Aged care ‘sleeps out’ for homelessness
A Western Australia aged care chief executive will rough it out at one of the state’s sports stadiums tonight to highlight the plight of older people who are homeless.
Ray Glickman, Amana Living chief executive, will be one of about 870 business and community leaders sleeping out to raise funds and awareness of homelessness.
Ray Glickman, Amana Living chief executive, will be one of about 870 business and community leaders sleeping out to raise funds and awareness of homelessness.
Vinnies CEO Sleepout is held in 10 locations across the country on the same night. In Western Australia, the event will begin at 6pm at the WACA Ground, East Perth. All funds raised go towards helping Australia's estimated 100,000 homeless people to find warmth, safety and dignity.
“It is well known that the older age group is the one suffering the most severe housing stress across Australia. However, I don’t think people realise the extent of homelessness in that age group,” Mr Glickman said. “Our older generation deserve better.”
Chris How, chief executive of Bethanie, a Western Australia not for profit aged care and retirement living provider, will join Mr Glickman in tonight’s Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
“I saw this as an opportunity to reach out to my friends, family, colleagues and business partners to donate to a cause I find very close to my heart,” Mr How said.
“At Bethanie, we are always finding new and improved ways to provide the best facilities for WA’s increasingly ageing population, so it deemed a fitting purpose for me to help do the same for another sector in our community that could use a lending hand,” he added.
Homelessness Australia figures show that many of the homeless are young, yet one in 11 of them is over 55, and one in 48 is over the age of 75.
Almost 15,000 over 55s across Australia are homeless, and more than 2,000 of them are over 75 years. In WA alone, about 1,500 over 55s are sleeping rough or in temporary, often over crowded, accommodation.
With the number of older people increasing rapidly, this figure is also likely to increase unless something is done to improve support services.
According to Homelessness Australia, 64% of people living on the street are at risk of death within five years, and older people are inevitably more vulnerable: bones break more easily, muscles start to degenerate and body control decreases; there is an increased likelihood of conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and organ troubles; and age related mental illness such as dementia can set in.
Funds raised go towards accommodation, support services and education programs. Find out more about the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
