WINTER 2026
SeniorsToday.com.au Celebrating volunteers
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Carrying on a legacy They say charity begins at home and that is obviously the case for five Sunshine Coast sisters honoured by the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland’s as part of their recent National Volunteer Week celebrations. The five women followed in the footsteps of their parents Jim and Margaret Arnold who were both Vincentians and deeply committed to helping people in need. This year’s National Volunteer Week theme, Your Year to Volunteer, honours current volunteers and invited all Australians to discover how giving their time can create connection, purpose and lasting community benefits. The St Vincent de Paul Society is supported by 2,689 Members and 5,051 volunteers in Queensland, whose collective contribution is what makes the Society’s mission of giving vulnerable people a hand up possible. Chris Gilmore and Helen Minto are two of the five sisters volunteering through the Society’s St Joseph’s Nambour Conference. Through their work, the sisters help provide practical support while also working alongside people to find long-term solutions For the Arnold sisters, volunteering was never something they were told to do. It was something they did every day from a young age, growing up helping their parents with initiatives that brought them closer to their family and community. Continued page 3
Jim and Margaret Arnold inspired their daughters to help others. (Supplied)
Protection boost The Federal Government is set to strengthen protections for older Australians in the Support at Home program, with a new package that responds directly to feedback from older people, their families, advocates and providers according to Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, Sam Rae. “Older Australians and their families told us they need stronger protections against rogue market prices when it comes to Support at Home,” he said. “We’ve listened, and we’re acting. “We’ll keep working methodically, in the interests of older people, to make sure
Support at Home delivers what it promised: quality care, at fair prices, close to home.” “Building on our once-in-a-generation reforms and record investments, the Government will implement new measures to guard older Australians against unfair prices under Support at Home. “The package will build on our work to ensure older Australians get the care that they need at reasonable prices and equip them with more tools to get the most out of the Support at Home program. Responding to feedback received from community, providers and advocates, the
Government has said they will:
how their provider compares.
• Empower the Aged Care Quality and • Building on our removal of out-of-
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Safety Commission to order refunds for services where providers are found to be overcharging, take regulatory action against providers who are choosing not to meet their clear requirement to issue monthly statements, and regular public reporting on investigations and enforcement action. Publish a new National Summary of Support at Home Prices each quarter, showing the median and the range of prices charged by providers so older Australians and their families can see
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pocket costs for showering, dressing and continence services under Support at Home, have the Department and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission specifically monitor the prices of personal care as they transition into the Clinical Care category. Encourage providers to limit the frequency of price increases to no more than two per year, giving older people certainty to budget their packages. Continued page 4