Aged care crisis call

SENIOR citizens' groups are warning of an aged care crisis in the Bundaberg region unless the Federal Government makes an urgent injection of funds.

SENIOR citizens' groups are warning of an aged care crisis in the Bundaberg region unless the Federal Government makes an urgent injection of funds.

Almost 30 peak consumer groups, providers, unions and health professionals across the country have joined forces in the Australians Deserve to Age Well campaign to call for an immediate end to what they describe as stalled aged care reform.

Association of Independent Retirees Bundaberg branch president Eddie Childs said there was a desperate shortage of aged care facilities.

"We have got a lot of old people in Bundaberg who are aging and it's only going to get worse," he said.

"Because of the shortage of facilities, you have to pay dearly to get a bed in a nursing home."

Mr Childs said he knew people who were waiting months to get a bed in an aged care home in Bundaberg.

"The government makes all these wonderful allocations of aged care beds, but they never get taken up," he said.

"The charitable organisations that run these homes don't have the money to develop them."

Mr Childs said the lack of facilities meant more people would be forced to live in their homes, as they aged, under difficult conditions.

"The charitable organisations like Meals on Wheels and United Care Australia will be struggling to help them because there's nowhere for them to go," he said.

Mr Childs said what compounded the problem was people living longer but not necessarily in good physical condition, meaning they were often not able to look after themselves.

He said the situation needed a huge injection of cash, not only in the physical infrastructure but in training carers.

Bundaberg and District Senior Citizens Association spokeswoman Jean Vane agreed with Mr Childs.

"I have a friend at the moment in transition care because she can't get into a nursing home," she said.

"As people get older they need care, and they don't necessarily all have families to look after them."

Mrs Vane said a lot of older people were living in retirement homes that did not always offer ongoing care.

Member for Hinkler Paul Neville said provision did not match up to need in the region.

"We just can't let it continue to drift from year to year," he said.

"It can't go on like that."

Originally published as Aged care crisis call