UnSubRocky wrote on May 17
th, 2020 at 1:35am:
Sir Spot of Borg wrote on May 16
th, 2020 at 9:39am:
There is not really a great deal of confidence in the Baby Boomers living on the aged pension. They are going to be among the first to use their superannuation to alleviate the burden on the pension. In 10 years time, we Gen Xers and Gen Ys might be struggling as workers providing a higher tax rate to look after the 70s and 80s years of age people living their retirements. But, I have the feeling that the Baby Boomers might die earlier than their parents. So, it could work out.
Sorry... I did a single week of voluntary/practical work for my aged care course (before I quit) and I found that looking after geriatrics were just not something I want to be doing for a wage.
a couple of facts to consider
the number of people over 80 is expected to quadruple in the next 20 years.
and the most expensive people to look after in the health system are people over 80.
add to that health expenditure rises at 5 to 7 % each year (the fastest growing area of expense).
governments realise they are wedged.
their solution.
reduce public hospital capacity.
qld now has less acute beds then 10 yearsd ago.
the PAH , the biggest in south brisbane was revamped and bed capacity reduced from 100 to 850.
they also have a group of nurse navigators who deal with ANY requests by nursing homes for transfer of elderly patients ot an acute care hospital.
these act as a barrier to admission.
the message.
the system cannot afford to house and offer acute care to the very old and frail and will slowly wind back that option.
you saw this in New York with the mayor sending patients back to nursing homes whilst still covid positive.
old people are very very hard to send back once they are admitted to a public hospital, so my guess is that in 10 to 15 years, they just wont be admitted.
already we have stories of elderly people on stretchers for 48 hours and ramped ambulances from nursing homes for hours.
the politicians arent going to come out and SAY...90 yo olds will now take their chances in the nursing home or at home with hospital "in the home" but that is inevitably what will happen.
if fat steve and janeen get diabetes from their fatness and have a stroke from their bad health, they are in for a very msierable time in a decade or so as the public hospitals will have nothing for them and they will probably get some unqualified carer to visit once a day to change their feces covered bed.
that will be the consequence of not looking after yourself and then of expecting the system to give you the gold standard treatment.
so get out there and get your health sorted.
its on YOU.
and hope you get covid for a nice quick death and you dont linger in a smelly bed at home for 12 months with no care