When will Residential Aged Care Facilities learn that the very thing that is earning them money is the very thing suffering! RNs, EENs and care staff bust a gut to care for the frail aged in these establishments. Also suffering are the aged people we wish to care for but do not have the TIME to do it well; alas we are unable to do our very best. Though we want to...though we TRY...

Am I the only one outraged at the care standards.
Am I the only one stressed and angry that there isn't enough money, staff and resources available for decent Aged Care caring.
Am I the only one wanting to shout and jump up and down, and pull my hair out at this outrage. Our society should be shot.

Even though impoverished, for example, Vietnamese families NOT PUT there older people into 'homes'. They know how to do it and look after there own. IF we can't look after them, should we be accepting the sub standard care that is presenting. LOOK MORE CLOSELY at the resthomes. Don't just look at the 'prettiness', look at the staff racing around...

Western society do not revere our older people as we should. Our society do not put our older people on a pedestal and thank them for their most valuable of contributions to society. The war. Their country. If we did...the dollars would be rolling to care for these folks as they surely deserve.

What have we got to say to for ourselves? I can't hear you?

The next Budget simply has to have nore dollars for Aged Care otherwise we'll all pay for it one day. The "Because We Care" Campaign has to work. We need accountability, skilled staff and the correct staff mix, equality in pay and licencing of workers.

When do we need this? We need it NOW! Check out the Campaign

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=3602#86239

Look at this CLIP is you wish to understand more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsO3B6FUqsM

Sorry....but THIS is the correct link to watch to get the gist of what is happening right under our noses in Aged Care.

Been waiting for the day when aged care workers actually go on an overdue well deserving strike and demand 'a doubling or tripling of their hourly pay rate' to bring them into line with the basic minimum ASO4 public service rate. I too have worked in aged care lasting 12 months. Physically and mentally draining HARD work. My admiration and heart always goes out to you people who do this work for years.

A girlfriend of mine has worked in aged care for two years and EXHAUSTED daily! She also makes up for the elderly's families' lack of visits, sacrificing her own time, spending it with her patients. She has a large family to raise yet loves her patients.

Many of her patients have not received a visit from their family on Christmas Day and at Easter time for years. However, many were quick to cash in on their elderly parents homes when they could not cope at home any longer.

In all fairness some people put most of their elderly parents money into the Nursing Home fees; others have taken all of the capital for their own benefit.

A neighbour worked in Aged Care for ten years, studied and accepted all of the grave yard shifts for years [this gave the long term staff breaks they normally would not have received]. Short staffed year after year. Shockingly low pay rates to date.

Strikes! Call up Belly Cakers.

If this wasn't such a "serious subject" I would have to say "tongue in cheek" the world needs god's right hand man a national socialist A Hitler or Mao Tse Tung or J Stalin another socialist also the god of deaths able servant as they knew what happens when a society make money an idol instead of a tool and knew how to cull the unloved and unwanted. Money is not the principle thing, Love is.

Well, what can we expect ? Some in society (not the one I subscribe to) have made a feast out of promoting greed. Deservedly so, this is now turning around & biting them in butt. The unfortunate aspect is that this dreadful trade has now placed everyone else into a position where they literally have to participate in order to compete. Everyone's so busy now that they have to pay other peoples' children to look after their parents. Many really do wish that parents fall off the perch as soon as they need some care. I dread to think how much our Super will be fleeced by the time we have to access it. And the worst part ? It's all Government sanctioned !
When we go back to a single income family only then will we have a slim chance to rectify this dreadful situation. To do that we need competent Government & to get that we need a thinking public to vote. As yet, I can't see the light at the end of this tunnel. The movies The Island & Soylent Green weren't that far off the mark.