securing the welfare of

aged care residents

Through Litigation and Systemic Reform

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Who We Are

ALARM is a not-for-profit group of volunteers incorporated in Victoria pursuant to the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012. It was established in October 2020, by senior legal and medical professionals. ALARM’s Chairman is Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen, AM QC, a member of the Victorian Bar, now retired, and is supported by other voluntary Board members.

ALARM is also supported by several volunteer law students from the Monash University Law School. They provide secretariat and research assistance.
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The Honourable Tony Pagone QC

Patron

We welcome The Honourable Tony Pagone QC, as Patron of ALARM, a former Federal Court Judge and Chair of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

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Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen AM QC

Chairman

Dr Bryan Keon-Cohen AM QC, now retired, practised at the Victorian Bar for 35 years, focusing on the protection of human rights, including native title claims.

How We Help

ALARM’s core mission is ultimately to secure and improve the lives of residents of aged care. The crisis revealed by the Royal Commission into Aged Care points to the urgent need for action.

ALARM seeks immediate industry behavioural change and redress through facilitating litigation by connecting victims with law firms, and ultimate change through law reform.

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Law Reform

ALARM is working towards systemic law reform in the Australian aged-care sector. Read more.

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Litigation Facilitation

Assisting victims to access its partnered law firms and services. Read more.

Our Purpose

ALARM’s main purposes are to promote law reform in the Aged Care sector and to assist aggrieved persons seeking legal redress due to financial, emotional or physical damage suffered in aged-care facilities.

ALARM does not provide legal advice or representation. It seeks to assist aged-care residents and/or their families by referring them, should they wish, to pro-bono legal firms for advice and, if considered appropriate, representation in legal proceedings. ALARM’s full statement of purposes, drawn from its Constitution as incorporated, is available on this website here.
Activities:

ALARM is networking with allied groups and aged-care workers, and is developing contacts with lawyers and legal firms willing to accept potential clients, initially on a pro-bono basis and, if so instructed, to act for them thereafter.

Why Alarm

ALARM exists to stop the aged care crisis identified by the Royal Commission into Aged Care

Our inquiry has shown unacceptable levels of substandard care in Australia’s aged care system.

The breadth of the evidence and the consistency of people’s experiences suggest that high quality aged care is not being delivered consistently in our aged care system, particularly in residential aged care. Looking at people’s experience of substandard care and the available data about quality, people in aged care cannot be confident that they will receive the care that they need, whether it be in relation to their health, social, cultural or emotional needs, or that they will avoid experiencing restrictive practices or abuse.

The extent of substandard care in Australia’s aged care system is inexcusable. On the best evidence available, Commissioner Briggs concludes that at least 1 in 3 people accessing residential aged care and home care services have experienced substandard care.

In overhauling the aged care system, the voices of people receiving care must be a priority to ensure that the system remains relevant and appropriate for the people it is intended to support.

Publications and News

Articles

Restraints and Restrictive Practices in Aged Care Facilities
December 15, 2021

Recent legislative reform regarding the use of restraints and restrictive in aged care is insufficient to protect residents’ rights.

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Case Studies

Negligent Care Within Aged Care Facilities All Too Common
October 13, 2021

We acted for the daughter and granddaughter of a man (Mr W) who died as a result of the negligent care he received at an aged cared facility in Parramatta, New South Wales.

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Media

President’s Report – December 2021
January 18, 2022

We have made significant progress in many spheres, and are now well placed to pursue our objectives in 2022.

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Have You or a Family Member Suffered?

We can help

By sending us your details and information about the experience of you or your family member, we can connect you with an appropriate legal firm to seek justice.

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