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Homes Seem Death Sentence for Elderly
By Ben Packham,
The Herald Sun
March 17, 2009
Australia
Stark figures on aged-care deaths came a day after the Herald Sun revealed most nursing homes had just a handful of fully qualified nurses.
A third of aged care residents survive less than a year, Department of Health and Ageing figures show.
Men fare the worst, with about half dying within a year, and only 12 per cent living in care for more than five years.
Women are more likely to thrive, with about 45 per cent remaining in homes two years after arriving, and almost a quarter staying for five years or more.
Aged Care Minister Justine Elliot said residents were entering nursing homes later in life with more complicated health problems. In 1999, the average nursing home entrant was aged 81. It is now 83. "The short stay in homes and hostels reflects the desire of older Australians to remain independent in their homes as long as possible," Mrs Elliot said.
The Australian Medical Association said many aged-care residents were missing out on good medical care because of a shortage of doctors and registered nurses. AMA healthy ageing committee chairman Peter Ford said residents of homes sanctioned by the government were often in poor condition
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