You may be wondering, why am I talking about Australia specifically? Honestly, I chose it because Australia is one of my favorite places I’ve been to, which makes me curious on how the aging care system works there. Who knows, maybe I’ll retire in Australia!
Australia’s aging population: As is the trend in many countries, birth rates in Australia are declining as life expectancy increases. In 2017, 15% of Australians were 65 years old and older. Twenty years later, in 2037, the proportion is estimated to increase to 20%, and in another twenty years, to 22%. With the growing amount of older people, care services for the elderly are becoming important topics of discussion. How does the aged care system work? Here, I will be focusing on the government-funded programs. The main types of care available are residential aged care, home care, and home support. Residential care includes long and short term stays in residential care facilities. The home care program is called Home Care Packages Program (HCP) and provides different levels of care for people in their homes. The home support program is called the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) and provides basic care for those who don’t need the full support of home care. In order to qualify for aged care, the individual must be 65+ (50+ for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) and complete an assessment. Home care: Services provided to help people remain at home include personal care, therapy, food services, home maintenance and modifications, transportation, and more. The CHSP provides services to help people remain independent and safe. HCP is for more intensive care and has different levels, depending on the amount of support needed. Short term care: There are three types of short term care available: restorative, transition, and respite care. Restorative care is for those who are just starting to need help with daily activities. Transition care is for those who are recovering from being in the hospital and integrate back into everyday life. Respite care enables caregivers to take a little break, whether it be a couple hours or a couple days. Long term care: Individuals who can no longer live independently can move into an aged care home, which is basically a nursing home. I like how Australia has two types of care programs for those who want to continue living at home because I think that having a place to call your own home is important in everyone’s lives, but especially for the elderly. This is because in today’s society, aging is often associated with disability. However, even if someone needs help with certain tasks, this doesn’t mean that they are completely incapable or should lose their independence and home completely. In fact, most older Australians do live in their own homes: 73.4% of those 65+ were homeowners in 2011, and only 6.6% lived in residential aged care. It’s important to note that residential care isn’t something totally terrible to avoid, only that it just may not be right for some, like those who enjoy the freedom of living independently. For these people, moving into a facility can be a shock because they’re stripped of their own home, daily routines, and safe place. Along with searching about official aging care services, I also looked at a couple other programs that aim to improve the elderly’s lives. Intergenerational playgroups: This is an interesting model that I came across. In Australia, there are thousands of intergenerational playgroups around the country, with the goal of strengthening ties between generations. These playgroups work by getting 3+ generations together. In long term care facilities, it’s popular for adults to bring their young children to meet with the residents. They all then spend time together, doing activities like singing, painting, and telling stories. I think these playgroups are such a great idea because they benefit everyone involved. For the residents, they are able to socialize and play with the younger generation, which likely helps to brighten their moods and their overall wellbeing. And for the children, they are able to improve social interactions and awareness about the older generation. Be Connected Initiative: This is yet another program helping to connect generations. The goal is to help older adults strengthen their digital skills and online safety. All of its resources are free, including in-person help through the Be Connected Network, which consists of community organizations! In this digital age, it’s important for everyone to be able to access and understand technology. However, the older population is often left behind while the younger generation becomes more fluent and dependent on technology. Another stigma of aging: incompetence with technology. Yes, it may be hard for older people to adapt to technology, as they didn’t have the exposure to such advances growing up, but this doesn’t mean that they can’t learn. I think the Be Connected Initiative can be so helpful for the elderly because through it, they can not only connect to technology, but also with those in their communities through the Be Connected Network. The overall purpose of these two programs that I noticed is connection. As people get older, it does seem like they become disconnected from society, as firstly, they retire and therefore may lose a sense of productivity and purpose, and secondly, society in general is more attracted towards youth. I really think it’s important to address this negative stigma around aging because it’s inevitably going to occur to all of us. By connecting generations through playgroups and technology, everyone involved is able to improve each other’s lives. Sources: https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/ https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/3398464/HILDA-Statistical-Report2019.pdf https://arc2018.aarpinternational.org/countries/australia https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/
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It’s so crazy to think about how much our world has changed this year. COVID-19 has completely changed the way we interact with each other. Although restrictions are loosening and places are opening up, it’s still necessary to take precautions, especially with the elderly. Today, I want to focus on how COVID-19 affects those with dementia.
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 is especially dangerous for the elderly, but there’s an even higher risk for people with dementia. This is because those with dementia are likely to also have other health problems, like cardiovascular disease and pneumonia, and behaviors related to dementia can increase the risk of them contracting COVID-19. For example, since a characteristic of dementia is memory loss, they may have difficulties remembering safety measures to take, like washing hands or covering coughs. Individuals with more advanced stages of dementia may not fully understand the current situation and risks due to overall cognitive impairment. Those living in long term care facilities are also cut off from their family and friends, which can worsen confusion and stress. Social distancing in general interferes with the social activities, exercise groups, and other types of meaningful activities that are important parts of daily life. Therefore, it’s necessary to provide not only protection against the virus, but also care for mental and physical well being. Both caregivers and patients have roles to play in staying healthy and connected. Here are some examples:
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