Aboriginal Care Leader Wins Employee of the Year Award

It has been annonced that the Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) Victoria 'Employee of the Year' is Graham Custance  - for his work with the Aboriginal Community.

The award was presented to Mr Custance by Business Development Manager from First State Super, Tody Cuda, at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse. 

Mr Custance says his work with the Aboriginal community is an out-reach program where he goes directly into Aboriginal communities and speaks to the elders. 

“It’s a broad program, we’ll help people with anything that is important to them at that time” he explained.

“The program is 50 plus… (However) we have several aged care clients who are under 50 because there are no other appropriate services” he said.

The program involves a range of services from help with transport to a medical facility to helping Aboriginal elders claim their entitlements.

“They (Aboriginal people) don’t have the assertiveness to be able to go into the community and demand their entitlements, so we back them up” he said.

Paul Ostrowski, CEO of Care Connect said the award acknowledged Mr Custance’s commitment and dedication to ‘closing the gap.’

“It is an indictment on Australian society that the lives of Aboriginal Elders are years shorter than non-Aboriginal Australians. So accepted is this fact that aged care services are provided to Aboriginal Elders 10 years earlier than those for non-Aboriginal Australians” he said.