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.

1. Some days I fear I'm getting older, and every birthday to.

I'm old enough to recall the Original meaning of SBS in the 70s. It was "Sex Between Soccer"

2. I can do better than the author's "Sunny Acres" Nursing Home.

How about:

Lucky Last

Blissfull End

Final Exit

Last Post

God's Last GiddyUp

Lively Dentures

and

Grumpy Goners

So much to look forward to - when I Check-In....to Check-Out :)

About time Morrison did something about this and other problems. He's far too ready to make big announcements and think his work is done. He drags out Scott Who or Guy Someone and makes a grand speech and our dumb media lap it up.
Not good enough.

And the poor folk in aged care still suffer while owners race around in flash cars

Alan B, sorry idiot alan! See Alan B I can make up fatuous insults too.
Alan you made many many assertions with obviously precious little real knowledge. Covid B is just another Corona virus that gives us the common cold and has done since we started walking upright. Side-effects yes but that is the same with all the other viruses especially the Influenza viruses.
This Covid has killed, mainly, the aged and infirm. Alan get out more, shut your mouth and get out more! If you went into the average aged care and saw the state of the average resident you would, maybe, then, shut up!

Cool it guys. Don't get over-heated. Some of you need to have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down

The recent exposure of the aged care facility -
Epping Gardens in Victoria - on Four Corners
is enough to scare anybody. It was shocking
what was allowed to happen there and all of
us should be concerned. My only hope is that
the class action being taken against the owners
will succeed and that it will hit them where it
most hurts - their pockets.

I've had experience with two large aged care
facilities here in Melbourne. One for my mother.
One for my stepfather. Both facilities were excellent.
And both parents were well looked after in each one.
The staff, and the care that they received - could not
be faulted. Of course - we visited them almost daily,
and perhaps that made a difference. We got to know
the staff and other family members - and we looked out
for each other. And reported to each other.

This also was before the pandemic hit.
Both parents have since passed away - peacefully in their
sleep.

I feel so sorry for people who can't visit their loved
ones because of this pandemic. It makes it harder.
However, keeping in touch by telephone is important.
And so is monitoring the care that the family members
are receiving - (or should be receiving).

Putting people into aged-care and forgetting about them
should not happen. Keeping a close watch and keeping in
touch is mandatory.

Well said, Foxy. A voice of sanity here.

Yep maybe those of us whose parents have passed open are lucky not to have anyone in the present awful situation. People can't seethe grandkids or sons and daughters either

Remember the ABC series on young kids in an aged care home- they were all having a lot of fun

Dear Waverley,

Thank You for your kind words.

Mum had dementia and her last years were difficult.
However she looked forward to our visits - especially
the home cooking that I used to bring. I ended up making
more as there were many there who looked forward to
our visits and the food we brought. We ended up sharing
it. Other families began to do the same - so it just
grew. And it was wonderful seeing how happy it made
them in the dementia-wing. We became one family.

The activities there were also important. Especially
music. It was great to see the effect that music has on
people. Not only singing, but dancing as well. And we'd
all join in. And when our grand-children came - it was an
extra bonus - seeing all the ages together. Great stuff.

Why were media distracted yesterday by Morrison's promise of a vaccine one day...
but we haven't even seen the vaccine yet?

Meanwhile it comes out that the Government was warned of the impending crisis in aged care months ago

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/government-received-aged-care-workforce-warning-months-ago-20200819-p55nb0.html

These are really awful and difficult times that
we're living in. I would not want to be either
a state premier or the prime minister at the moment
because any mistakes made will come back to bite you.

However, I have to admit having said that - I admire the
way Victoria's State Premier, Daniel Andrews, is accepting
full responsibility for what's happened in Victoria.
The Prime Minster on the other hand appears to be side-stepping
the federal responsibility. For the record - the federal
government funds and regulates aged care. It is a commonwealth
responsibility.

Accountability is not selective. It does not stop at the
Victorian border, it goes all the way to Canberra.
If Daniel Andrews is responsible, than so is Morrison.
As Katharine Murphy points out in her article in -
The Guardian 19th August 2020 - you can't invent a world
where someone else is responsible and you aren't.

The Prime Minister tells us that Australia's health systems
are connected . If that's the case then the performance of
every tier of government is in focus during a pandemic.
And each needs to be held to account.

'Defeating it will need people to work together.'

If that was the case we would already have a 30% paycut for public servants and a 30% reduction in totally useless public service jobs including the sbs/abc marxist propaganda outlets. That would still be minute compared to the destruction of once productive business's destroyed by very dumb Government policies and State Premier dictators.

Here we have runner, right on cue banging on about
our national broadcaster, and other respected outlets
while defending to the death people like the current
Us President - a con-man hiding behind his curtain of
yes men - and supreme court judges.
Pathetic!

Well we could ask Parliament to meet more often.

Or maybe the leaders could take a pay cut> Check out what uni lecturers are doing...........

The Minister for Aged Care doesn't know how many old people in aged care have died.

Scary stuff.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/21/richard-colbecks-memory-lapse-on-aged-care-deaths-does-more-than-create-some-memorably-bad-vision