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13 March 2012

Money worries top list of concerns for ageing Australians

Money worries are the top concern when it comes to growing older, finds a new survey released today.

National Seniors Australia surveyed 1,800 members and found their biggest concern about getting older was the value of their savings and investments not keeping up with inflation.

This was followed by being unable to receive proper care when they are no longer able to look after themselves and thirdly by not being able to maintain a reasonable standard of living for their rest of their lives.

National Seniors Australia chief executive Michael O’Neill said the findings were important for the government to acknowledge as it considers the Productivity Commission’s (PC) final report, Caring for Older Australians.

“We want to make sure that those who cannot afford aged care are properly looked after because we don’t believe money should be the criteria for receiving quality care,’’ O’Neill said.

The report aimed to gauge National Seniors’ members views on reform proposals in the PC report as well as survey people’s concerns about growing older.

Almost half of all respondents (47%) had made no preparations for getting older, hadn’t thought about it or didn’t want to think about it.

The respondents’ top three priorities for aged care reform were to address workforce shortages in aged care (24%), improve the quality of life for aged care residents (21%) and increase the number of residential care places (17%).

Other key findings included:

• A significant majority (70%) rejected the inclusion of the family home in a comprehensive aged care means test.
• Just over half of those polled (52%) rejected reverse mortgages.
• Only 26% of respondents reported that their current home is suitable to live in, without modification, when they reach their 80s and 90s.

Respondents identified a range of other concerns about getting older including: loss of independence, quality of life and dignity; loss of driver’s licence; poor health; whether their children would be there to help as well as loneliness and social isolation.

Download the full report.

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Aged Care

Access Economics research commissioned by National Seniors in 2010 revealed the aged care system must undergo urgent reform in order to meet current and future demand.

Currently the system is plagued by staffing and bed shortages, crumbling under current financial pressures and unable to meet the future demands of an ageing population.

Unless policy-makers implement viable funding alternatives, burgeoning costs will render the sector unsustainable.

Now, as the Productivity Commission conducts a sweeping inquiry into aged care, 2011 represents a watershed year for a system urgently needing repair.

Read National Seniors’ policy positions, press releases and updates on how you can get involved below.

If you would like to read a summary of the Caring for Older Australians report, click here.

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21 January 2011

Aged care is first salvo in national debate

Seniors have described the Productivity Commissions’ draft report into aged care, Caring for Older Australians, as the first salvo in the debate Australia had to have.

Responding to the 500-page draft report - which includes 42 recommendations across finance, care, housing, research and regulation - National Seniors chief executive, Michael O’Neill, said it was only the first step towards much-needed reform.

“The one thing providers, unions and consumers can all agree on is that we need a better system for our most vulnerable older Australians,” said O’Neill.

“This draft report is just the start of an extensive consultation process, and, at the moment, there’s a lot of detail to wade through”.

“While seniors welcome the exploration of alternative funding models for a system buckling under the weight of demand, there will be questions around bonds; the government-sponsored reverse mortgage scheme; and including the family home in the assets test,” he said.

“We also want to see more on improved working conditions such as better wages and training opportunities, and smaller nurse-to-patient ratios, which ultimately impact on quality of care”.

According to a 2010 National Seniors-commissioned Access Economic report, in the past five years nursing home quality of care has deteriorated markedly with an increase of residents to staff.

Positive elements in the Productivity Commission report include recommendations to streamline and individualize services which are currently fragmented and a nightmare to navigate.

National Seniors will gauge public opinion in coming weeks on the more contentious draft recommendations.

The Productivity Commission will conduct hearings throughout the country in March and April. Its final report is due in June.