However their main concern is to show that we don't live in a welfare state and the elderly must understand their responsibility to payment for their care in their own homes or in aged care facilities for which they will need to sell their residences in order to afford the "privilege and luxury" of modern-day aged care.
The over-60s are the fasted growing demographic in the country and the baby-boomers must not expect the state to cushion their old age.
This letter says it all:
Letter in The Age 9 APRIL 2012:
Truth of the big sell
I WISH to contradict a Council on the Ageing report that, at 31 meetings held by Minister for Ageing Mark Butler around Australia, ''usually one or two people … expressed concern at having to sell their principal residence (to meet nursing home bonds), but this concern was not generally picked up and supported by the majority of the audience'' (The Saturday Age, 6-7/4).
I attended several meetings. I, and others, were applauded when we expressed opposition to selling homes for any care. I asked Mr Butler whether he knew of any other health area in the world where mortgaging or selling the home was a prerequisite for receiving care. He did not.
Currently many people have to sell their homes to pay an accommodation bond for low-level care. The Howard government tried to introduce bonds for high-level care, but was unsuccessful because of public opposition. There will be disappointment and anger if the Labor government introduces such legislation.
Shirley Bains, Blaxland, NSW
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