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.
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