The privatisation and closure of a number of government aged care facilities in Victoria is worrying residents who fear the measures will leave their loved ones with limited options.
The government is seeking to privatise or close McLellan House at Broadmeadows, Merv Irvine Nursing Home in Bundoora, Boyne Russell House in Brunswick, Weighbridge Residential Care Facility in Flemington, Cambridge House in Collingwood, Darley House in Heidelberg and Riverside House in Richmond.
According to the Victorian Labor Party, six nursing homes have closed under the Napthine Government, one has been sold and 179 beds have been lost in the process.
Peninsula Health has recently announced it is privatising its aged persons mental health facilities in Frankston and Seaford. Alfred Health has also recently announced the contracting out of its three public aged care facilities.
Many of the nursing homes that have closed were deemed old and dilapidated, but no new nursing homes have been announced.
$25 million of funding will be cut from aged care in 2014/15 with a further $50 million cut in 2015/16, while the sale of aged care facilities will add millions to state coffers.
Public aged care facilities have closed in Ballarat, Castlemaine, Flemington, Kyneton, Koroit, Melbourne, Melton South and Williamstown, with 410 public sector residential aged care beds lost since 2010.
Many fear their loved ones won’t be able to receive the same level of care at their nursing homes if they are privatised.
With the focus shifted to making profit, many special features of government aged care facilities like dementia or multiple sclerosis wards might be reduced.
For Teresa Tzimopoulos, having to find a facility that could house her mother that met specific dementia needs was an arduous process.
“For us to find a home it couldn’t just be any nursing home, it had to be Greek and it also had to be dementia specific place,” she told Neos Kosmos in June. “We probably looked at around five and we also looked at English ones too (non-Greek).”
Waiting lists at many nursing homes are growing, and with fewer available beds and a ballooning ageing population, many won’t be able to pick and choose where their loved ones go.
Many will be transferred further away from their loved ones and might cause undue stress to residents who have to adjust to new surroundings and new staff.
Shadow Minister for Ageing Jenny Mikakos says many Greek families will be currently trying to find a place for their loved ones and more needs to be done to fund culturally and linguistically diverse facilities.
“The ageing Greek community in Victoria are very fortunate to have in place ethno-specific aged care services, but the demand is such that they will not be able to cater to everyone’s needs,” she told Neos Kosmos in a statement.
“With 32,000 Greek Australians in Victoria who are already aged over 65, demand for a range of aged care services will continue to be the community’s pressing need for some time to come.”
Also affected by the privatisation of aged-care facilities will be a large number of workers who could be facing the axe or less pay.
The Health Workers Union says the private sector typically pays less than public aged care homes and conditions are not as good.
Ms Mikakos believes privatising measures are a way for the government to cut staff costs.
“The Napthine Government’s privatisation agenda is all about cutting staff costs. Unlike the private sector, public aged care facilities have nurse-patient ratios and qualified nurses who can manage the complex health care needs of aged care residents,” she says.
As of March 2014, there are 189 public sector aged-care facilities in the state of Victoria that cater to 4,076 high care and 1,980 low care residents.
Thousands are also cared for at home in supported residential services that are provided by the government. Of people aged 85 years and over, three-quarters continue to reside in their own homes.
For more information on aged care, visit www.myagedcare.gov.au
Source: The Leader