AGED CARE CRISIS ON ISLANDS

KINCARE HOME CARE INFO DAY AT MACLEAY ISLAND PROGRESS HALL

Kincare, one of Australia's leading Home Care Providers, is now providing services on the Bay Islands.

To introduce themselves to the Island community, Kincare will be hosting a Home Care information session on Wednesday, 1 November 2017 commencing at 1:00 pm at the Progress Hall, Macleay Island.

If you would like to learn more about how to access in-home care for yourself or a loved one who lives on an island or on the mainland, or would like to learn more about Kincare, feel welcome to attend.

You will be able to have a chat to one of Kincare's friendly customer managers who will be able to assist you with all your enquiries.

Kincare provide services for the aged, both Government funded and private pay.

Find out more by visiting the Kincare website: www.kincare.com.au

or phoning the Kincare Office: 1300733510

See you at the November 1 information session!

AGED CARE CRISIS ON ISLANDS

All the Bay Islands are in a crisis in relation to aged care.

Some aged care services are faltering; others that can provide the services, are not universally known.

A case in point was a recent Senior Expo held on Macleay Island.

Just about every major State and Federal department in relation to aged care, and every major provider was there.

And hardly anyone else!

That was because the event didn’t bother to tell anyone.

As the major and only publication on the islands, the Friendly Bay Islander was not informed.

Local aged care operators were not informed.

Had island residents known; they would have turned up in droves.

Redland City Council marketing people were not aware of it; even though Council was supposedly one of the sponsors for the event.

While Council provided funding via a grant, Redland District Committee on the Ageing (RDCOTA) were the organisers and responsible for the promotion and advertising.

The situation with the Senior Expo highlighted a far wider problem: that aged care on our islands is in crisis.

The FBI has received a host of calls from islanders in recent times complaining about aged care services.

One island service that has been the ‘backbone’ of aged care in recent years, Blue Care, has had difficulty coping with demand.

One Karragarra resident, says she has had great difficulty in finding out about services, and was not aware of the Macleay Island event.

Another resident, Glynis Enright, has been at her ‘wits end’ in trying to find a service operator to assist with the care of her mother.

Glynis was one of the handful of islanders who found out about the Expo and attended.

She was ‘surprised’ at what she discovered and how many ‘experts’ attended.

“There were all the answers there for me and any other islander having trouble with aged care.

“It’s just that we didn’t know about it.”

Glynis told The Friendly Bay Islander: “Like many islanders I received a letter from My Aged Care advising I had until October 24 to find a service provider to enter into a Home Care Agreement that would reflect the needs of the new Government home care package.

“I had heard from one of my contacts that there was a Seniors Expo being held at Macleay with many of these service providers and reps from Federal Government to help me negotiate my particular family issues.

“The Expo was brilliant.

“My distress was how poorly this was advertised and attended. I phoned council to find out where it was being held and what time it started,” Glynis said.

She said that it was ‘essential’ that she find a new service provider to assist with the care of her mother.

“If I don't find a service provider I lose my package for my mother valued at around $48,000.

“This Expo had everything I needed. I came away with so much information and the names of the service providers that matched mum’s needs.

Most islanders have thought Blue Care was the sole provider of aged care needs to the islands.

Fortunately, in the September edition of The Friendly Bay Islander, a new provider, Kincare, advertised their services. They are also in this edition.

There is a wider issue here.

The islands are growing at such a rate that it is time that efforts should be made for our islands to have an aged care facility located on our islands.

There are aged care homes just about everywhere in Australia; but not on our islands. Why not?

The RSL movement, which runs many homes throughout Australia, and other aged care operators, would be an obvious place to start.

And what about training islanders to become aged care workers who could offer their skills to aged care providers exclusively for our islands? Again, why not?

Clearly some initiative and self help is required.

And let’s hope that next year when the Seniors Expo is held, that they bother to tell us, so we can tell you.

Better still, the islands should manage it ourselves!