I’m exhausted. My brain is spent. I have barely anything left in the tank. I’ve spent the last few weeks in Brisbane after receiving news that my mother was in hospital following a fall. I’d been told she had pneumonia so I packed an overnight bag not expecting to be there much longer than a few days.
Unfortunately that initial diagnosis was wrong. Something far more sinister, and terminal, has taken hold of her body. The shock of it all has also taken a toll on her mind. It’s not a tragedy. She and her family acknowledge her age; she’s 87. All that matters now is that her remaining weeks or days are pain free.
My 90 year old father is now her primary caregiver and neither of them are connected much to the digital world. Every time my father ventures onto the internet he has a habit of getting scammed, and my mother has refused outright to learn anything about digital technology whatsoever. She can barely send a text.
So, it’s been up to me to navigate the world of My Aged Care to ensure that they both get the assistance they’ll be needing.
Oh my goodness. What a broken system it is. Right from her initial entry into the emergency ward of a public hospital, to being back home, it’s been a nightmare to deal with. How any old person with no digital skills or advocate working on their behalf gets by is beyond me. I suspect they don’t. I wonder how many of the ‘silent generation’ are dying alone at home, in pain.
I must emphasise that every individual I’ve encountered in both the health and aged care systems, has been truly amazing. They’ve been helpful, understanding, and compassionate, but they’re exhausted! They’re overwhelmed with the demand for their services.
We’ve managed to secure some assistance but remain on the waiting list for the most crucial aid. So I’m readying myself to travel back and forth every two weeks to give my father a break.
I haven’t had time to read fully the Albanese government’s changes to the aged care system but any improvement is sorely needed, for this is no country for old people, that is for sure.
My advice to anyone reading this far; don’t get sick, and don’t get old.
Barbara Heggen
