Aged care was a god-sanctioned duty in Greek antiquity. Known as gerobaskia, there were severe repercussions when elders were neglected.
In modern Greece, the debt crisis has permeated all facets of life from early education to aged care, where Troika-imposed pension slashes reduced the quality of life of Greece’s senior citizens. In the Antipodes, however, there are providers who say they welcome the Royal Commission into Aged Care as an opportunity to showcase their high-level services despite the unique challenges that face seniors of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD).
Bill Papazafiropoulos from Ridleyton Greek Homes for the Aged in South Australia last week received the industry’s rising star award in the Leading Age Services Australia 2019 Excellence in Age Services Awards. He commenced his work in the facility in 2014 as a lifestyle team member as a way of giving back to his Greek elders.
He now coordinates the program for 120 residents and mentors his colleagues.
“I’m working in an industry where most of the consumers are Greek background like my parents. They’re the ones that came back in the 1950s and 1960s hardly speaking English. I’m trying to give back what they gave my generation,” Mr Papazfiropoulos told the Australian Ageing Agenda, an independent bi-monthly magazine focusing on the aged care industry.
But Mr Papazafiropoulos is no exception when it comes to high-calibre Greek Australian service providers. St Basil’s Aged Care services, run by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, offer 55 homes for the elderly in capital cities of all states and major hubs around the country.
Fr Nicholas Stavropoulos, took over the leadership of St Basil’s aged care services in NSW and the ACT in 2003, and was a teacher for 10 years before this posting. “Young people and old people aren’t that different,” he half-jokes, speaking to Neos Kosmos. “They are focused on food and what they play with.”
He says that the area under his jurisdiction caters to a clientele of 1,200 people of which 550 are in residential aged care. Their needs are catered to by a staff of 690 employees, and he states that it is sometimes a confronting job.
“Nurses in hospitals and in aged care can easily forget that they are dealing with people,” he says. “One of the greatest challenges that aged care providers need to focus on is not institutionalising care and to treat people in a humane way and not as though they were numbers. You need to give them a name, respect their wishes, tell them why you are giving them medicine, ask for permission to clear their table or to move their wheelchair.”
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These simple courtesies are sometimes overlooked by aged care providers when routine sets in, but the institutionalisation of Aged Care goes against Greek values where senior members of the community were traditionally viewed with respect and “you never insulted anyone for being old.”
It’s the traditional Greek values that sets Greek Australian providers apart, and has resulted in providers like St Basil’s having a clientele of all nationalities and religions. “Other nationalities come to us because they trust church providers, or maybe they grew up with Greeks and don’t mind the culture, but the main reason is usually convenience for the families so that they can visit,” Fr Nicholas says.
Archbishop Makarios visit to St Basils
The home at Lakemba has a Greek-specific license and 100 per cent Greek residents, whereas the demographic drops to 10 per cent at facilities such as the one at Annandale. “We cater to all the residents’ spiritual needs regardless of the creed,” he says, adding that there are priests of all denominations serving the needs of each community.
“It is easier at the all-Greek facility, and not just due to the religion. When you’re cooking for Greeks, you can focus on just one particular style. It’s easier to offer them Greek food choices such as kokkinisto chicken, nystisimi fasolada (baked beans for fasting) or a sandwich, and they’ll all put their hands up for a bus trip to a monastery. At facilities that are more mainstream, you’ll have to compromise on the food offerings and find activities that would please the majority of residents.
“At Lakemba we can light candles and use incense, whereas in Miranda we look for Anglo activities. Recently we had a ‘Great Gatsby’ inspired get-together with 1920s clothes.”
Regardless of the composition, Fr Nicholas states that every spare bed results in a competition as to who will get it. “It’s a matter of looking at the waiting list and figuring out which match is right for the wing where the bed is located,” he says, adding that the situation has been exacerbated by the fact that a number of the facilities recently underwent a $20m renovation project that required beds to be shut.
“At Lakemba we had to close down two wards, and it was an expensive process as we had to have beds empty. When we reopened, we were full again within weeks and still have waiting lists,” he said.
To be admitted, the resident needs to raise a bond according to the requirements of the state. The amount could be as more than $1 million in some cases. “Our cheapest is $380,000 for the sites at Lakemba and Kogarah,” Fr Nicholas said, adding that we can thank the Howard government for that.
“Oftentimes the resident needs to sell their family house to get aged care, however the bond is refundable should the resident leave,” he said, but stipulates that those who have no assets can still receive care provided they have a Centrelink assessment.
Fronditha Aged Care stakeholders also point to services available to all regardless of their assets.
“Part of our values and vision is to help people who are financially and socially disadvantaged and the government also assists in this area by subsidising their care,” Mr Jim Scantsonihas, General Manager of Operations at Fronditha Care, told Neos Kosmos during the presentation of Fronditha Care’s new CEO Michael Malakonas.
READ MORE: Fronditha Care’s new CEO Michael Malakonas, new blood at Greek Australian aged care provider
The Australian government sets the cost of care which is means and assets tested via an independent process in absentia of any aged care provider. “The statistics show that more than 50 per cent of our current residents are from a disadvantaged background, whereas the government looks to 40 per cent,” Mr Scantsonihas said. “In essence, all they pay is part of their pension to be in the home.”
There are four Fronditha Care homes in Melbourne and one in Newcastle, servicing the needs of almost 400 people. Demand is huge.
“Once we have the relevant paperwork, we look at the care needs of those on the waiting list and will take them in provided we have a vacancy that is suitable to their needs,” Mr Scantsonihas said. “Someone with dementia needs to be at a specific part of the building. If there is no vacant bed in that section, we can’t place them somewhere else if they are at risk of wandering out of the building.”
Mr Scantsonihas said that lately people have greater needs. “We’re finding that they are staying longer at home. By the time they come to us, their needs are greater because they are at the end stage,” he said.
“The average amount of years people used to stay with us was 10 years, but now its roughly five years or less because they are staying at home longer.”
The demand of services provided at people’s homes has grown. “We offer home care packages for people at the lower or medium end of the spectrum and they need people to help them for an hour, a couple of hours, a day, a week,” Mr Scantsonihas says.