A fair share in aged care - long post

[Tookie]

A Fair Share in Aged Care - in Australia

Last week the NSW nurses union - the ANF (Australian nurses federation) held a campaign throughout the state to raise signatures for a petition to go to our federal government to try and put pressure on them to increase the payments to nurses who work in aged care in Australia.

Currently aged care nurses are paid considerably less than their acute sector counterparts. Which is again a measure of the value that the governments put on the aging in our society.

The campaign is called a 'fair share in Aged care'

If you are interested in information about this campaign then you can read more about it at

http://www.nswnurses.asn.au

then go to the campaign

Will put a little bit of basic information for interested

'A Fair Share for Aged Care

In late 2001 in response to the concerns of nurses working in Aged Care, the NSWNA conducted a survey "What do nurses think about Aged Care?" The response rate to the three minute survey was excellent and backed up the anecdotal evidence we've been hearing from aged care nurses for some time now.

The result of the Aged Care forums, which were conducted throughout NSW, and were conducted to give aged care nurses the opportunity to tell us about the issues they face working in Aged Care, was the development and launch of the 'A Fair Share for Aged Care' campaign. The aim of this campaign is inform the community that adequate, and transparent funding, must be provided to ensure that Aged Care residents get the quality of care that they deserve. This can only be done by a review of the Aged Care Act, 1997.

GREY POWER

The Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association share our concerns and have thrown their considerable strength behind the nurse's campaign. They have pledged their support and have promised to work with us to demand that the Federal Government urgently overhaul the funding arrangements.

We have worked with these fantastic activists in past campaigns and are thrilled that they want to support us in this important campaign.'

We have a long way to go in this campaign but we need to ensure there are nurses who are trained and understand the aging process - remain in the system.

I have just posted this information for those who may be interested and have hopefully posted a photo of the day. (The theme had a focus on wearing pink)

Hope this turns out

The photo is of some of the residents who came to the public rally on the day there were 3 nursing homes who combined on the day - We had a lot of media coverage residents, staff families and frineds there and lots of support from the public.

Cheers Tookie

[ShortFuse_LPN, LPN]

Here in Illinois, USA, as in many other states LTC pay is much higher than acute settings. Mostly due to a high turnover rate of employees. Having worked in both settings, I am not sure if one was more stressful than the other, however, I have seen burnout happen much faster in LTC.

I hope the Australian nurses who care for the aging can get paid what they are worth. And, in turn, the Australian aging get the care that all aging deserve.......THE ABSOLUTE BEST!