The first step towards reform, is to change the name of nursing homes, to something more appropriate:
How about "mercenary homes for the aged".

Dan

Dr West you do know that we all die? See when you start on about people of 90 having a shortened life I have a bit of trouble with your thinking.
This virus is not as lethal as the usual flu and the whole exercise is why we have to keep you medical idiots on a very tight leash. You will be causing so many more deaths than the current virus. The fact you do not even appreciate this is why you can never be trusted again and relegated to administering drugs from Companies that take you out to sumptuous dinners.
Suicide and self harm already trending far and away more than virus deaths.
The most awful thing is our left wing media. No investigation, no full story just parroting the governments lies and half truths. Why say someone who died is in their nineties? Big difference between 90 and 99 but the media is in on the scam either by stupidity or corruption, you tell me!

Very illuminating this diversity flu's turning out to be.

Seems to me that part of the problem, and there is one, is that "aged care" is treated as a continuum. At one end a special home for the aged is or could be like a holiday resort, at the other it's like a hospital. Yes, old people (and I'm 83, the author looks a fair bit younger) like good food, good company including youngsters, stimulation, entertainment, exercise, comfort - which does sound like a home. In my home there are no nurses. One day I might need one, in the meantime not. So it looks like there's a classification or demarcation problem, which might be hard to manage, especially the flexibility aspect. I can see that. But defining the problem properly should always be the first step. As for keeping those with advanced dementia isolated and safe and waiting to die, that's a sad reality that society must face realistically.

People in aged care are not dying "prematurely"; anything over 'three score years and ten' is a bonus - or a curse, depending on how you see things. Many people are being forced by science to endure miserable lives, only to be neglected or abused in death camps that make a few entrepreneurs rich.

The biggest problem with being old is that the people calling the tune - younger ones - don't have a clue what old age is like; they won't until they experience it themselves, and they become a nuisance to following generations. Old age sucks

Aged care!? Care!? WTH has care got to do with it?

JB. Better you keep your mouth closed and have the world suspect you are a fool than open it to remove all doubt!

For young folk, you know those fools breaking all the rules and spreading a killer virus! It's not too bad for them, they think?

It's a case for many of the 20-30'year olds of, I'm all right Jack!

It's only knocking off a few old farts (economic units) who'll never be missed! Except to the bottom line when they're transferred out to hospital care!

Or at election time when some political jobs will be on the line!

Hence numerous right-wing political activists are front and centre trying to shift blame.

I mean Victoria's current problem started with the disembarkation of sick folk, from the Ruby Princess, who didn't go into quaratine but into the Australian community.

Covid-19 does kill or silently damage young adults, by often attacking their vital organs (heart, lungs,kidneys/Kamakasi syndrome)) to progressively ( Frog in bowl) shorten their life span by as much as an estimated 40-50 years?

Kids with the condition? Not so lucky! May never make to pubity, let alone adulthood?

But hey, not a bad outcome, eh? I mean those adults will still be working if struggling toward the end and be too young to bother aged care or the aged pension.

So we won't have too worry about having to dismantle super costly negative gearing etc, that we now have to borrow to support! Ditto subsidised super, Super. And tax-avoiding family trusts etc-etc. Just to support a few voting age, old farts/economic units?

Shrinking housing demand could then pose an economic problem?

Perhaps we could get around that by leasing, negatively geared, grave sites? Wadda ya reckon? I'll have 123.
Alan B.