Ahead of giving evidence at the Aged Care Royal Commission hearings in Melbourne this week, Luke Bo’sher outlines his key arguments around why young people end up in aged care and what can be done to stop it happening.
The background paper puts Australia’s ageing population under the microscope. It explores complex issues associated with the country’s changing demographic profile, including changes in patterns of disease and dependency, the rising incidence of dementia, changing expectations and the changing cultural profile of the Australian community. It also explores current arrangements, future pressures and a greater need for preventative and restorative health.
Ms Dowling is calling on the Commission to establish a thorough review into the engagement of older Australians with disability who are already accessing My Aged Care and those on the waiting list. “There has to be help for disabled
Young people with disability living in nursing homes are one of the most marginalised and isolated groups of people in our society. More than half of them, 53%, receive a visit from a friend less than once a year. They generally lead impoverished lives, characterised by loneliness and boredom.
The disability and aged-care workforce, already one of the fastest-growing in Australia, will need to expand by a fifth in the next four years as major Labor reforms worth billions power up. That this will also happen against a backdrop of a rapidly ageing workforce presents unique problems for the sector, according to a new … Continued