The " Dementia " question ?

The Federal Treasurer has a desperate need to bring down a " surplus " budget to save the governments bacon, but at the same time the health people are predicting an alarming increase in the number of Dementia patients in this country - and that calls for an actual spending increase.

One way of saving money is to keep more of those suffering Alzheimer disease in their own homes instead of the more costly nursing home option.  There has been an increase in services in recent years and as a result those needing care can have their homes cleaned, meals provided and assistance with showering and dressing provided by trained people at highly subsidized cost.

The nursing home industry is concerned that the government is looking at cutting back the numbers receiving " high care " status in nursing homes.   Dementia patients in high care need a much higher staff to patient ratio and that part of the building has   security entrance and exit provisions.  As a consequence, it's cost structure is much higher than conventional nursing home arrangements.

One of the dangers of Dementia is the unpredictability of patients.   It is not unusual for some people to decide to return to their old homes, despite their brain deterioration making them forget where that home was located. They have been known to wander away - and become lost - sometimes with fatal results.

If cost savings bring about changes that see some Dementia patients housed in non-security nursing homes it will require a totally new approach to security, and that may not be acceptable to family and friends.   One approach would be to fit each patient with a self positioning bracelet which could not be removed.  In that way, the patients location would always be known with the push of a button and emergency services would be able to instantly recover a person who had wandered away.

Many would find this solution distasteful, bearing in mind that it is used to keep track of criminals on parole. It is important that dignity and respect does not become a victim of the equally important need to provide those with an age related mental health problem with personal security.

Health scientists warn that as medical advances extend the human life span, Dementia cases will become an expanding segment of health care in the near future, and consequently it will eat up a bigger slice of the health budget.

It is important that we make the right decisions on how to handle this coming epidemic.  Unfortunately, the aged are not at the forefront of politician's minds when the " razor gang " is making budget cuts !