EXPERTS IN CARE
While the aged care sector has welcomed the Federal Government’s reforms, community nurses at the coalface warn that growing numbers of Tasmanians are living in social isolation in both remote, rural areas and inner-city suburbs across the state.
Many Tasmanians over 65 now live alone and are lonely; their children have often moved away and friends, partners and even children may have died.
“Grand old age, while amazing, does come with its perils,” says The District Nurses chief executive Kim Macgowan. “Social isolation has worsened and it can take many forms. It may be that there’s been a family breakdown, and the kids might be living on the mainland, or a person is afraid of being forced into a residential aged care home.
“Or it might be an adult child living in the home has drug problems and that isolates the other adults in the home. There are clients who are isolated by geography and then there are those on their own in the middle of town. We regularly come into contact with people who have had no contact with others.”
The District Nurses play a key role in the delivery of home care packages. Often they know what their clients need because of the time they’ve spent with them. “We had a client who hadn’t had hot water or heating for over 12 months, and we were able to assist that client to access a home care package and to get heating within their home,” Macgowan says.
Denise Wierzbicki, who’s been with The District Nurses since 2006, says a lot of clients don’t yet know what they can access through their home care packages. “Helping people to understand what is available is what our nurses are experts in,” she says.
Emma Glazebrook, who works as a registered nurse for The District Nurses, says many older people are doing it tough. “We have clients who have no family and do not know their neighbours,” Glazebrook says. “But there’s potential to make a difference in people’s lives because we can identify and help them access services they need, like social groups.”
Home care packages need to be well co-ordinated to ensure people aren’t always housebound, Macgowan says. “If you have multiple service providers coming in, you could spend all of your time waiting for someone to come to your home. You’d never leave your house. We have nurse navigators to help people navigate the system.
“Governments need courage to look at health with a 25-year plan. We want to make sure that once people get to 75, they are healthy enough to care for themselves and the services we have allow them to do that at home.”
To find out if you or someone you are caring for is eligible for a home care package or any other help at home services, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or visit cotatas.org.au for more information.