As Australia’s baby boomers approach retirement

When the time arises

It seems nearly every day that we are reminded Australia’s population is ageing.

The post-World War II baby boomers, born in the late 1940s and 50s, are now approaching or in their retirement years. And what tremendous contributions they have and continue to make to our community and their families!

Most people don’t want to think about growing older and frailer, so the ageing journey is a difficult topic to discuss. It impacts in various ways for each of us. There is no one-size-fits-all experience.

Ageing is unique in its impact at different times of the life course. It is important that individuals remain active and socially engaged, whether they are independent or have some assistance from others.

Most people remain independent for most of their older years, even though they may have some modest loss of skills. Others may experience a sudden and unexpected loss of capacity or skills due to accident or illness, that impacts immediately on their independence and quality of life.

Whatever the situation, there are services available to assist in balancing any loss of independence and quality of life.

If you find yourself in need, remember: you are deserving of support if and when the time arises. Be kind to yourself. Put your hand up for help if and when you need it.

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  Be generous to yourself and use your funds, your money, to support your own quality of life. Help family carers balance their ability to continue to offer you support.

• Seek out service options; speak withyour local medical practitioner, and speak with your family.
• Consider applying for a service through the Government’s My Aged Care. This process involves an assessment of your eligibility for an aged care service. Once assessed, there is no obligation to receive a service; you are in charge of that decision. However, the assessment does give you additional information from an independent perspective of your current capacity and eligibility for services.
• If, at any time, you have a concern regarding the services that you receive, communicate your concerns with the staff and/or their manager so that the issue can be looked at and responded to.

Be assured that there are thousands of individuals who choose to work in aged care who have a genuine desire to do good work with people and assist them in maintaining their quality of life and engagement in the community.

For free information about aged care services contact:
Agedcare Alternatives on 8271 3888 or go to MyAgedCare.gov.au

Opinion piece by Richard Hearn, former CEO Resthaven Incorporated