Aged care resident Betty Huggins,70,says the government’s fresh investment of doesn’t go far enough.
“As a retired aged care nurse and now on a home care package,I have lived on both sides of aged care. Despite the funding in the budget,it will not be enough to address the flaws within the aged care sector,” she said.
The Victorian woman says while more home care packages and an increase in staff levels are a start,the government needs to take a harsher approach to poor providers if the system is to undergo the widespread change promised in the wake of the 2800-page landmark report released by the aged care royal commission.
“We need more home care packages aimed at higher care:level three and four. To see and hear people being physically and emotionally compromised as they are on a waiting list ... is unAustralian,” she said.
Betty also said she had questions about who was getting the funding into increasing the safety and quality.
“They’re just tossing money at the providers - it’s a Band-Aid,” she said.
Andreas Makarewitsch,66,whose 94-year-old mother is in aged care in North Geelong,has an optimistic view for the future of the sector,saying the $17 billion dollar investment was a nice surprise,but the devil is in the details.
He said he was disappointed there wasn’t greater detail about the infrastructure that accompanies aged care infrastructure for vulnerable residents and to what extent the funding would create better staffing in facilities.
“Facilities can rely on families to fill the gaps left by staff,” he said,“staffing is the most urgent issue for me.”
He liked the 33,000 training places proposed by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg,but was wary of the organisations that provide training need to operate with integrity.
“That’s a lot - that is going to put a lot of pressure on training organisations,” he said.
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