Call for more nursing homes

Labor Candidate for Robertson Ms Trish Moran has said the Peninsula is in need of more nursing homes, criticising the Federal Government for its track record on aged care.

Ms Moran said the Howard Government has had eight years to do something about aged care.

"They might be doing some things for fire safety but in real terms we still haven't got the beds we need," she said.

Ms Moran said there were a lot of retirement villages with low level care, but not enough high dependency beds

"We could do with more nursing homes but we mostly need high dependency beds."

Ms Moran said aged care is an issue likely to affect many of the Peninsula residents and their families in the years to come.

"There are lots of aged people who live on the Peninsula.

"They like living there because its level.

"There's lots of nice communities and shopping centres but in real terms there aren't many nursing homes.

"The beds aren't where we need them and they aren't the kind of beds we need," she said.

"We might have a facility at Killarney vale but what good is it if a patients husband lives at Woy Woy? How is he meant to get there?"

Ms Moran said there was a need for aged care to be shared out across the board.

She said the Howard Government has turned a surplus of 800 aged care beds in 1996 into a 10,000 bed shortage this time last year.

"As well in June 2003, there were over 18,000 phantom beds, beds promised by the Howard Government but which did not actually exist."

Ms Moran said phantom beds were when the Federal Government granted licenses for beds for nursing homes that are still being built, or applied for but not facilitated.

"These licenses apply before the facility is built, the Federal Government make an announcement but it's two years before we see any real facility.

"They have had those beds for two years but haven't had to pay for them.

"They're not actually servicing the population.

"As a result of the shortages, thousands of frail and elderly Australians in need of a nursing home bed continue to wait.

Ms Moran also criticised Member for Robertson Jim Lloyd's recent support for a Howard government decision not to rule out extending accommodation bonds.

"Accommodation bonds are a fee paid by self-funded retirees before they enter a nursing home," she said.

"They are assessed by Centrelink on how much people can afford to pay.

"They do not apply to pensioners.

"These bonds are currently only levied on retirees entering low level care, but the Howard government voted down a recent amendment by the Labor party that would have ruled out levying the bonds on people in medium and high level care.

While there is no fixed amount for the bonds, Ms Moran said the average in Robertson for 2002/3 was $98,000.

"If you have a spouse still at home for example, this is not included.

"This could really affect people thinking about going into a nursing home in the next few years and their families," she said.

Press release, July 18 Labor Candidate for Robertson, Trish Moran