Cleaning

 

I was watching Reels this morning and there was one talking about cleaning, specifically about cleaning for people 65+

When an Australian turns 65, they are eligible to apply for support services via the government My Aged Care service. The supports offered are determined by the need of the client so being 65+ won't necessarily mean the service will be approved.

In the Reel I viewed this morning, the speaker was saying that many phone and ask for cleaning services the moment they turn 65 and found to be capable and not in need of assistance. Her question was, does age alone qualify a person for subsidised cleaning?

It seems a simple enough question.

Someone said "my mum is 93 and doesn't receive cleaning but paid her taxes etc" Who ever suggested a 93 year old shouldn't receive assistance? I don't think any reasonable person expects a 93 year old (almost 30 years after qualifying age) to do their own cleaning.

What about the tax part? Do we pay taxes so we can automatically have help at 65? do we pay taxes so people who need help can have help? or do we pay taxes because it is required by law and we don't really care at all about helping people? 

A support worker commented that she didn't do a year of study to go into the aged care sector to become a cleaner. That's reasonable.

Someone else commented that instead of the focus on cleaning, aged care funding should be assisting people to maintain health so they can stay independent for longer. I have to guess this person might have been suggesting a focus on physiotherapy or mental health support or exercise physiology. Somehow I think it's probably cheaper to pay for cleaning than to pay for allied health professionals and cleaning is more likely to be well received by the older person. There's no point paying for physio if a person won't do their exercises. 

Another said that getting cleaners in helps people to get used to the idea of assistance and means there is someone who is checking in regularly and can flag the need for further assistance. 

The question of do we give everyone a cleaner at age 65 is really answered by what we are trying to achieve. Is it because we want older to people to live in clean homes? Is it motivated by safety? or more by human rights? Are we trying to relieve people of burdensome chores so they can do other things? Are we trying to reward people for paying into the tax system? Are we trying to actively watch for signs of deterioration?

Australians can't have an age pension before age 67 but can apply for cleaning services at 65. That seems odd.

Holy Days

 

Today I took myself off to the cinema and saw "Holy Days"

It is a feel good comedy/ drama set in 1974 New Zealand and I must say I enjoyed it just as much as I expected to.

There were a few short segments created with stop motion, which was interesting and not at all out of place.

I enjoyed seeing the old HR Holden. ( I had a white HR sedan as a wedding car.) 

I enjoyed the story and the scenery and the actors.

The film was loght and enjoyable but had things to say about love, miracles, community and dying.

Palace Fail

 This week I returned to part-time hours at work after a six month stint of full time filling in for a maternity leave position.

Fifteen hours/ week is not sustainable and on top of that my ego is bruised because I had been putting in a huge effort, doing a decent job and hoping that if the lady who was on leave resigned (which she did) I might become full time on a permanent basis. When I was there 2 days/ week I found it hard to learn the job and harder to feel part of the team but once I was there 5 days, I was able to improve all of that.

Anyhow, at the same time my favourite cinema noticed that I hadn't been in a while and offered me a half price ticket.

I didn't have to be at work in the morning and the ticket was so cheap, I made a booking for Monday evening.

When I got there, the lift from the car park was not working and there was a sign to call the box office for assistance. I couldn't imagine that they would be able to fix the lift but I called anyway and the phone went unanswered.

From the  underground carpark to the cinema foyer (which is above street level) there must be about 25 or 30 stairs and the majority of those with no hand rail.

I decided not to attempt the stairs and reluctantly headed for home.

I emailed customer service with a request for a refund and received a reply saying that the carpark is not operated by the cinema and therefore it was not their problem but they were giving me an opportunity to buy two more half price tickets. (The carpark is leased to a car park company but the lift belongs to the cinema building)

The wording was sneaky, though and for a few minutes I thought I was being given two tickets.

The dodging of responsibility was not the response I hoped for but I replied and thanked them for the tickets.

It was only after I hit send that I realised that not only did I not receive a refund but they were asking me to buy two more tickets.

So how come they have failed on multiple levels but I am the one who feels dumb?