Society & Culture

Aged Care

Society & Culture

Posted by: sianan

16th Jun 2011 12:20am

Aged Care and who will care for those if we don't act now to make things better. I work as a Nurse in Aged Care with Dementia. I love my job as I love taking care of the people and I treat them as I would my own parents. They are deserving of all the love and care that is possible. We need to make sure that as time goes on, that the ones caring for our loved ones have lots of caring and love in their hearts to look after them as they should be. Sadly, some areas in Aged care is being neglected by ones who care for them in facilities. We need to make a stand for our loved ones and also because one day we may need caring ourselves, that the right staff are working in the facilities, that they have had more training in all areas of caring etc. What can we do as a society to make sure this happens? I am deeply concerned for all our Aged ones if things don't change.


Comments 11

skagaray
  • 22nd Sep 2012 02:08pm

If I've got it right, more is being learned about staving off dementia, or even treating it. You are quite right in saying it is terribly wrong for the aged and dementia affected to be neglected, but the care of them can become difficult if too great a number is involved. That's what I'm hoping, medical practitioners learn more about how to prevent it even getting hold of people.

Ann818
  • 9th Aug 2011 05:36pm

My mum has just entered a nursing home for people with high care needs. She lived independently but suffered a lot of health problems, especially with mobility due to spinal stenosis, osteoporosis etc. After a fall she was frightened and unable to care for herself, and although she has only been there a short time, there's been a positive difference in terms of her getting regular, nourishing meals, and assistance with everything she needs to do. I visit her just about every day and have been impressed so far with the caring attitude of the nurses and helpers there - and their infinite patience! Of course it's not an ideal situation but in her case I am so thankful she is there and being cared for. I think the wages should be increased immediately, to encourage interested and talented people to enter this caring profession.

rob
  • 23rd Jul 2011 10:02pm

Hi, my mum has dementia and is in a nursing home. The majority of the staff there are very caring, helpful and patient. Dementia is a very cruel disease and it takes a special kind of person to care for these patients. I agree that a more reasonable rate of pay is warranted and needed. I dread the day when my mum no longer recognises me. She has suffered so much and we can only hope that there will be an end soon to her suffering. They are always short staffed at the nursing home and they all work very hard to look after the patients.A better rate of pay would mean more staff and better care for these patients. Its rather frightening to think that one day we too may be confined to a nursing home with dementia. Robyn

Anonymous
  • 22nd Jul 2011 09:23am

hi There I agree my dad doesnt have Dementia but he does live in a home for elderly.Due to him being in hospital care we cant have him home with us so we want him to be in a home that he feels as much loved and cared for if he was living with us I think people need to wake up we are all gonna get old like you said we might be there 2 I belive it takes a special person (like u) to work in this job.1 thing we can do is keep a eye on our loved 1s I realise im my dads mouth peice and I never let anything go by that I dont accept or agree with I love my dad and wouldnt let any1 treat him how they wouldnt wanted to be treated this is a way we can care for our loved 1s to ..... it takes 2 to care and love

sianan
  • 22nd Jul 2011 10:37pm

Hi Sweetness,
It is lovely to hear that you care so much for your Dad and do as much as you can for him, however it is not always possible to have the best attention you desire and what I desire or want to see all my coworkers giving, due to not all staff having their heart in the job, as is the case in all areas of all jobs. All I can say is, I do all within my power to give the best care ever and to be alert to lack of care by others and to make sure it does not continue. I really hope oneday, the Government does use their head and not their greed to look into the Aged Care Facilities and the workers and make sure that both staff and aged are looked after.

TimsGirl
  • 21st Jul 2011 11:37pm

i have a real simple solution to fix one of the major problems in aged care - pay staff a decent wage.

Aged care sadly is full of people who speak little english, or are just doing it until they can get a better job, or quite simply are there because they are abusers and the elderly make easy targets.

I'm not saying all aged care nurses are like this - I work part time in aged care - but quite frankly, I'm in the category of "just doing it til I can get a better job". I'm only there while I'm at uni and when I graduate and become an RN, I plan to work in a hospital. I'm just in aged care because that's the first job I got offered in nursing and want to show my employer that I'm loyal to them til I graduate. I could get a hospital job paying a few dollars more per hour quite easily, but at the moment (being on a part disability pension myself), I only get to keep roughly 5% of what I make working after tax and loss of pension and cost of getting to work so the extra I'd get changing to a hospital job wouldn't make much difference to my net income.

And for the people I work with, many are in similar situations - most are either at uni/tafe studying to be EENs or RNs and will move out of aged care when they qualified, or they are from non english speaking backgrounds and are just working in aged care til they get their english up to scratch and enough experience and study to get their qualifications recognised in australia and will move out of aged care as soon as they do - more than half the staff at the nursing home that I work are from NESBs. And then there are the mature aged staff, many of whom are there just trying to save up enough to start their own business or study towards a profession they really want to do.

And why? well part of it is because it's physically and emotionally demanding work, but the underlying reason is the pay - we work a tough, demanding, draining job, and we get paid minimum wage for it.

I recently checked award wages and for a qualified assistant nurse (ie one that has paid lots of money at tafe to get qualified) with a years experience has an award wage LOWER than retail assistants. My work pays only 10c more an hour than the award.

I was seriously getting paid more per hour working as a shelf filler at coles 12 years ago than I do now as an assistant nurse - and I have two univerisity degrees now and am only months away from finishing my third.

The truth is, if I was there for the money, I wouldn't be working there. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but because of my own ill health, it's literally killing me. But I've been told by many others, the only way to get a decent job as an RN when you finish uni is to worked as an assistant nurse while you study - so while I make next to nothing working, the littleI make does help, and it's leading to a slightly better paying job in the future.

But sadly people who want to work in aged care because they want to help, simply can't afford long term to do it - when the choice is working in aged care or paying your own bills, most people move onto a job that pays better so they can pay the bills.

That is why many aged care facilities end up with abusers on staff - the good staff can't afford to keep working there, they choose supporting their family over working in aged care, and that only leaves people with not so selflessmotives - I'm not knocking those who work in aged care as a stepping stone to other types of nursing work - if there weren't people like us, the "transient aged care workers", our aged care facilities would simply be unable to get remotely enough staff - but it does leave many places open to being stuck with staff who have undesirable motives for working there.

If the government insisted on a fair wage for nurses in aged care facilities, the good staff would be able to afford to stick around - and bad staff would be more noticeable and be gotten rid of.

And quite simply - if the government doesn't start doing something about better pay for aged care nurses, there won't be enough of any type of staff - good or bad. While working as a receptionist or checkout chick or shelf filler pays so much more than nursing (and often better hours too), what incentive is there for anyone to keep working in aged care??? Beyond those who are working in aged care while studying (nursing, english skills or something else), no one else really goes into aged care anymore. As the older generation retire and the younger generations finish studying and move on to better paying jobs, and students decide it's better to work as something else while studying, where will they get aged care nurses in the near future???

The government needs to start paying nurses what they deserve- not the pathetic minimum wage garbage.

sianan
  • 22nd Jul 2011 10:24pm
i have a real simple solution to fix one of the major problems in aged care - pay staff a decent wage.

Aged care sadly is full of people who speak little english, or are just doing it...

Hi Selaspy,
I agree with the pay situation not being enough for all the long hard work that we do in aged care especially those with dementia. Yes I agree that a lot of the younger ones are using this job as a transition so as to go into better paying nursing. The stress put on the staff who are genuine in wanting to work in this area of nursing as I do, is partially related to ones who will only do what hours they have to so as to be able to study. I am not knocking them by any means, but it gives a bleak forecast for the future of Aged Care and for all of us as we get older.

sianan
  • 22nd Jul 2011 10:24pm
i have a real simple solution to fix one of the major problems in aged care - pay staff a decent wage.

Aged care sadly is full of people who speak little english, or are just doing it...

Hi Selaspy,
I agree with the pay situation not being enough for all the long hard work that we do in aged care especially those with dementia. Yes I agree that a lot of the younger ones are using this job as a transition so as to go into better paying nursing. The stress put on the staff who are genuine in wanting to work in this area of nursing as I do, is partially related to ones who will only do what hours they have to so as to be able to study. I am not knocking them by any means, but it gives a bleak forecast for the future of Aged Care and for all of us as we get older.

cooki
  • 22nd Jun 2011 11:45am

Dementia is to do with memory loss the short term memory it is not easy caring for someone who has this illness it can be a very frustrating time not only for the person affected but for those who are doing the caring especially those that are still out in the community living by themselves or with their families, don't get me wrong those who work in agedcare facilities are doing a wonderful job caring for loved ones of others. How do I know this because I was working in the enviroment it was very rewarding but at the sametime it could be very frustrating as well.
As they say patience is a vrtue how true that word is for working/caring for those who havw Dementia requires alot of patience, understanding,& love to name a few.
I myself no longer work in the agedcare enviroment now as I now care for my 82 year old mother who has Dememtia what I learnt during my years as healthcare assistant has stood me in good stead when it coimes to the care of my mother that and the support of various organisations in the community.
Yes there are alot of wonderful people out in society who do a excellent job caring for our loved ones who suffer with Dementia and more.

anna
  • 20th Jun 2011 10:15pm

We need lots more people out there like you! A lot of families are not able to understand Dementia sadly, need more information out there for them. Lots to learn about how to deal this dreadful situation & it happens to people from diverse backgrounds, does not pick & choose.

sianan
  • 21st Jun 2011 05:40pm
We need lots more people out there like you! A lot of families are not able to understand Dementia sadly, need more information out there for them. Lots to learn about how to deal this dreadful...

Thanks for your comments, I was starting to wonder if anyone does really care about the aged, being parents, grandparents, etc. True it does not pick or choose, but it is up to us who care to make it easier for those who suffer and for their families who find it devastating to find their loved ones don't know them anymore. Both areas need love and care. A lot of people close their mind as to it affecting them or their families, but all of us are affected in one way or another and we need more education and understanding of Dementia, etc.

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