Are we looking after our Senior population enough?
Posted by: anna
17th Mar 2011 08:36am
There are so many seniors around who are wonderful to sit & chat with, lots seem to spend time alone. Loneliness is a curse. Are we doing enough for them? One worry is them cutting power to heating & cooking so bill will not be too high.
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Comments 18
Anonymous
To be perfectly honest, I feel the system is geared in favour of older people and is actually against younger people. The elderly can have $1 million dollars in assets and still get a pension and any financial assistance you can think of, including a health care card and access to the PBS and other similar services, not to mention the low as all hell all-day pension ticket for public transport. There's nothing being implemented to help younger people achieve financial security or home ownership and society at large sneers at younger people and puts a lot of blame on them for being "slack". With the majority of Australians over 50, saying that we don't support our elderly is actually a straight up lie and is in fact the opposite. We don't support our youth. We support the dying and the elderly, but not the strong, hope filled minds of our youth. What do you think, at the end of the day, is more important? Someone who will be dead in 30 years, or someone who will be running the country but still renting?
Patros
I am a mature aged person who will be on the aged pension in a couple of years. The pension is a good amount to live on if you own your home, a few of my relatives live very happily on it. And mostly we can look after ourselves very well.
I do think that there need to be more aged care facilities built. Currently there are not enough places and those who can pay cash upfront are the most likely to be able to get in.
No aged person need be lonely.There are plenty of ways to meet people as long as you are willing to get out and do it and not rely solely on your family for company - it is up to you. I have no children so I have made an effort to get out, join things and make friends.
As for power costs - I cook, use my tv, digital radio, computer, washing machine and electric blanket to name but a few things, and my average power bill is only around $50-60. So other people must be doing it wrong I reckon.
gadgetgeek
I don't think we are doing enough for seniors. Whilst I think they get a much higher pension (compared to an unemployed person who needs money to look good, keep well and find work) we are neglecting them
From personal experience of seeing both my own parents age and my peers' parents I find the government and society in general is placing less care and less concern towards them. The whole society has moved to almost an endless praise of our younger generation to the point of becoming ageist. As someone who is in the workforce and who works in recruitment now I find we start being ageist at 30+ and well and truly by 45....so think of how many people view 60+ age group since the 50s are really the new 40s (former naughty forties).
In my own experience of seeing my second world war veteran father slowly fade ...with no UK or Australian pension support or health care except a deteriorating Australian health system over-burdened by people in for day surgery, people and an increasingly ageing baby boomer and dads war time generation. I saw dad shunted around and misdiagnosed right until his death due to poor health services for the aged in public hospitals. As for my mother I was her full-time carer for a year or so and then part-time carer for another 4 years. Even though looking after an elderly, disabled parent is every bit as demanding as a child, harder with their incredible self-determination and personal connection to you as a child..I had no option to take elderly parent care time or receive a tax benefit as couples and mothers do when they have children...yet we are fulfilling a lifestyle need too! Not only that the government tries to dissuade people from claiming anything when caring. When I cared for my mother over 5 years ago now...I was incorrectly told by Centrelink I could only get carers allowance if I lived with her 24/7. I explained that was not technically possible due to all the modifications in her independent living home and the rules that she could only have guests for 2 weeks maximum! It turns out since I did so much for her and wast there 5 days a week nearly all day including all weekends I was entitled
Somewhere along the line we have reduced our health service to be more like the appalling UK National Health service which I experienced when living in the UK for 10 years as a child/teenager
I also find as a Gen X professional that many Gen Y and younger members do not respect their elders as me and my peers still do our elders. They have more experience and by being older are due respect. Period.
Another factor I have experienced in my own family among my own siblings is a too hard attitude to really helping out with the elderly parents. As the youngest I ended up doing the brunt of it, received no real contact from the siblings whilst doing this, one even removed herself from the family but the siblings all still talk. I did what I thought was right and I wanted to care for my disabled, elderly mother to keep her out of a nursing home a bit longer...my sisters just were not interested in supporting me helping her out...now they just dismiss that stage of my life and sure I have moved on...but it is amazing to think in that 5 year period I barely heard from them whilst singlehandedly doing all I could to support my mother, putting my life on hold for that period including a career, social life. Anyone with a caring background will know especially with someone born pre-war how they expect offspring to care how demanding they can be
Having said that escalating power and heating costs are a problem for everyone in Australian not just the elderly since working people have to pay a lot to work in Sydney now, to keep well presented and healthy for hard work which we all do
marty
No defiantly not, they are butt of many jokes but people forget that it was these people who built this country to what it is today & we are reaping the benefits of their hard work, if some of these young thugs that are on the dole,drugs & drinking were to go out & help the older generation instead of beating them up & robbing them it would be better. Also the government should look at assisting these older people as they didn't have super in their day or the income or working conditions that we have today.
JS
I'm in my seventies and still working casually as a teacher of English to migrants and refugees. I get enormous satisfaction from doing this and still contribute to the family. My wife is younger and still working part time but we can do lots together and travel. What annoys me is that the government is so stingy when it comes to paying me a reasonable pension after all the years I worked and paid taxes.
Joydy
There is lots for seniors to join and became involved in - it is up to us all to make our own lives more fulfilling and interesting. Most seniors are still able to get out and about, join the Seniors group, or a craft group, probus, lions or what ever is available close to you. Make new friends or do some volunteer work. Keep active as long as you can - I certainly do. Even the internet can keep us interested and interesting! Its up to us!!!
kath
i totally agree with Joydys comment there is plenty for the seniors to do ,however there are seniors that cannot get out due to illness or disability may be the family can get help for them make astart so they can have a more productive life
Anonymous
The decision to sit around and be lonely is a personal one and to a great extent I believe that it is up to the seniors themselves to get out and to do something and to meet people. Rather than expecting the government to do something I think it is up to us as members of the community to organise activities and to facilitate ways in which they can be involved with others of all ages. It may take require us to think laterally at what can be done and to look at ways by which we can help with things such as transport or free tickets etc. Senor citizen centres are great but not if you cannot get there or can.t afford to participate. I would suggest that a lot of the problem is initially just inertia.
anna
My thoughts are with the people who by illness or death in the family may not have confidence to make the first move. Sometimes there is an affliction with the person & they feel embarassed that they will not fit in. So we need some way to bridge the gap!
Tittubum
That makes me wonder anna, My dad brought us up to respect our elders and i have taught my children the same as i have had my dad living with me for 17years and then i had moved to new plymouth to let my others sisters and my brother have a turn of looking after our dad and i was really shocked at the the fact that they wouldn't as our dad is 80 years old, My eldest daughter ended up having to look after my dad. You are right anna the seniors are great to talk to and i know of one gentleman who's about 95 years of age and he is so full of knowledge it's unbelieveable. so where are all you young one as it's about time you step up to the plate and take over and talk to some of the seniors and offer to look after and help them.
bigjoeafro
It is a very real problem and the Government is NOT doing enough.
Speaking for myself I absolutely love the elderly - they have vast amounts of knowledge and are happy to share this with you. It is heartbreaking to see how some of these amazing people are treated. Even in homes the staff can be too busy to remember that many of these old folk still have alert minds and have feelings which require respect and dignity. They have a lifetime of memories which keep them going when they have nobody left to visit them. It is up to all of us to think hard about this before we speak to them like children. Please encourage everyone to engage with the elderly and look out for them as if they were your own family. They deserve to be loved and respected by all who come after them.
anna
Money that goes overseas should look after our own first & worry about others later. The seniors I know & have met give so much out to us, never stop learning.
How they managed to make a meal out of next to nothing when times were hard. I have learnt recipes that if most of them had written each down, they would have done these new cooks out of a job. Men are good cooks also. I am lucky enough to be in a position to visit & chat with seniors & come away with a load of knowledge & am thankful for having spent a fruitful few hours. They should not do it hard at this stage in their lives. Bless them!
Saz
I believe that many youths have an impact on the elderly community. What happened to all their extra hands out there, but me for one as a mother wouldn't let my child personally help a stranger considering we have no idea what that person may still be capable of doing. Although loneliness isn't a curse, to some it seems great. To others I believe it can be due to lack of social life or having a certain disability but there are quiet alot of places to recieve help from the government and some extra services in specific areas.
Anonymous
No we or should I say the GOVERNMENT are not nor have they ever done enough for our Seniors, MANY of whom fought in wars to save us, and you in Canberra. Pull your fingers out and stop sniffing seats, bra strap pulling and all the other BS that goes on in Parliament House, and put the $s in to help our Seniors (We will be one day). And while you're at it more money into health would be marvelous! Thank you. HOWEVER I WON'T HOLD MY BREATH, in case I run out....
Anonymous
Agreed its nice but an explosive waste and it scares the heck out of a lot of pets
music1
I totally agree about the fireworks. They are the same year after year. They could cut the time in half.
Debbie
If we even saved half the money that goes into the fireworks New Years Eve we could fund Care centres for the elderly or even build more economic retirement homes. What a great way to promote going into the next Year!
anna
Amazing when elections are held, the promises, total rubbish. Line their pockets first, former PM's getting paid, money going o'seas, etc. illegals!!!! Yes, we have loads of ex Service Personnel & people who have worked very hard in their lives & should be looked after. Also health, what a worry, we really need to look after our own with better health care. The loneliness aspect is when families move further afield for jobs, one of the couples passes on & after lots of years of marriage the one left is finding it hard to find their feet. Neighbours, etc are great, but they have their lives also. Sometimes it is hard to come out & say what is there to do. It would be great for them to have a small bonus to help with power bills. They are over the top.