The nib foundation has announced new partnerships with People with Disability Australia and Down Syndrome Australia, with an aim to improve healthcare access for LGBTQIA+ people with disability and support healthy ageing for people with Down syndrome.
The foundation will provide $198,000 in total for two one-year projects.
Guided by a national panel of healthcare professionals and LGBTQIA+ people with disability, People with Disability Australia will work to identify healthcare barriers and create practice guidelines aimed at fostering more inclusive and responsive care. According to a news release, these guidelines will be piloted in 10 healthcare organisations, including regional providers, before being published.
“LGBTQIA+ people with disability continue to face many barriers in healthcare, including attitudinal bias, discrimination and inaccessible services,” said People with Disability Australia president Trinity Ford. “These systemic inequalities often contribute to poorer health outcomes. However, we can have a system that meets the needs of staff, patients and visitors.”
Down Syndrome Australia’s project will focus on healthy ageing for people with Down syndrome. The organisation will produce guides to identify early signs of age-related health conditions and access preventative care through working with an advisory group of advocates, including people with Down syndrome, families and carers. Topics will include mental health, dementia, menopause and prevention.
“People with Down syndrome continue to have poorer health outcomes than the general population,” said Down Syndrome Australia chief executive officer Darryl Steff. “They face a higher risk of age-related conditions like dementia, osteoporosis, and diabetes. These health issues are often missed or misunderstood, which can lead to more emergency visits, hospital stays, and preventable deaths.”
nib foundation executive officer Amy Tribe said the partnerships would support people who face barriers to healthcare.
“In pursuing nib’s purpose of better health and wellbeing, nib foundation focuses on enabling health equity,” she said.
nib Thrive chief executive officer Martin Adlington added: “We are excited to see these partnerships come to life. They have strong alignment with nib Thrive’s purpose in providing sustainable plan management services to the NDIS community, ultimately helping people with disability live their best lives.”
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