The western Victorian town of Ararat has identified a growth opportunity in the form of a special jail for ageing prisons, citing that there are no prisons delivering geriatric care. They have contracted Keith Hamburger, the ex director-general of Queenslands Corrective Services to champion their case. 11% of prisoners are now aged over 50 and while in the 1980s and 90s most people died in prison from self harm, today most die from natural causes. The trend is also for longer sentences. In California where geriatric care in prison is spiralling in costs, a system of younger prisoners being paid to support older prisoners has been implemented. The Victorian government says any decision is some way off.
Govt releases “final major version” of Support at Home Manual – but key details still missing
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DOHDA) has released Version 4 of the Support at Home Program Manual – but with less than seven weeks to go before the 1 November start date, critical details are still to come.