The " Aged Care " Enigma !

A century ago most families lived in a home on a quarter acre block of land in suburbia.  When our  working life ceased we enjoyed a few brief years of retirement and then we died.  Women traditionally lived longer than men and so the aged care problem often was resolved by building a " granny flat " in the backyard.

We now tend to live an extraordinary number of years in retirement  and that aged care need has passed beyond the capability of most families.  The needs change as the elderly become more frail and the disjointed nature of the present aged care regime is simply not suited to progress people through the various stages that preclude their end of life.

Entry to aged car is fully managed by the government.  It is means tested - and priced accordingly. The actual accommodation  offering is a mixture of mutual and " for profit " facilities which  provide a mixed range of services.  Usually the choice of service level upgrade when it becomes necessary remains in the hands of the government.

As a consequence, the elderly find themselves passing from one independent care provider to another as they progress from self care retirement living, to hostel care and finally to a bed in a nursing home.  The standards of care vary according to the nature of the provider and there are many complaints about the staffing levels, food quality provision and general staff attitude to patient care. Unfortunately, dementia is common as we age and this often causes us to become uncooperative.  In some instances this seems to lead to rough handling and there have been proven instances where elderly patients have been bullied into compliance.

Aged care is now heading into investigation by a Royal Commission.  There is little doubt that many adverse findings will emerge.  In such a vast industry, it is inevitable that some care providers will be judged a lot better than others and the public will be alarmed when a few " worst cases " attract lurid newspaper headlines.

Longevity seems destined to increase further.  Medical science is ever improving and by the turn of this century we will need a huge increase in the aged care industry in this country.  Hopefully, this Royal Commission will set the guidelines so that the aged can be handled seamlessly through the various stages of age care development without jarring disruptions and financial trauma.

This will provide the opportunity to integrate the various components of aged care into a coordinated  network of service centres which provide an agreed high level of care.  It will require a very large workforce and it is essential that this is equipped with professional training standards to achieve uniformity.  Aged care needs the standing achieved in our public hospital system where it achieves a rewarding career path.

It seems that aged care seems destined to become the growth industry of the twenty-first century.