Past Programs
Ageing - 2008
Nursing homes
06/11/2008
It's no secret that our population is ageing. Right now more than 2.8 million of us are aged over 65. An expansion of community care programs has enabled more elderly people to stay in their own homes for longer. As a result, those aged over 85 tend to be the main users of aged care services. The number of people in that age group is expected to increase by fourfold over the next 40 years.
But the nursing home industry is reluctant to build more beds. It says the sector is over-regulated and the government controls all three of the fundamentals -- supply, demand and price. So should there be changes in aged care? Should nursing home residents pay more or should the federal government change the way it subsidises nursing home beds?
Euthanasia
26/06/2008
At the moment there are two pieces of legislation before Australian parliaments which would provide a legal framework for euthanasia under very specific circumstances: one in the Victorian parliament and one in the Federal Senate. Apparently around 85 per cent of Victorians favour the right to choose assistance with dying. Is legislation long overdue or the beginning of a slippery moral slope?
Keeping Tabs
11/06/2008
The federal government says safety is a priority in its plans to make nursing homes report all residents who go missing. Homes would be required to notify the department as well as the police when a resident is missing without explanation.
Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot is also looking at the use of medi-tag bracelets. The bracelet would be engraved with a symbol indicating the condition of its wearer, but the proposal could go further. GPS tracking devices are being looked at for people with Alzheimer's disease following a pilot program in Western Australia. In that study, satellite tracking and internet software were used by family members to keep tabs on dementia sufferers. So when do issues of personal safety overtake civil rights?
