National Seniors Australia will be telling aged care providers and consumer groups, what older Australians want to see in future aged care, as part of Australian Health Care Week, the largest health care event in the country.

CEO of National Seniors and Director of Research, Professor John McCallum, will present the findings of a survey of more than 5,000 seniors at the event’s VIP Age Care Summit in Sydney later today.

The National Seniors survey asked respondents on their attitudes to helping design or “co-designing” the future of aged care.

“The survey gives providers a road map on how they can turn their care facilities into a greater asset through reform and innovation,” Professor McCallum will tell the event’s forum today.

He will also explain the research found almost half of respondents answered “older Australians” when asked about who should be involved in helping design a future aged care model.

“There are several reasons for this,” Professor McCallum said.

“Seniors have the expertise and the wisdom in this field according to our respondents, and they are also the most affected by the outcome.”

The survey also found that respondents who said older Australians should be included in helping co-design aged care should be involved in every aspect from the ground up.

“That includes critical parts such as food, staffing and social activities,” said Professor McCallum.

However, while the majority of older Australians were in favour of co-design, the survey found a third were unsure about the concept or wary of the term if it was a government project.

“Our members told us it was akin to ‘government waffle’ or ‘bureaucratic speak’.

The survey was conducted in 2021 and was open to all Australians over the age of 50. It received 5,430 responses.