Press articles July-December 1999 Press articles July-December 1999
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Get yourself in the know on info, Australian Senior, November 1999
Pharmacists under pressure, Australian Senior, September 1999
GET YOURSELF IN THE KNOW ON INFO
Australian Senior, November 1999, p44What sort of information do older people need? How do they find it? What are the best ways of delivering it to them? What do seniors think about new technology? Council on the Ageing (Australia)'s Information Manager, Helen Scott, provides some answers.
Information is vital to older people's independence. The right information helps them, their families and carers to make choices.
An immense amount of information is available, but finding it is often difficult.
COTA information services around Australia find that the topics most often asked about are accommodation, social security, financial and legal advice, community services, health, recreation and education.
People find out about services primarily through informal networks such as friends, family or acquaintances. Other 'people' sources are general practitioners and health professionals like chemists, hospital teams, to a lesser extent clubs, associations and local councils and public libraries. The media most used by older people are local newspapers, radio, television, and special interest publications like the Australian Senior. Junk mail has been described by someone housebound as "my window on the world". The obvious conclusion is that services need to use a wide range of materials and outlets to distribute information.
Presentation is important. Print needs to be well spaced and a large size, and choosing high contrast colour combinations and non-reflective paper helps. Using familiar words and avoiding jargon, or labels like geriatric, grannies or aged, is also important.
Research shows the best approach to providing detailed information is face to face, supplemented by written 'take way' material. One-stop shops go some way to doing this, and are being trialled by Centrelink. COTA Victoria is setting one up in Melbourne - in addition to its information service and consultations, it will provide Internet tutoring and online access.
Telephones are a 'next best' option. Most States have freecall central telephone information and referral services. Some examples are Seniors Information Service on 13 12 44 in NSW, SIS on 1800 636 368 in South Australia, and Aged and Disability Care Information Service on 1800 806 656 in Tasmania.
What of the much touted 'information superhighway'? Australian and European research has shown that older people generally have negative attitudes to computers, and low rates of email or web use.
But this picture is rapidly changing.
Recent studies suggest that people over 60 are logging on to the Internet in more numbers than any other group. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that the proportion of Australians over 55 accessing the Internet doubled between May 1998 and May 1999, from five to ten per cent. Ageing-related web sites grew from 25 in mid-1995 to 2000 by mid-1998. A good place to start looking at them is COTA's website at http://www.cota.org.au
New technology has enormous potential to benefit the lives of older people – it can transcend time, space, gender and age. The Internet offers intriguing possibilities for maintaining social connections and bringing new experiences and stimulation as well as accessing information. It is vital that older Australians are not excluded from the benefits of the information economy - through lack of exposure, skills or access, or because of cost, or poor design.
COTA has published a booklet in its Strategic Ageing series, called Seniors in Cyberspace – older people and information, which reviews the issues in detail. It also describes innovative programs that are helping older people make the most of information technology, and looks at future scenarios. The book costs $10.00 and is availalbe from COTA on (03) 9820 2655.
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SENIORS ARE NOT TECHNOPHOBES
Fifty-Plus News, November 1999, p4How can information technology help older people? What do seniors think about cyberspace? Council on the Ageing (Australia)'s Information Manager, Helen Scott, provides some answers.
New technology has enormous potential to benefit the lives of older people – it can transcend time, space, gender and age. The Internet offers intriguing possibilities for maintaining social connections. It can bring new experiences and stimulation as well as accessing information. Learning online can open new doors for people who are homebound or isolated. Similarly, technologies like teleconferencing, 'smart homes', alarm and monitoring devices can help people be more independent.
The much touted 'information superhighway' is now actually rather old-hat. The concept has been overtaken by the e-words - e-commerce, e-trade, e-info. Considering that governments plan to make information and services available via the World Wide Web it makes sense to ask some questions. Will information continue to be available in other formats? Will people who do not have access to the Internet be disadvantaged? It is vital that older Australians are not excluded from the benefits of the information economy - through lack of exposure or lack of skills or access. Equipment costs and poor design are also barriers.
Australian and European research shows that older people generally have negative attitudes to computers, and low rates of email or web use.
But this picture is changing fast. Recent studies suggest that people over 60 are logging on to the Internet in more numbers than any other group, and using it to shop. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that the proportion of Australians over 55 accessing the Internet doubled between May 1998 and May 1999, from five to ten per cent. Ageing-related web sites grew from 25 in mid-1995 to 2000 by mid-1998. A good place to start looking at them is COTA's website at http://www.cota.org.au . Here you can also find websites done by or for senior surfers.
There are programs to help seniors make the most of information technology. At COTA in Western Australia learners can start with a course called "Computing for the mortally terrified". Other State COTAs also run computer and Internet classes, or can put people in touch with courses and computer clubs.
Learning to use a computer does not require any particular talent – computers are patient, provide immediate feedback and require minimal physical skill (unless you are hooked on games!) The skills learned can be transferred to other situations such as online banking or share trading.
COTA has published a booklet in its Strategic Ageing series, called Seniors in Cyberspace – older people and information, which reviews the issues in detail and looks at future possibilities. It also provides answers about the sorts of information older people need, how they find it, and the best ways of delivering it. Contact COTA on 03 9820 2655 for a copy (cost is $10.00).
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Top of pageFOCUS FIRMLY ON EMPLOYMENT
Australian Senior, October 1999, p48A significant proportion of people over 50 are in the workforce or want to be. The Council on the Ageing's national policy officer, Veronica Sheen, outlines what COTA is doing on the employment scene.
Many people think the Council on the Ageing (COTA) is only focussed on aged care and retirement incomes. Not so!
For the past two or three years, a consistent theme in COTA discussions has been the problems confronting people over 50 in the workforce. The issue has come to the fore through reports from our members, calls and letters, and through COTA's own research which dates back some years. For instance, COTA produced a major research report in 1992 entitled What now? Over 45 and Unemployed: present realities and future trends for the older unemployed.
In November this year, as part of its activities for the International Year of Older Persons, COTA will be holding a major conference in Adelaide on the theme Older Australians: a Working Future?
While the problems older workers face have been around for some years, the growing awareness that Australia has an ageing population is bringing the issue to public attention.
The equation is simple. If people become unemployed, in their early 50s for example, they could be reliant on government income support until the end of their life. They will be denied adequate opportunities for saving for retirement, for social participation and for making a contribution by using their skills in a job.
There is also disturbing evidence that unemployment is bad for your health. One of COTA's major concerns is that people who stop working before they wish to, may suffer poorer health than those who can choose their own time for retirement.
According to major government reports recently released, the over 50s are increasing their share of jobs in relation to younger people. The major problem, though, is that once a mature age person loses a job it can be very difficult to find another.
Long term unemployment affects about 53 per cent of jobseekers over 45 compared to 27 per cent for younger job seekers. Older people themselves believe age discrimination is the major problem that they face.
COTA's conference in Adelaide from 7-9 November will:
- Generate a forum for discussion and debate about the changing role of older adults in the workplace.
- Confront the social, economic and political impacts of limiting employment options for older people in the workforce.
- Highlight and promote the benefits of retaining older people in the workforce.
- Identify innovative ideas and strategies to expand the role of older adults in the work environment of the 21st century.
- Promote the value and contribution of older adults to the paid and unpaid workforce.
Click here for conference information or contact Karen Richardson on (08) 8232 0422 or krichardson@cotasa.org.au
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PHARMACISTS UNDER PRESSURE
Australian Senior, September 1999, p4Only trained and registered pharmacists are able to own pharmacies in Australia. But the pressure is on to open up the market. Council on the Ageing's national policy officer, Veronica Sheen, explains what this could mean for older people.
Would you like to buy your prescription medicines at the supermarket or from a department store? Perhaps you'd prefer to drop in at a combined GP surgery/pharmacy for one-stop prescribing and collection.
These are some of the possibilities the Government is considering in its review of the pharmaceutical industry.
Older Australians are significant users of medicines. Many rely on their local pharmacist for information and advice about their medications and have built up a close relationship with him or her over several years. It is this relationship which pharmacists believe justifies their continuing monopoly over the supply and distribution of most medicines to consumers.
But is the pharmacists' monopoly in the best interest of consumers? Would some medicines be cheaper if they were available in a section at the local supermarket? Would people in rural areas be better off if they could pick up their medicines at the local general store, or get them by mail-order, rather than having to travel to a town where there is a chemist shop?
The Council on the Ageing (COTA) believes that pharmacists play a valuable role in advising older people about prescribed and over the counter medicines. In particular, older people who take a number of medicines are at risk of experiencing adverse drug reactions. A close relationship with a vigilant pharmacist can ensure this doesn't happen.
The present system is likely to be the best way to provide a high quality service to older Australians. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement. If pharmacists want to continue with their monopoly position, they should come to the party and offer better services.
For example, information technology could be used to track each person's use of pharmaceuticals. All dispensed prescriptions are recorded with the Health Insurance Commission. This information should be available to pharmacists with the consent of the customer. This would allow pharmacists to log into a customer's name and find out about medication dispensed by another pharmacist. Privacy and consent issues need to be addressed, of course, but better and safer use of medications would be the result.
Access to pharmacies can be an issue for older people. Pharmacy owners should be willing to locate their business near public transport, close to (or in conjunction with) medical practices, and in suburban and regional shopping centres.
It's important too, that pharmacies exhibit clear price competition by advertising prices of over the counter and pharmacy-only medicines.
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Top of pageHOW WELL IS YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY SERVING YOU?
Fifty-Plus News, September 1999, p6Pharmacy is one of the last protected industries in Australia. But do pharmacists deserve their protected status? An inquiry is underway to consider the issues about opening up the industry to greater competition. VERONICA SHEEN of the Council on the Ageing (COTA) takes an older person's view.
To own a pharmacy you must be a trained and registered pharmacist. The distribution and sale of pharmaceuticals is a huge business. This means a pharmacy shop is more or less guaranteed to generate a handsome income for the owner. But should things remain this way?
The local pharmacist is an important person in the life of many older people who may be taking a range of medications for a wide variety of conditions. The pharmacist will know better than anyone about the possible reactions and interactions of these drugs. In addition, many seniors build up a personal relationship with the pharmacist and his other staff in the shop. All this provides an important form of protection for many older people.
But it's time to ask how well the system is working. COTA is posing the following questions and putting forward suggestions as to how pharmacy service could be improved.
What about older people in rural and remote areas who do not have a local pharmacist? Or people who are house-bound? Perhaps mail order, or an arrangement with a local store to get needed medications, might be better arrangements. These could be supported by a toll free consumer drug information service. This could include advice on timing and level of dosages, side-effects, possible interactions, adverse reactions and disposal of unused medicines. There is also a for making such information available on the Internet, in both English and community languages.
Even in cities, it's important that pharmacies are located within convenient walking distance for older people - usually in local shopping centres. Pharmacists could be encouraged to co-locate with general practitioners. Maybe this could also involve co-ownership of medical facilities with general practitioners.
There are also consumer cost issues to consider. Are pharmaceuticals as cheap as they could be? Especially over the counter and pharmacy-only medicines that are not subsidised by the Government? These medications can add a lot to the weekly budget of an older pensioner. COTA believes that pharmacies should be clearly showing the prices of all the medications they stock.
And are people getting the best service possible from their pharmacists? Perhaps training in information technology, communication skills and business skills could result in pharmacists offering a wider range of consumer services. For example, mechanisms could be developed for tracking of a person's total use of pharmaceuticals irrespective of which shop they were bought in. This would allow the pharmacist to better monitor possible dug interactions. The result: healthier customers.
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RECOGNISING THE VALUE OF MATURE WORKERS
Australian Senior, August 1999, p25Mature aged people bore the brunt of the recent retrenchment drives of the public and private sectors. Many are now seeking employment in a jobs market that is set against the older worker. Council on the Ageing National Policy Officer Veronica Sheen reports on the problems mature age people face and suggests some solutions.
Employers' attitudes to older workers don't make sense.
They have a blind faith that younger people offer greater creativity, flexibility and more up to date skills.
But this assumption is simply not supported by the facts. Older workers are equally creative and flexible. While they can sometimes be slower to train, they are more consistent in their work outcomes over the long term, have a strong work ethic and a high level of commitment.
So why is the mature worker having problems competing in today's job market?
The starting point is that there are simply not enough jobs to go around. The official statistics tell us that 7.5 per cent of the workforce is unemployed. But this is just the beginning. What about all those people who have given up looking for work, so they are not counted as unemployed?
And what about all those in part time and casual jobs who would prefer a full time job?
Because there are not enough jobs to go around, employers can pick and choose. Many report that they get 50 or 100 applications for any job they advertise. So instead of looking at the comparative merits of candidates, employers set some 'hidden' benchmarks for the job which make it easier to narrow the field. Age turns out to be the most common of these benchmarks.
Australian culture is heavily youth focused. Youth is seen as a more desirable phase of life than middle or old age and this means that young people have an edge in the job market. Not all young people, though. There is very high unemployment, much of which is short term, for people between the ages of 15 and 24 but from 25 prospects are much brighter.
The Council on the Ageing (COTA) believes that Australian society needs to rethink its attitudes to middle and old age. The slogan for the International Year of Older Persons is a society for all ages. Employers need to be educated about the benefits of having a balance of ages in their workforce. Very young people need to be given an opportunity. Older workers need to be valued for their skills and experience. The real costs of losing older workers need to be fully assessed and problems for mature workers need to be attacked at a range of levels.
The Government can play a role in making sure there are opportunities for them to be retrained, especially in the all important information technology area. It can help mature age people make career adjustments through good employment placement and counselling services. Governments are major employers themselves. They can lead the way by bringing in more enlightened hiring and firing practices that give a fair deal to older workers.
COTA is making a submission to the House of Representatives inquiry into older workers.
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OLDER WORKERS SPEAKING OUT
Fifty-Plus News, August 1999, p4The Council on the Ageing (COTA) has been speaking to groups of older unemployed workers in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in recent months about the problems they face in finding jobs and the solutions to their dilemmas. Veronica Sheen, COTA's national policy officer, reports.
The story is the same time and time again. Dozens, sometimes hundreds of job applications, few replies and just the occasional interview. Self-esteem and confidence down the gurgler. This is the human face of long term unemployment for many older adults in the Australian community.
But mature age people are speaking up and making it clear that there has to be changes: in employer practices, community attitudes and government policy.
This is what they are saying.
First. Forget the idea that mature age people don't need to work for financial reasons and can be siphoned off into early retirement. The world has changed. Mature age people need jobs for the same reasons as everyone else: to support current living costs and save for future needs. Many have families to support. For example a couple starting a family between the ages of 35 and 40 may be supporting their children in education until they are in their early 60s. And as we all know, governments are becoming more tight-fisted by the minute. They want the older population to be as independent of government support as possible. So saving for retirement is a major priority for mature age people.
Second. Employment is just as important for social acceptance and value for someone in their fifties as someone in their twenties or thirties. Mature age people are devastated by job loss. Unemployment creates depression and reduces confidence and self-esteem. Whether you are 25 or 55 the impact of unemployment is just the same.
Third. The idea that mature age people are not as good workers as younger people is just not true. They are going out of their way to retrain themselves, to be adaptable and flexible and not to demand exorbitant wages. But at the end of the day, employers' prejudices, built up through media images, mean that younger people are given preference.
Fourth. People in their fifties are not looking forward to retirement. The old stereotype of working for 40 years and retiring with a gold watch is hopelessly outdated. Traditional ideas of retirement for the current 50 somethings of the millenium is just not on the agenda of their lives. Most envisage that there will be a flow on from paid employment to some other form of making a contribution to society and ongoing activity.
What can be done?
Top priority has to be changing employer attitudes. This will not be easy. But one thing is sure to make them change: evidence that they are losing money because they are not nurturing the skills and experience of the mature workers.
Attitudes to ageing in the community need to change as well. The International Year of Older Persons banner is ' society for all ages'. Valuing older Australians will mean they get a better share of job opportunities.
Finally, government policy can make a difference by recognising the problem and ensuring that mature workers are well trained for the needs of the millenium workforce.
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GST COMPENSATION OFFER 'NOT ENOUGH'
Australian Senior, July 1999, p26The Government's deal with the Democrats on tax reform is an improvement on the original but is it good enough yet? Veronica Sheen, national policy officer of Council on the Ageing, gives her assessment.
The message seems to have been received that the first compensation offer for older Australians was far from enough. The Government, with help from the Democrats, has taken on some of the COTA's concerns and brought the compensation up to an ongoing pension increase of 2 per cent in addition to the cost of living adjustments for the GST.
Another big improvement on the first package is that self funded retirees aged 55 and over will be eligible for the self funded retirees supplementary bonus. This entitles them to a maximum payment of $2000 if they earn $20,000 or less and is then decreased accordingly for people earning up to $30,000. Under the previous arrangement people had to be of age pension eligibility age - 65 for men and 61 for women.
Of course the big area of controversy in the tax package is the exemption of fresh or basic foods. For many older people this will be a big plus – no GST on the staples of meat, fruit and vegetables, bread, milk and eggs.
But not all older people will benefit that much from this exemption. Prepared and take-away meals can be a big part of many older people's diets, especially if they live alone. For example, it may be more economical to buy a small portion of prepared salad from the supermarket deli rather than buying all the ingredients. And what about when you take the grandchildren to McDonalds for a treat?
Other parts of the new package which will be of benefit to older people will be the GST exemption on S2 medicines sold only at the pharmacy, such as medicated cough mixtures, and the exemption of complementary medical services such as naturopaths and acupuncturists.
On the other hand older people will still have to pay bank account debits tax until 2005 and financial institutions duty until July 2001.
The new package is certainly better than the first package but questions still remain.
Older people spend much of their income on services and utilities which under the GST will increase in cost by 10 per cent.
COTA intends to keep a close eye on developments and conduct more research on the impacts of tax reform on older Australians.
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GST
CHANGES: THE GOOD AND THE BAD NEWS
Fifty-Plus News, July 1999, p4
The Democrats went in hard in meetings with the Prime Minister and Treasurer to get a fairer tax package for Australians on low and fixed incomes, many of whom are older people. Overall the new package is a marked improvement on the original but some questions remain as to whether it is good enough to protect older Australians from the effects of the GST. VERONICA SHEEN, the Council on the Ageing's national policy officer, explains the good and the bad of three of the main changes.
The pension to be increased
The new offer consists of an ongoing increase of two per cent in the pension, instead of 1.5 per cent in the original offer. Many older people will be confused by reports that they will get a four per cent increase in the pension. They do get four per cent but this is, in effect, an advance payment paid only on 1 July 2000. Over time the four per cent is 'adjusted' so that the effective increase on top of the cost of living adjustment is two per cent.
The question is whether this increase is enough to cover all the additional costs that the GST will involve. For example, older people spend a higher proportion of their income on utilities and services than the average, so will be more affected that the rest of the community.
Food to be GST free
Many older people will benefit from the exemption of fresh and basic food from the GST. This means that fresh food and vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, bread and meat will be without as GST, as will basic items such as pasta, rice and canned soup.
However, COTA is concerned about some groups of older people whose main sustenance comes from prepared and take away foods. For example, 40 per cent of women and 18 per cent of men over 65 live alone. It is precisely the older person living alone who is more likely to be buying the quarter or half chicken (with GST) rather than the whole roast (without GST). It is very unlikely that they will be buying an uncooked chicken and roasting it for themselves, which would be without a GST.
The fresh/basic food exemption seems to offer most benefit to households of two people or more and least benefit to single person households.
Self-funded retirees supplement to go to over 55s
The Democrats also won improvements in the compensation for self-funded retirees. The self-funded retirees supplementary bonus is an untaxed bonus now available to people aged 55 and over on 1 July 2000 but not in receipt of a pension who are nevertheless retired and fully self-supporting. It is worth a maximum of $2000 per person phased out between $20,000 and $30,000 of taxable income as a one-off payment. The original proposal set the eligibility age for this bonus at the age pension eligibility age. While COTA welcomes the change to allow all self-funded retirees over 55 to get the supplement, we still do not know whether this compensation will be enough.
In summary: the new package is certainly better than the first package but questions remain. Has the Government accurately measured the cost of living impact of the GST on older people? And will the compensation and the pension increase be enough?
COTA intends to keep a close eye on developments and will be doing more research on the impacts of tax reform on older Australians.
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For comment on any media releases or articles please contact:
Council on the Ageing (Australia)
Level 2, 3 Bowen Crescent
Melbourne 3004
Tel: (03) 9820 2655 Fax (03) 9829 9886
email: cota@cota.org.au
Copyright © 1999 Council on the
Ageing. All rights reserved.
Revised: 30 October 2001