The Federal Government has appointed Yugambeh woman Jody Currie to the National Aged Care Advisory Council amid NAIDOC Week celebrations.
The appointment of Ms Currie, a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council, is part of efforts to close the gap in design and delivery of aged care programs and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Assistant Indigenous Health Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said First Nation voices were vital in the implementation of aged care reforms.
"For far too long older First Nations people have experienced barriers to accessing aged care services in their homes and communities," she said.
"To address service gaps and improve access to care, we must include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in the design, discussion and implementation of aged care reforms."
While 27 per cent of non-Indigenous people participate in the aged care system's key programs, only 17 per cent of Aboriginal Elders participate.
In Western Australia's south-west, including Perth, the gap is the largest in the country, with only 8.6 per cent of Elders participating in aged care programs.
Aboriginal Community Elders Aged Care Partnership for Perth and South-West WA chairman Jim Morrison said there was discrimination in the ability for Aboriginal older people to access culturally appropriate aged care services.
"All Stolen Generation people will be (at least) 50 next year, and we will qualify for aged care," he said.
"We want to consider our elder care and look after our older people...and it might be that our elder care centres be healing centres where our Elders can depend on their culture.
"We believe cultural healing is the number one healing theme for our people to understand their culture better, their lineage, particularly for stolen generation people who don't know where their families are."
Mr Morrison said more focus on the south-west of WA was needed.
"I represent an area that's the worst in the country," he said.
"I think there needs to be consideration of closing the gap where the gap is the widest, and not just considering places where the voices are the loudest."
On her appointment, Ms Currie said the Elders in the community should not be a second thought.
"A seat at the table means our voices are heard at the national level to drive and action the aged care reforms," she said.
"It means our Elders ageing on Country are not a second thought, they are front and centre of the Government's response to the Royal Commission's recommendations.
"I hope that our ways of caring for our Elders can also help mainstream Australia to understand the importance of stewardship of our Elders."
