A BUNCH of Ballarat tradies are taking a public stand against sexual assault in aged care. This was an issue many had not been aware about but once they heard a little they wanted to prove they were, as the campaign is called, Ready to Listen.
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Harrybilt Engineering sales manager Daniel Barrett's sister Catherine Barrett is a prominent ageing advocate, best known in Ballarat for her support work in dementia. He noticed on a social media platform she had been rallying awareness for a campaign in the healthcare industry and wanted to know if tradies could get involved.
What happened next surprised him.
Thirty-five co-workers stuck about in a short toolbox briefing to start the day, with full support from the boss, wanting to know more. They wanted to listen.
That is 35 people in Ballarat who are now aware of an issue that will go home and get conversations started.
- Daniel Barrett, Harrybilt Engineering
"We are a business, we are about making money and meeting targets but we want to do good in the community," Mr Barrett said. "Everyone has a conscience and there were a lot of shocked faces when I mentioned the facts. That is 35 people in Ballarat who are now aware of an issue that will go home and get conversations started."
About one-quarter of Harrybilt Engineering's workforce is aged under 30. Mr Barrett said they were keen to lend their voice to Ready to Listen. There are an estimated 50 sexual assaults in Australian aged care facilities each week, according to Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety findings released last year.
Most survivors of sexual assault in aged care are women with dementia. They were largely not believed because they had dementia.
Celebrate Ageing director Catherine Barrett said further studies showed in 58 per cent of sexual assault cases in aged care, staff believed there were no negative impacts to survivors because they would not remember.
Dr Barrett said just because people with dementia might not be able to tell you they were traumatised, did not mean they were not.
What makes people vulnerable to sexual assaults in aged care is our attitudes towards older people or people with dementia.
- Catherine Barrett, Celebrate Ageing director
"What makes people vulnerable to sexual assaults in aged care is our attitudes towards older people or people with dementia," Dr Barrett said. "What Harrybilt Engineers has done matters because there are the personal attitudes of young men.
"There is likely an older woman in their life they know and love. We're not expecting them to speak on the frontlines of residential aged care. It's much more likely their attitudes towards older people will have an impact.
" If tradies, if Harrybilt employees, say this is not okay, then that is helping to change more attitudes."
IN OTHER NEWS
Dr Barrett said the Harrybilt team has sparked Ready to Listen organisers to look outside the healthcare industry where they had not initially expected to capture attention. What Harrybilt Engineering staff had reinforced was every adult Australian had a responsibility to acknowledge disbelief and discomfort and show they were ready to listen.
"Between COVID-19 and the Ukraine and what's going on in America, people want to know we've got each others' backs," Dr Barrett said. "This offers hope in a really tough world at the moment."
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