The quality of aged care in Australia should be some of the highest in the world, but if facilities are struggling to pay the bills there is going to be an impact on consumers.
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Residential facilities are being run into the ground, and owners are being forced to dip into their own pockets to keep their service afloat.
A recent report found more than 45 per cent of Australia's residential aged care facilities are running at a loss. It's even starker in regional areas where 67 per cent probably won't break even, and 43 per cent cough up cash to keep the doors open.
What is the solution? More staff? Better training? All that would stem from a well-funded system. The federal government funds the system, and is funding the $104.3 million Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, established in October last year. An interim report is expected this year, but the final report isn't due until 2020.
If funding is at the root of these horrific experiences, the royal commission is essentially spending $104 million on an answer that is staring the government in the face.
By then, it could be too late for service providers, who have indicated they are hoping the royal commission findings will include recommendations for greater funding.
One owner told Australian Community Media he had recently hired a senior registered nurse at the cost of about $90,000 per year purely to help with paperwork, as the government regulations require.
Meanwhile, the royal commission was asked to look at how older people are cared for and work out what needs to change to make aged care services better.
The intent is noble, but the main focus so far has been on the negative experiences of residents and consumers, rather than the root cause.
There is no doubt that horrific things have happened to people in aged care. Those experiences should never be repeated, and the people who inflicted them should be held to account.
But this recent research shows funding is a huge problem. If funding is at the root of these horrific experiences, the royal commission is essentially spending $104 million on an answer that is staring the government in the face.
Many Australians will end up in residential aged care at the end of their life. For those who are there now, we can only hope the current falling standards are improved so they can die with dignity and proper support.
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