I don't think many would disagree Cakers.

The low wages, staff shortges and conditions make it difficult to recruit for the aged care sector which further adds to this cycle of problems.

It is difficult to know what to do. If strike action were taken, relatives would need to pick up the gap in the care of their loved ones - that might make the pressure on government more potent.

The caring sectors (aged care and childcare for eg) are vital to the new ideology of 'working families' that supports the governments position on the onus of care to external providers rather than families (so that we can all be contributors to the economy). The reality is that social and wellbeing factors are low priority for both sides of politics.

Money is not everything for sure and those in caring positions often do it for the love and other rewards, but wages in this sector have been appallingly low for some time and fail to keep up with basic cost of living standards.

Perhaps tax breaks could be given to those in aged and child care similar to those who work for lower wages in the non-profit sector (charities and other community groups) in those institutions that don't operate for profit. (Maybe that already happens, I don't know).

Having known some aged people who've had to move into nursing homes, and knowing people who work in them, I'd rather die than end up in one.

individual,
"Everyone's so busy now that they have to pay other peoples' children to look after their parents.
I agree - and would add that the same busy people are also paying other peoples' parents to look after their children...very strange society we live in.

Dear Cakers,

Putting my step-dad into a nursing home was
one of the hardest decisions that my mother
and our family had to make. It was heart-wrenching.
However Pop had suffered a series of strokes, was
partially paralysed down his right-side, had lost
the power of speech and needed care 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Mum was in her mid eighties,
and she'd looked after Pop for more than seven years
in their family home, but she finally couldn't do it
any more as she grew more frail herself. A nursing-home
was the only option we had. The family home was sold,
to be able to pay for the best nursing home we could
find (and we looked at them all in Melbourne).

Pop lived in the nursing-home for several years. Mum
visited him every single day, rain or shine. We visited
every single week-end without fail. And of course brought
Pop to our home for Christmas lunch, Easter, Birthday's,
Father's Day, and so on. We also took him on excursions,
and outings regularly.

Pop passed away last year. He's missed more then words
can ever express here.

You'd think in an aged-care facility , where
continuity of service is important, they'd have permanent
full-time staff - who'd know the residents and know their
needs. However, most of the staff here were casual,
agency-staffers, who came and went.
This lead to all sorts of problems that
could have been avoided. For example, Pop wasn't capable of
cutting up his own food (he only had one hand that he could
operate). So if they'd just leave his food in his room,
many times he'd go hungry because he couldn't cut it up.
Just as well mum visited him every day, she insured he was
fed.

The thing that needs to be changed is
the Standards of Accreditation of these places. They tend
to focus on things like room sizes, and external appearances,
rather then food, staff, and quality of care provided.

Putting pressure on State and Federal Governments will be
the only way to ensure changes.

Foxy,
You hit it on the head with the things that are focused on. Definitely and the only way for change is at State and govt levels. We have the "Because We Care" Campaign going for that very reason.

Digressng here, I shake my head when I think about the sort of questions prospective families with a older relative needing care should be asking but either do not or just wish to find a 'lovely looking' setting. The best judgement of a place is by WATCHING. Watching the pace of the workers, how long it takes to answer buzzers, the 1:1 time with a resident per day.
As an Aged Care RN, I am at the point where I wonder what I should do for myself in order to look after myself; Management are not appreciating my skills and love of the work. My reward is in knowing I do make a difference each day as rewards are monetary or verbal as such. Aged Care is money driven AND profit making now.
If only we could be in the 'old days' of one income families as the likelihood of having to pay for someone else to look after our most needy, that being our children and our elderly folk, wasn't the issue it is today.

Get out of the city.

After Qld health had finished with my mother, [99 in 10 days] she could no longer walk, & had to go into a large nursing home, in my near city country town. She was at deaths door.

Almost 5 months later they have nursed her back to much better health, although, despite a fair bit of physiotherapy, she still can't walk. She would like to go home, but I could not do the job.

Perhaps the job prospects are not so attractive in a country town, but the staff are constant, appear happy, & give excellent care. I am there, with free access, 3 or 4 times a week, & have never seen any staff not being very kind. Personally, I doubt I cauld do any where near as well, for mast of their residents. I take my hat off to them.

I don't know what the answer is, as these places are labour intensive.

As my mother owns her granny flat, beside my house, her assets mean we pay just under $900 a fortnight. It would be a strain if this was greater, as we can't realise on any of her assets. Centrelink make any dealing with her assets quite difficult.

I am not complaining about these costs, as I believe the elderly should contribute to their upkeep, if they can. I don't believe the tax payer should pick up all the costs, so the assets can be passed on untouched.

Still, it would be nice if they could advance the costs, & be reimbursed, later, from the estate, but I suppose this sort of thing is hard for public servants to do, properly.