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October 2008
The Senior’s Housing Network continues to steer the Senior’s Share Housing project, which is designed to match seniors with complementary needs in both resident owned and head leased properties, towards stage two and implementation.
One of the initial features of the program will be a course of six week training and education sessions held at a seniors or community centre that will provide prospective sharers to select co-residents. Participants will be able to pre-screen potential conflicts and liaise with a case manager who will oversee tenancies and offer assistance when requested.
Project worker Deidre Coghlan is reviewing international common law agreements, seeking legal advice testing their domestic application, communicating with sympathetic realtors and community rent schemes regarding potential head leases, exploring the effects of HAAC policies regarding able bodied occupants upon sharers, and investigating funding opportunities to trial the program in two locations.
The group consulted with seniors to gauge their attitudes to leaving their homes to enter aged care and found that they unanimously refused to go voluntarily preferring to stay in their homes as long as possible.
The group has raised several ageing in place issues such as:
· A forever young generation of over sixties in denial about their needs in a decade’s time
· The effects of diminishing superannuation values upon retirees and older persons remaining in the workforce
· Obsequeence amongst older people experiencing hardship whose reluctance to be perceived of as complainers leads them to close requests for increased support with the refrain of “But we’ll get by”
· Nursing homes and hostels evolving into Aged Care facilities reliant upon ambulance services for medical assistance
· A preference amongst many older people to die relatively quickly at home rather than enter a nursing home.
Concerns were raised that Social Housing for over 55s may be being allocated to high needs clients from all aged groups diminishing housing options for seniors.
The group discussed the inequity of income restrictions for pensioners allowed to earn a maximum of $130 per fortnight before their benefits are reduced in comparison to politicians, publicly elected officials, who receive a lifetime pension that allows them to take on two or three jobs at a time without affecting their publicly funded stipends.
