22/08/2024
Puddleduck socks, rsl candles, people you just meet who you’ve just met in person but feel like old friends all on in a beautiful city I’ve only briefly visited befit. Couldn’t have planned if you tried! And I wouldn’t. Life is what happens when you try and make other plans. And realise you can even while politicians we trust to look after older people instead make it possible to abuse and kill them and not have to face any criminal penalties. Obviously different and far worse atrocities Germans committed in world war 2 . But legally did we let those tried at Nuremberg decide their penalties . Or how much compensation the victims of their crimes against humanity receive ?
Thank you so much as always (and I always appreciate as well as the mothering from you and dadding from Paul) Amina Schipp from key grassroots advocate group Aged Care Reform Now (along with Aged Care Justice - Formerly ALARM not represented today but mentioned today also)
Also some smart looking guy who always seems to take a good photo and never has a bad day or no hair day , Craig something ? That’s right I knew I’d remember. Apparently this dapper guy with the yellow socks ( I totally want too ) is Craig Gear from Older Persons Advocacy Network which I DO already know . So do 44,000 people who call them every year and rely on these beautiful caring people for frontline help when they have an Aged care issue (and they are just the tip of the iceberg , as most older people don’t have opan in their phone and can’t text )
There are some who don’t know as I do how hard it is for all the great people at OPAN to provide a far more effective complaints mechanism method for public concerned not getting what need in aged care system. This includes some advocates but I think they’re wrong. I can attest how much I trust and believe the vital work Older Persons Advocacy Network and Council on the Ageing is and why far more support for this as well as other aged care advocate groups is needed.
We get desensitised sometimes . Even now writing this I can’t believe what Michelle told me who corrected me it’s 44,000 aged care complaints a year , not the 28000 I thought they did is apparently two years old.
That’s (checks math). 16000 more complaints in 2 years they have to manage with limited resources . 60% increase in complaints opan have had to manage in 2 years since Anthony Albanese Jim Chalmers MP and co were elected. Aged care providers were given $8 billion more in the same time , deliver less care than we had last government . And this afternoon going to getting richer still with blood money from an no one wants other than
nothing makes them wealthy enough corporates who weaponise political donations , lobbying media to buy both major parties to get what they want . Which today is an outrage - no criminal penalties for abusers of older people . In a weak already legally ineffective draft act not ready to stop street smart providers not worried about $2 million fines.
While opan has to look after all those “increasingly wealthy older people” no one else other than a provider heavy taskforce can find how much extra ? It won’t be the $8 billion plus a whole new tax user pay scheme providers get today . But if that budgets not at least 60% more to handle all the extra complaints the last 2 years , and likely far more when the public realises what politicians have just allowed today , then that’s an outrage. And I’d expect many senators who share my and other advocates opinions on the vital work opan and also COTA Australia - for older Australians do to receive commensurate compensation for the extra work , and trauma they have to deal with as the broken aged care system is still well and truly continuing to being broken and run by the inmates.
Nice to focus on the happy though - I’m off to meet more friends I didn’t I know
F there are a lot of them Anika . I hope your “friends” have your back like the people who seem to genuinely care (and act not talk ) about aged care , seem to be with me, our fellow advocates and mostly older people.
But I hope if not you can find them. That is after you’re done destroying the human rights of older people and those who love them this afternoon in parliament . Your fair weather phoney frauds friends won’t be there when you need them , like mine . And they despise you too , who they think of as weak and a pawn to use to help make sure they aren’t locked up. But have bought you both sides politics and can’t believe their luck they not only avoid jail but get our super , kids house deposited and user pays getting to decide how much more money they get to throw on the pile . While 44,000 a year call opan suffering , and many more who are don’t, it’s an aged care provider all Christmas’s at once party in Canberra this afternoon.
I’d rather have real hang out with real humans than those who are lucky it’s not wartime as they abuse and harm older people with gay abandon , and can clink glasses and laugh afterward.
Ps I also met lovely fellow aged care advocate called Michelle I hadn’t met before in the National Older Persons Reference group I think it was. Sorry was bit jet lagged Michelle , was great to meet you after Amina spoke so often of you . If someone could tag her I’d appreciate it i couldnt remember your surname. I do member how much I Loved your horses, you remembered to give Craig gift from veterans - I hadn’t realised you were on veterans taskforce too Craig just that Returned & Services League like this one Amina’s husband Paul is president of !)
I hadn’t expected to have time on my AAC Health Group work trip to have much non work time which great to meet such genuine people and hear more about the amazing work they do for (and aren’t even offended when I get excited about aged care and I’m not either when they give a not real talking stick to others !)
Anyone mind also tagging the minister of I don’t aged care ? Because I seem to not be able to ask our (or summer or whichever poor staffer has to read this and others, and then book your nice look at me with an older person. You’ll be doing a lot of unpaid overtime soon once the no criminal penalties revelation happens. And it will. )
