Aged Care Matters takes a new stance on addressing government underfunding. The impact on aged residential care due to the broken funding system is causing problems for those in need and workers. Aged Care Matters released aged depictions of the Prime Minister and Deputy PM in a new campaign to urge change.
Rising costs, shortage of nurses, harsh immigration settings, and the effects of underfunding have resulted in nearly 1,000 aged care beds closing this year. To raise awareness, New Zealand Aged Care Association started the movement Aged Care Matters – wanting politicians to understand the dire situation for older New Zealand residents.
“We hope our advertising campaign will grab the attention of Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson, as well as the general public they serve,” said Aged Care Matters spokesperson and Summerset Chief Executive Officer Scott Scoullar, claiming that the aged residential care sector is at “a tipping point.”
Even after commissioning two reports demonstrating the bleak future for the increasing population of kiwis who will struggle to get aged care service, Scoullar stated politicians had ignored their plight.
The digital billboards near Parliament show what PM Jacinda Ardern and Deputy PM Grant Robertson might look like in their late 70s to early 80s. These are the ages of kiwis moving into care homes because they can no longer live safely in their homes. The billboards show projected figures of how worse this will get. By the time Jacinda Ardern is 82, New Zealand will need 66,1000 aged care beds and 12,4000 aged nurses.
“If we continue on this trajectory, it’s unclear how the sector will cope when Labour leaders need aged residential care themselves,” explained Earl Gasparich, Chief Executive Officer at Metlifecare. Gasparich said that if the government doesn’t address these problems now, services and care options for the elderly will decrease dramatically, and the demand will rise with New Zealand’s ageing population.
Brent Pattison, Oceania Healthcare Chief Executive Officer, is concerned about how this broken funding will affect the people in need. He explained that when the government controls the pay rates for nurses at such low levels compared to overseas, it is harder to retain and recruit good people.
“At a time when we should be creating new aged care beds and recruiting more aged care nurses, we’re losing them, and each day the consequences are snowballing. I’m worried about those who will be most affected by this – our grandparents, parents, and children.”
