AGED CARE FACILITIES IN THE NEWS

Aged care facilities are in the news because many are privately owned, are making vast profits,and providing reduced services with less staff and less support.

My partner is 93 and I am 89. We are very fortunate. We own our home and our illnesses at our advanced years have not required us to be hospitalised for any length of time, despite the seriousness of some of the problems.

We do not own a car and are still able to do most things on our own without requiring much assistance, although a very good friend who has a car helps us with shopping twice a week to do the heavy shopping.

We are determined to stay out of those institutions till the end as far as is humanly possible.

Everybody reading about some of what goes on in some of these institutions would be scared out of their wits at the thought of ending their days in one of them or having to be incarcerated in them at all.

We have been fortunate with our health care providers and also with our health in general and we anticipate continuing to help each other as long as possible without being institutionalised.

No doubt many aged care facilities are excellent with outstanding services, but publicity about some rogue operators perpetrating appalling control does not inspire confidence.

We hope to be able to talk about the issue until a happier outcome is achieved for all requiring aged care in an ever ageing population.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FAILS YET AGAIN ON SELLING HOMES AND AGED CARE

Not surprisingly, the Federal Government is using its usual spin to force the elderly and often impoverished and ailing pensioners to sell their homes to fund aged care which ought to be the government's responsibility.

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