access it. Further training and education is probably necessary in this area to ensure complicated medical information is delivered in a way that allows the patient to understand if they have a particular disability. If this is the route that is taken, a lot more work needs to be done with a focus on this area. I certainly think speaking directly to disabled persons' organisations would be a valuable use of the committee's time in order to hear directly from the people who have the lived experience.