Advocacy
What is Advocacy?
The Right to an Advocate and the Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS)
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is the act of speaking on behalf of another with the best interests of that person in mind. Advocacy can be as informal as asking a relative to speak for you or as formal as requesting an advocacy service to provide someone to assist you.
Advocacy aims to ensure that people get the services and resources that they require, assists to challenge barriers, protects your own and others’ rights and ensures you are treated fairly, respectfully and professionally.
The Right to an Advocate
You have the right to involve an advocate of your choice. An advocate may be a relative, friend, neighbour or a person from an advocacy service, e.g. Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) who will:
· Act on the service user’s and/or carer’s instructions
· Support and encourage the service user and/or carer
· Work solely on behalf of the service user and/or carer
· Speak on behalf of the service user and/or carer to promote their ideas and interests
It is a service user’s right to have an advocate to represent their interests and assist with any aspect of service delivery.
The Aged Rights Advocacy Service
The Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) is a community organisation that provides non-legal advocacy for clients within aged care. The Advocacy Program aims to:
· to ensure that older people and their representatives have access to accurate and timely information about their rights and protections relating to the provision of aged care services
· to ensure that older people and their representatives are assisted to access appropriate aged care and community services
ARAS Contact Details are:
ARAS - Aged Rights Advocacy Service
16 Hutt Street
Adelaide SA 5000
Free call (AU): 1800 700 600
T: 08 8232 5377
F: 08 8323 1794
Website: https://www.sa.agedrights.asn.au/
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
