Elderly want voices heard on DHBS

Elderly New Zealanders are frustrated that their voices aren’t being heard in the health system.

That was the message delivered by one member of Grey Power at the group’s annual general meeting in Blenheim on Tuesday.

Delegates of the over-50s advocacy group voted in support of a proposal to see senior citizens represented at District Health Boards around the country, which would be presented to government later this year.

Pushing the remit, Grey Power Whanganui vice president Caryl Blomkvist said there was not enough consideration given to health concerns of the elderly at District Health Board meetings.

‘‘It seems to me where we have people on the boards appointed by the minister or their DHB to represent disabilities, mental health issues - those sorts of things ... there’s equally a need for people to represent senior citizens [on health boards],’’ she said.

The proposal to the Minister of Health would include appointing two senior citizen representatives to each Health Board around the country.

Blenheim Hospital Services Support Group chair Walter Scott said if Grey Power would need people who had a great understanding of how hospitals worked representing their fellow senior citizens.

‘‘From my point of view we need people on the DHB who understand the needs of the community health-wise, understand how the hospital operates and how it’s funded,’’ he said.

A spokesperson of Health Minister Dr David Clark’s office said a lot of district health boards around New Zealand already had significant senior citizen representation.

‘‘There are at least 54 members aged 65-plus on 19 of the country’s 20 DHBS, according to information from the Ministry of Health, which has records of the ages of about two-thirds of members,’’ she said.