An international perspective on Australia's aged care system

This morning I arrived at work and over our coffee break discussed with a fellow colleauge (who is from international waters) the finer points of Australia’s aged care system.

My colleague who we will call Mr H for privacy reasons spoke to me about his studies in the mental health profession, we then moved on to the topic of different cultural differences in aged care as Mr H is from a country where parents raise their children to have a mutual respect for their aged, he was astonished when he first moved to Australia how we as a Nation behave towards ours.

When you are born what do you have? Well most of us have a Mother or a Father am I right, now think about this when you are at the elderly stage in your life you will practically revert back to a child like form not being able to be independent and having others looking after you, imagine that you are 90 and you have no family left everyone you know you have surpassed in years now what do you have, you have the health care system.

However some of us do have family, children as a matter of fact ....haven't you seen recent surveys babies are popping up al over the place in Australia. So why are we so different to say a country such as India, well there are subtle cultural differences for sure but in regards to the aged the children look after their parents when they are elderly, a reverse role if you will, they don't have nursing homes in India because there is no need to hide a family member away from the rest of society.

Just because they think you should have honey instead of sugar in your cup of tea and they occasionally tell your friends about that time you ran around naked on the front lawn you decide it's time someone else took responsibility for them, right.

What has happened to us are we really that selfish Me, Myself and I is that all we really think about now what ever happened to respecting our elders, and when did Australians stop caring?

How do we fit into the mould

I usually watch the Style Network on Television. On this particular weekend I was in the shower and a thought occurred to me about all of the shows I watch, why do we want to change people so much?

Is it because we want everyone to fit into a "mould" that is set by a group of other peoples standards.

I offer you an example; A woman who looks like a modern day Betty Paige is not taken seriously at her childrens parent teacher meetings because the cookie cutter parents deem her to not be a sensible or a mature enough person to share her opinions based upon her looks, cue; enter the typical metrosexual host to tell her that she needs to change her look to be taken as a serious mother (please stop me here if you have lost me but don't you find this a little contradictory of societies views of us all being individuals) after much coaxing the woman gives in to a complete stranger who claims to be the next biggest thing in the fashion industry by letting go of her unique look, which also comes with her personality.

Then the "transformation" take place first they go through her home and private drawers to get rid of clothes that may remind her of her former self, next they make her destroy her possessions and finally they give her a brief lesson in how to dress herself after being able to do it for the past 30yrs not before sending her off to buy a whole new her.

This may be a self esteem issue but it certainly sounds to me like it's the other people that should change the way they look at life.