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Home › Blogs › Emma Hamilton's blog › Aged care nurses need your support

Aged care nurses need your support

Submitted by Emma Hamilton on Fri, 14/08/2009 - 12:39pm

A push by the Australian Nurses Federation to ensure a workable resident to nurse ratio in our nursing homes does not appear to have raised public opinion or outrage. Over the years I've noticed residents getting frailer and frailer. It's not uncommon to have a ward of residents that require full assistance with feeding and toileting. However, nursing ratios have pretty much stayed the same and many registered nurses have been replaced with less qualified staff.

Burnout in aged care nursing is very common. Registered nurses end up feeling overworked and under valued. The physicality of the job mean many assistants in nursing simply walk or they feel they lack the skills to care for someone with complex health care needs. Many nursing homes are feeling the pinch financially but surely replacing qualified nurses with cheaper solutions is not the answer. Who will be looking after your relative in the future?

Check out the campaign at www.becausewecare.org.au

2 comments

Emma Hamilton wrote 35 weeks 5 days ago Aged care nurse
No disrespect to PCAs when using the word 'cheap'. I'm not saying you're not qualified or deserve respect. But aged care providers who are struggling financially will always look for a cheaper solution. They have to, they're running a business and nurses are their biggest expense. Whether that's replacing RNs with enrolled nurses where they can or yourself the more qualified and expensive you become. What I'm saying is nurses across the board are often given too higher workload and responsibility without the necessary backup. The argument is the lack of skills mix on the floor and the governments lack of insight and support for the industry and nurses as a whole.
Cheaper Solution PCA wrote 35 weeks 6 days ago
I am a quailified Personal Care Assistant at an aged care facility and take offence to your statement "replacing qualified nurses with cheaper solutions is not the answer". This disrespect is the reason I want to leave aged care and never return.

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