Supporting our seniors through broad range of initiatives

National's Bay of Plenty MP, Todd Muller. Photo/John Borren

Ensuring our seniors have the security, wellbeing and respect they deserve is a priority the National-led Government is focused on.

Our seniors contribute in so many different ways to their communities. Many are unpaid carers who give up their time to help other people live with dignity. It is vital for their own wellbeing they are able to get the support they need to look after themselves and the people who rely on them.

Developed by Carers NZ with the help of government agencies, we recently released an updated Guide for Carers, an invaluable source of information on the government-funded services. The guide also contains a range of valuable tips for carers including how to schedule regular breaks, organise relief care, develop a plan for emergencies and connect with other carers.

As New Zealanders live longer, healthier and increasingly independent lives, we need a healthcare system flexible enough to meet these changing needs.

Currently DHB's spend more than 40 per cent of the $12 billion they manage on providing health and disability services to people aged 65 years and older. Based on the forecast growth of this age group, this spend is expected to rise to 50 per cent of DHB expenditure by 2025/26.

Over the last eight years DHB spend on the health of older people support services, has increased from $1.1 billion to $1.6 billion. Investment in aged residential care has risen from $710 million to a billion dollars this financial year.

As we live longer, access to elective surgery becomes increasingly important. Under this Government, the number of patients receiving elective surgery has increased by 45 per cent. The number of joint replacements has also increased - lifting from 8,400 to over 11,000 a year.

We are looking at new ways of helping patients living with pain. In 2015, the Government invested $6 million to create community based Mobility Action Teams to focus on helping those with musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis.

The vision for our Health of Older People Strategy is that older people live well, age well and have a dignified end of life stage. The Strategy covers five themes - people-powered, closer to home, value and high performance, one team, and a smart system.

ACC is also supporting a range of initiatives for seniors; investing $30.5 million over four years aimed at reducing falls and resulting injuries. While there is no single cause of falls, they are the most common and costly cause of injury for those aged 65 and over.
As our population ages it is important we have the right services in place. Our broad range of initiatives is about providing more support for seniors to help ensure they have the best quality of life.