Population ageing is one of the major forces shaping Australia’s future as Australians are living longer although with increased vulnerability to health and wellbeing risks. Populations are ageing at a rapid pace across the OECD member countries, however they are not ageing as well as they could. This will have large consequences for health and long-term care systems. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has released a new report, The Economic Benefit of Promoting Healthy Ageing and Community Care (2025), which focusses on four key pillars to promote healthy ageing close to people’s home: prevention, health system adaptation, home care and the continuum of care in the community. Investing in healthy ageing policies is therefore not only an important human right but also a social and economic necessity.
In Australia, a new legislated supported decision-making approach to aged care will commence on 1 November 2025 under the New Aged Care Act, creating significant responsibilities for those providing care, as well as for families and others who support older people. To help prepare for these changes, the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) has launched new supported decision-making resources for both older people and aged care providers. These new resources give older people practical tools to exercise that right and help providers understand how to embed supported decision-making in everyday practice: My Supporter List Toolkit and Free Training for aged care professionals – OPAN.
CFA engages with these issues by supporting a representative to the Standards Australia committee MB-027 Aging societies as part of the CFA standards Project. The CFA representative contributed to the development of the Australia Standard AS 5391:2024, Advocacy in Ageing and Disability, FREE access to read this standard is available via the Standards Australia Reader Room, find out more on this video.