The crisis enveloping Australia’s aged care system is a direct result of the government’s mismanagement, and should come as no surprise considering the reforms that have been inflicted on the system over the past two decades. Social affairs journalist Rick Morton has meticulously detailed government decisions affecting aged care going back to the 1990s when John Howard introduced the Aged Care Act. His two-part series can be read in full in The Saturday Paper. “We should not be surprised” Mr...

  Shortages of protective equipment and a lack of fitting masks were behind the COVID-19 infections of thousands of Victorian healthcare workers, experts have said. “Multiple failures” in the planning of PPE for healthcare workers have contributed to the infections, and there is still some way to go until the situation is fixed,” Physician Dr Michelle Ananda-rajah told ABC news this morning. She said though the situation has improved, she is still hearing reports that the masks are not...

Australia’s aged care system is “totally inequitable” because the wealthy do not make a larger contribution to the costs of the services they use as they age, the royal commission has heard. The former Chair of the Aged Care Financing Authority, Mike Callaghan, told the commissioners most Australians “don't spend the money they have in retirement”. “People with assets they have going into retirement, when they die they haven't dipped into them. And there's very large growth in inheritances.”...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for aged care residents, who have found themselves cut off from family and friends in an increasingly stressful and uncertain situation. Even the simple pleasures of reading a good book have been taken away, as communal books have been removed from aged care homes and local libraries closed for borrowing.   But a new program seeks to provide aged care residents with reading material, and the added stimulation of providing feedback to the writers...

In 1988, Massachusetts man Brad Hathaway was diagnosed with diabetes, heart problems and other health issues.  His doctor suggested that he start walking immediately, and regularly if he wanted to improve his health.  “My doctor said, ‘You better walk. You better start walking tomorrow and start walking three miles a day’,” Brad said. “So, I did, and I mapped out the entire town.” Thirty-two years later, Brad has walked three miles every day, sometimes getting to...

  When we think of fashion for grandmas and older people, we may think of comfy cardis, house slippers, and sensible trousers. While there’s nothing wrong with that, these stylish ladies have taken a different approach and are rewriting the fashion rules for older people. Covering the whole rainbow of colours, every kind of texture, and always expertly accessorised, these ladies sure know how to grow old stylishly. Jean & Valerie @idiosyncraticfashionistas Jean and Valerie describe themselves as “NYC style...

If I get dementia, I want my friends and family to embrace my reality. If I think my spouse is still alive or if I think we're visiting my parents for dinner, let me believe those things. I'll be much happier for it. If I get dementia, I don't want to be treated like a child. Talk to me like the adult that I am. If I get dementia, I still want to enjoy the things that I've always enjoyed...

Lewy body disease, a form of degenerative dementia, has proven extremely difficult to accurately diagnose. This is due to its similarities to other diseases and the impossibility of finding Lewy bodies through brain scans and other diagnosis methods.  Despite these challenges, it is vital that this disease is diagnosed as early as possible, as inappropriate treatment has been seen to worsen the condition.  What is Lewy body? Lewy body disease is a form of dementia. It is caused...

Dementia Australia have released the results of a survey which found that people living with dementia are facing discrimination and exclusion within their communities. It’s a sad finding and one that we should all make a conscious effort to amend, especially during this year’s Dementia Action Week, which has the theme ‘A little support makes a lot of difference’. 75% of people surveyed who live with dementia said that people don’t keep in touch as regularly as they did before...

  Coronavirus has affected a lot of people in a lot of different ways. From the loss of regular personal connection, to the challenges of teaching kids at home while trying to work, or losing jobs altogether. The global pandemic has taken a toll on everyday life in a way we’ve never seen or experienced before.  One group that isn’t often mentioned is those studying to be nurses or new graduates looking for aged care placements.  With little...

  Shortages of protective equipment and a lack of fitting masks were behind the COVID-19 infections of thousands of Victorian healthcare workers, experts have said. “Multiple failures” in the planning of PPE for healthcare workers have contributed to the infections, and there is still some way to go until the situation is fixed,” Physician Dr Michelle Ananda-rajah told ABC news this morning. She said though the situation has improved, she is still hearing reports that the masks are not...

Australians are right to be ashamed of our nation’s aged-care crisis. We owe our elders so much better. They are repositories of wisdom, vocational knowledge and tradition. They reared us, cared for us, built our workplaces and economy, defended our nation in war, and made us into the people we are. Yet the ongoing royal commission into aged care has revealed that not only was the sector completely unprepared for COVID-19, but it also is still not prepared for renewed...