The income within super funds is poorly taxed. Taxing it better could properly fund aged care.
A number of Australian nursing homes use Paro, a therapeutic robot that looks and sounds like a baby harp seal, to interact with residents with dementia.
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It’s easy to get excited about the potential for robots to help care for the sick, injured and elderly, but we need the right regulations in place to deal with issues as they emerge.
Andrew Giles on the growing issue of loneliness
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Ahead of the release of the most comprehensive data on loneliness in Australia, by the Australian Psychologists Society, Labor frontbencher Andrew Giles speaks about this "contagious phenomenon".
Around 60% of aged care residents require more than four hours of care per day.
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The Conversation asked readers how they would want a loved one to be cared for in a residential aged care facility. What they said was similar to what surveys around the world have consistently found.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the Coalition’s spending on aged care services after announcing a Royal Commission into the sector.
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Peter Whiteford, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended the Coalition’s spending on aged care as preparations for a Royal Commission into the sector get underway. We asked the experts to crunch the numbers.
Ratings work mostly because they change the behaviour of care providers.
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Some family members of aged care residents have resorted to hidden cameras to detect abuse and protect loved ones. But it’s legally murky and erodes the privacy of the resident, staff and visitors.
Our society should ensure older people remain employed and engaged in their communities, rather than pushed to the margins.
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Large institutions for people with disability and mental illness were once commonplace. These have now been replaced with smaller community-based services. With aged care, we’re doing the opposite.
Previous reviews into aged care have come up with findings sure to be repeated in the royal commission.
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Four Corners this week revealed understaffing and poor staff training in aged care. These issues have also been found in previous reviews into aged care.
Most aged-care residents don’t feel like they are loved or belong in their facility.
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Older people living in residential aged care often have few friends, no meaningful interactions and feel socially isolated. Most people are depressed and some may no longer wish to live.
People with dementia often experience a range of psychological symptoms and behaviour changes.
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Because of their sedative effect, antipsychotic medications are often used – in fact they are over-used – to “manage” people with dementia. This is against clinical guidelines.
The rules make it hard to make reasonable money providing a reasonable service.
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Australia’s aged care sector is in trouble. Our experts have previously explored the complex aspects of the system, exposing where the problems are, and have been for some time.
Intergenerational care programs encourage relationship building between generations.
Griffith University
Intergenerational care gives children and older people the chance to interact, resulting in significant benefits for participants and the wider community.
There are currently no rules to ensure that aged-care facilities provide a comfortable indoor environment.
University of Wollongong
People with dementia can become agitated or distressed when the temperature isn’t right, but some aged-care facilities aren’t designed or operated to keep them comfortable.
High-rise retirement homes in the city are the future for baby boomers.
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The NDIS has started to reduce the admissions of young people with disabilities to aged care facilities, but more than 6,000 are still waiting for more suitable accommodation.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne