Fewer churches in this country are in the business of running care homes but issues raised in this thought-provoking article are similar to those faced by care providers in Britain, especially when it comes to staffing shortages. This piece appears on Australian website Eternity:
'Aged care is getting tougher' writes Ben Boland, ' – not only for residents, families and care staff. It’s getting tougher for those who run nursing homes. Take Prescare the Queensland Presbyterian’s aged care arm whose debt has led to receivership for the whole Presbyterian Church of Queensland. Other church groups have sold off their facilities or got out altogether. Smaller organisations face a “get big or get out” decision – Prescare’s struggle to survive included a recognition they were too small.
Despite the latest Federal budget injecting an extra $17.7 billion over five years, Lynelle Briggs (Aged Care Royal Commissioner) says ‘It’s still not enough money to do the job properly in order to fix the system’s problems.’
Failure to advocate for older people
So, should churches stay involved in aged care? Christians, churches & denominations have allocated significant energy and resources to advocate for the care of the unborn, the refugee and marriage. All critical causes. However, we have failed to advocate for the care of older people. Indeed, some Christian organisations have treated aged care as a cash cow to subsidise ministry to young people and other non-aged ministries.
Read Ben Boland's full story here.
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