Before we discuss these facility upgrades, let’s take a broader look at the issues surrounding Australia’s ageing population.
What an ageing population really means
The rising average age of Australians has led to plenty of doom and gloom scenarios in the press, and has been used for political point scoring without a doubt, but there are plenty of positive aspects.
People are living longer – that’s a good thing! Life expectancy is 33 years longer than it was at the point of our country’s Federation in 1901. A woman can now expect to live to the age of 84, and a man to 80. Since 2000, the life expectancy of Australian men has gone up by 3.7 years. This can be accounted for by everything from medical advances and better diets through to improved health and safety at work, and even the use of seat belts.
Our economy, society and medical establishment are giving us longer lives, but more than that, Australians can look forward to more years of good health and fewer years of age-related disability. Comparing groups between 1998 and 2012, a study found that the 2012 cohort of men were likely to live 2.7 years longer without limitations with 2.0 additional years for women.
The downside
The challenge is partly to do with age distribution within the population. Living longer may be a positive but due to the post-War baby boom, a large section of the population has concurrently retired and begun to require additional medical and aged care attention. In the 50 years between 1964 and 2014, the proportion of the population above retirement age nearly doubled.
Our young and middle-aged population – those working, generating value in the economy, and paying taxes – are gradually being outnumbered. Overall, our tax contributions may not meet the growing needs of the health and aged care sectors in the years ahead.
What’s being done
The Government’s latest budget ruled out major cuts to funding for aged care while some major studies are underway to look at the impact of our ageing population. Twilight Aged Care understand the challenges of our ageing population and are acting accordingly, leading the way into the future of aged care.
Our development program
Reinvesting in our homes is key to maintaining the quality of aged care provided at Twilight. Here is an update on some of the capital works currently in progress:
- The refurbishment of Glengarry is steadily progressing with room upgrades currently underway. Bickerton Masters are the architects for the project, which will include a new entry, relocation of laundry facilities and a major upgrade to the (dementia specific) Elouera wing.
- The major redevelopment of Jamieson House at Beecroft will see this historic site transformed into a modern therapeutic environment offering both retirement living and aged care.
- Back in 1899 shortly after the home was originally built, the local newspaper described the new residence to be regarded by the local community as “one of the prettiest in Beecroft.
- As the most recent custodians of Jamieson House, Twilight seeks to honour this legacy with a plan to create a state-of-the-art aged care facility and independent living units, featuring highest quality modern amenities for our residents while carefully incorporating the restoration of the original homestead.
- We have engaged Bickerton Masters Architects and other consultants to help meet this challenge and we aim to lodge a development application with Hornsby Council later this year.
The proposed plan consists of:
- 48 residential aged care suites
- 8 two bedroom independent living units
- 12 one bedroom independent living units
- 6 studio style independent living units
We all think about our future, and that of our elderly loved ones. With so many Australians enjoying a longer life expectancy than ever before, the increased demand for a higher standard of aged care is imminent. What this means for Australia, on a practical level, is that more of us will require aged care for a longer period of time.