Bin Chickens

 

I remember a time when the Australian White Ibis wasn't seen in Sydney. 

Then they appeared in the CBD.

Now, they are everywhere.

Like most people, I haven't been a great fan of them. Being quite large birds, they do large poops which always looks really messy and uninviting. They also scavange in bins for food so they make a mess that way as well. They also just look ugly and pre-historic because of their bald heads and necks.

At some point I found out that they migrated to the city because of habitat loss in their natural range and while I still find them messy, I had to admire their resourcefulness and survival instinct.

There is a theory that a liberty flock at Taronga Zoo mixed with some birds who had migrated to the city during drought and encouraged the refugees to stay, as explained in Wikipedia

"The relationship between birds originating from the Taronga flock and any influx of inland birds into Sydney is poorly known, but it is speculated that human-habituated flocks originating from the zoo may have encouraged some visiting flocks to stay in Sydney, with the two populations likely merging to some degree. Resident Sydney birds may have influenced newcomers fleeing from inland drought to adapt to new food sources in the city and to accept close proximity to humans."

These ibis would naturally live in marsh areas and build rafts of sticks for their nests. In the city they build in palm trees (and maybe other places but palm trees are where I see them) 

This leads me to reflect on the certainty that their poo would be less messy if it was on a floating stick raft instead of falling from the height of a palm tree.

Today I was driving past a construction site where there was a large, muddy puddle and I noticed four ibis trying to forage in the puddle. There were not going to be any fish or frogs or anything edible at all in the puddle and I was hit by a wave of sadness to see them engaged in the intuitive behaviour of thousands of years with no possible benefit.

Wading in a muddy puddle and nesting in a tree is such a watered down version of  raising their young in a marsh, fishing around the colony and wading in the diverse plants, birds and insects of a marsh. I still can't say I love them but their image problem is really because  they are in the wrong environment, not bbecause they are inherently unattractive. They really do deserve to be able to live their natural lifestyle. 

Photo Tuesday

 Most Sundays after church, I go out for cake and coffee with my Dad's cousin (which makes him also my cousin but with some extra designation) 

It all started when he had a year long driving suspension and I volunteered to drive him to or from church. The suspension has ended but we have created a tradition I enjoy.

On the way to the patisserie I took some photos. It seemed to be a day for interesting sights. I wish I was a better photographer. I'd probably do better if I stopped  the car rather than just try to wing it while I wait for a red light.

I really enjoy this mural.

The oranges hanging on the fence for free was just a delightful little sign that there is still generosity in this world.

I visited mum today. She was tearful and grumpy when I arrived but cheered up when my sister arrived and despite her protests that she isn't hungry, she ate her lunch of meatballs and vegetables, cake with custard and then topped it off with a yogurt brought in as a treat.

Her cognitive ability is up and down within a single visit but seemed particularly bad today, perhaps made worse by endone she is on for a painful ulcer.

 

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.