AGED care facilities across Orange will go online from 2013 in a new ranking system to make things easier for the elderly and their families.
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Announced by the federal government last week, the My Aged Care website will rank facilities across the country with the community set to benefit according to the government.
Touted to include information on staffing levels, amenities and any history of complaints, the website will be similar to the MySchool, MyHospital and MyUniversity sites.
Catholic Aged Care managing director David Maher, who manages St Francis Aged Care in Orange, welcomed the new website but said it would not impact on the running of the facility.
Mr Maher said at this stage there were no plans to alter St Francis Aged Care in order to achieve a higher ranking on the My Aged Care site.
“St Francis has an excellent reputation in Orange,” he said.
One Orange resident, who didn’t want to be named, said she would not have used the site if it had been available when her father moved into an aged care facility.
“I probably wouldn’t because I knew that’s where mum wanted him to go and it’s close to home,” she said. “Although it could be an advantage to people who are new in town.”
The resident said if you were familiar with the town you lived in you probably wouldn’t need a website like My Aged Care, and finding the right facility often came down to “word of mouth”.
Mr Maher said he would endeavour to ensure the “correct and valid” information on each Catholic Aged Care facility was uploaded prior to the My Aged Care launch next year.
The website will be a benefit for the elderly and their families when deciding on a facility, according to Mr Maher, although he is unsure if there is a right of appeal if they disagree with the ranking their facilities receive.
“I’ve got no idea how the website will function, it’s very early days,” he said.
nadine.morton@ruralpress.com