Jo Goodhew MP
National Party Associate Health Spokeswoman (Aged Care)
17 October 2006
Goodhew: Elderly couples should not be split up
National will put forward amendments to the Social Security (Long-term Residential Care) Amendment Bill that would stop
couples in aged-care facilities being unnecessarily split up, says National's Associate Health spokeswoman (Aged Care),
Jo Goodhew.
HealthCare Providers NZ says DHBs are refusing to give the residential care subsidy to elderly couples who choose to buy
an apartment attached to a rest home so they can live together.
"This is yet another example of hard-nosed laws that disadvantage the elderly," says Mrs Goodhew.
"No one would dispute the amount of stress that elderly men and women feel when they are parted from their lifelong
partner.
"When a couple choose to make their home in an apartment attached to a rest home they should be able to expect
government assistance if either is assessed as needing rest-home care."
Mrs Goodhew says such a move is consistent with National's five principles for aged care, announced by National Leader
Don Brash:
* Independence and choice, so users of aged-care services have a choice of providers who meet nationally set
standards of care.
* Continuum of care to ensure that access to health and social care services, including respite care, is seamless
and professional.
* Sustainable funding partnerships to improve our capacity to meet the growth in demand for residential-care
services.
* A trained and skilled workforce to ensure the delivery of safe, quality care.
* Use of new technologies for dealing with aged-care issues in the decades ahead.
ENDS