Aged care industry needs to change to meet different needs of baby boomers
The aged care industry in Australia needs to undergo a major transformation if it is to meet the growing demands of the next wave of retirees – the so-called baby boomer generation, according to a report undertaken for Fujitsu Australia.
The survey of 1,291 Australians between the age of 58 and 61, which was conducted by UltraFeedback, portrays a generation who intend to work longer and live independently, yet believe that their available accommodation choices are either limited (30%) or that they have no choice at all (11%).
According to the report, A Generational Shift: The Next Wave of Aged Care, the government must also be in tune with consumer expectations and the resulting implications of this next wave of aged care to provide appropriate funding.
The survey reveals that 47% of respondents would ideally like to live independently when they reach a point where they may need some help with daily activities. This compares to 8% who would ideally like to live in a nursing home or communal village.
Their greatest fears were “not being able to care for myself anymore” ( 79%), followed by “having to live in an aged care home against my choice” (57 %) and “a lack of money to choose what I want” (45 %).
According to Jeff Smoot, health industry director, Fujitsu Australia, trends such as the ageing population and rising care costs due to chronic disease management, mean that delivering aged care is becoming an increasingly important and challenging component of an integrated health-delivery system.
Fujitsu say that technologies such as home monitoring devices and health sensors can be effectively used for health monitoring and communication with remote support service providers.
