At 9.30 that day (Dec 5, 2019), some crucial amendments to aged care legislation were introduced which would force nursing home to reveal how they spent their $20 billion of taxpayer funds each year-- specifically, how much went to staff, food and 'the amounts paid out to parent bodies'.
Unlike hospital and child care centres, aged care facilities can employ as few staff as they like because there are no staff-to-resident ratios in nursing homes.
When it comes to food, a study of 800 nursing homes shows the average spend is just $6 a day.
When the crucial vote came, the Government shot it down.
Sorry about the messy quoting, but I'm fed up with this forum's sh*tty software !$@*
Mike Harding said
01:17 PM Feb 11, 2020
When nursing homes are being run for a profit it is concerning and hard to see how the business owners/managers will operate any differently to 99.9% of other businesses ie. profit first.
Having said that: the $6 a day for food may not be as bad as it looks:
Old people generally don't eat a lot.
Buying food in quantity is cheaper - especially if one does not buy from ColesWorth.
A professional chef will (one hopes) produce nutritious and flavoursome meals from the basic ingredients of meat/veg/pots/rice.
Nevertheless this is an area government should police like a hawk to ensure neglect does not occur. And the occasional tales of physical/sexual abuse one hears of hardly bears thinking about.
Finally: you'll *never* find me in such an establishment - when my life reaches that point it will be time to go.
oldbloke said
05:24 PM Feb 11, 2020
"Nevertheless this is an area government should police like a hawk to ensure neglect does not occur. And the occasional tales of physical/sexual abuse one hears of hardly bears thinking about."
Ill second that.
The way elderly are treated needs a lot more scutiny.
If it wasnt so serious it would be a joke.
dogbox said
08:01 PM Feb 11, 2020
you would think looking after the elderly would be a priority none of us are getting any younger including the politicians
Whenarewethere said
08:55 PM Feb 11, 2020
An issue politicians push off to the next politician to then push off to the next politician to.....
hokianga said
03:43 PM Feb 12, 2020
I worked at a nursing home in NZ for a very short time, at the interview I asked what the staff to resident ration was and was told 1 to 5, what I later found out was they counted every staff member, laundry staff, gardening staff, cleaning staff- the actual real ratio of carers to residents was very low, no doubt it is probably the same in oz.
Tony Bev said
01:26 PM Feb 14, 2020
That was a good find Dorian, thanks for putting it up
Below is a snip from the article, Dorian put up
My amendments are all about transparency and accountability - and, boy, do we need more of this," said Senator Stirling Griff from Centre Alliance, who proposed the amendments.
When the crucial vote came, Labor, the Greens, Centre Alliance and Jacqui Lambie supported it. But the Government voted against it and, with the help of Pauline Hanson, the reform was defeated.
Reading the article in detail, it appears to me, (but I could have read it wrong), that the aged care industry, has got the government in its pocket
It will certainly help me to decide, who will get my next vote, as I certainly intend to grow old enough, to go into a nursing home
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-09/federal-government-blocked-law-nursing-homes-reveal-finances/11943380
Unlike hospital and child care centres, aged care facilities can employ as few staff as they like because there are no staff-to-resident ratios in nursing homes.
When it comes to food, a study of 800 nursing homes shows the average spend is just $6 a day.
When the crucial vote came, the Government shot it down.
Sorry about the messy quoting, but I'm fed up with this forum's sh*tty software !$@*
When nursing homes are being run for a profit it is concerning and hard to see how the business owners/managers will operate any differently to 99.9% of other businesses ie. profit first.
Having said that: the $6 a day for food may not be as bad as it looks:
Old people generally don't eat a lot.
Buying food in quantity is cheaper - especially if one does not buy from ColesWorth.
A professional chef will (one hopes) produce nutritious and flavoursome meals from the basic ingredients of meat/veg/pots/rice.
Nevertheless this is an area government should police like a hawk to ensure neglect does not occur. And the occasional tales of physical/sexual abuse one hears of hardly bears thinking about.
Finally: you'll *never* find me in such an establishment - when my life reaches that point it will be time to go.
Ill second that.
The way elderly are treated needs a lot more scutiny.
If it wasnt so serious it would be a joke.
An issue politicians push off to the next politician to then push off to the next politician to.....
That was a good find Dorian, thanks for putting it up
Below is a snip from the article, Dorian put up
Reading the article in detail, it appears to me, (but I could have read it wrong), that the aged care industry, has got the government in its pocket
It will certainly help me to decide, who will get my next vote, as I certainly intend to grow old enough, to go into a nursing home