Care for The Elderly in Their Own Home

In Australia this is a big issue. Aged Care Homes are under scrutiny as so many are doing the wrong thing and are nothing more than businesses aimed at making a profit. The Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, has introduced a system to care for the elderly in their own home. This with a view of taking a focus away from institutions, which do not suit a person’s needs and may hasten their death.

In recent days’ scandals have emerged concerning many of these homes that are owned by an overseas investor. The question is how and why are investors interested in pensioners and older people. The answer was raised on a local television station recently and the fact is that these home take all the pension money from their residents and charge them for all the services they require.

A recent court case concerned a male nurse who burnt down such a premises because he wanted to hide the fact that he took drugs from the medicine cabinet to feed his addiction. While the incident happened in 2011 it took the police time to gather the evidence for a court conviction. In the deliberately lit fire 17 people died in a horrendous manner.

The perpetrator admitted to damaging an employee’s car in a previous job at St. George’s hospital and he resigned because of it. He was also taken off night shift in another place because of patient concerns for their safety. With this record he was employed by the Nursing Home and was on night shift at the time. The carelessness of the owners has come into question.

The bottom line is that people are too afraid now of what they might face if they subject themselves to an organised senior care franchise in one of these homes. While they are able to manage their basic needs, such as showering, cooking, and other thing, the help provided by the government is designed to make their life better and with greater long-term quality.