Palmerston North city councillor Lew Findlay: The council knows the city needs accommodation for older people

Palmerston North city councillor Lew Findlay says society is judged by the way it looks after its young, its vulnerable and its old. Photo / Palmerston North City Council

OPINION

I have recently read several articles about the lack of beds available for older people who need care. I find this extremely concerning as there are more and more older New Zealanders needing bed space. If we don’t find more space, our hospitals are going to be overwhelmed with older people waiting for somewhere to go.

Here in Palmerston North, we have several age-care centres and retirement villages that are offering these facilities but it is still not enough. This is not, of course, a council problem. It is the Government’s problem and so in my opinion little is being done to address it.

Here in Palmerston North, we are extremely lucky as our present council is very aware of the need for accommodation for older people, particularly one-bedroom units.

Palmerston North City Council is one of the few councils in New Zealand that has increased the number of one-bedroom units available to older people. Even with this increase, there is still a huge waiting list of people looking for accommodation.

A man recently came in to the Grey Power office. He was so excited he had been given a one-bedroom council unit he had been waiting several years for. Is there a need for more one-bedroom social housing units? Yes, there certainly is.

Is it the responsibility of the city council to supply all the one-bedroom units needed? No, it is not. The Government has to step up the number of one-bedroom units it has available in our city.

One of the most disappointing side effects of the lack of aged care beds and accommodation in our city is so many older people are forced to live in situations they should not be. Unsafe, cold, unsanitary and unfriendly.

I used to be the co-ordinator for Shepherds Rest Trust in Palmerston North. The number of older people we rescued and took to our boarding houses was very disappointing. Some of the living situations were unacceptable and untenable. The worst I saw was an older man living in a garden shed with no floor.

These sorts of situations in our country are no longer acceptable. Or are they?

History tells us society is judged by the way it looks after its young, its vulnerable and its old. I wonder how history will judge New Zealand today.

Lew Findlay is a Palmerston North city councillor.