Check out a selection of links to interesting news and articles from New Zealand and abroad.
Masterton's Bob Francis: Senior NZer of the Year
Former Masterton Mayor Bob Francis was named Senior of the Year last month. He was seven-term Mayor of Masterton from 1986 to 2007.
Bob Francis' work has touched almost all sectors of society, including sport, heath, conservation, the arts and aviation - and he's still going strong.
The conversations you should be having with your ageing parents
The University of Otago research showed many New Zealanders were being moved into residential care at the direction of their GP or family members without any meaningful discussions taking place beforehand.
It’s a situation that could be avoided by having a few conversations when people were still feeling well and able to stay in their own homes, says Age Concern chief executive Karen Billings-Jensen.
Here is what you should be talking about – and how to go about it.
Old people financially abused as young ones run out of cash
Financial abuse is the second most common form of elder abuse across the country and the majority of it goes unreported, says an Age Concern professional educator.
Hanny Naus works in the Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention team for Age Concern NZ.
More than three quarters of the elder abuse they see comes from family members and financial abuse made up between a third and a half of it, she notes.
In the times of economic stress, Naus said there was an added pressure on older people to “loan, gift or in other ways sacrifice their own finances” to help other family members.
Landmark dementia study focuses on ethnic diversity
A new study into dementia starts with the shocking premise that we don’t really know how many Kiwis are affected, or their cultural background.
The largest-ever study of dementia in New Zealand kicks off in the first week of April, with more than 50 researchers door-knocking thousands of homes in targeted areas of Auckland and Christchurch.
The aim is to talk to 2100 older people and their families in their own language as a way to establish how many people have dementia across four ethnic groups (Pākehā, Chinese, Indian, and Fijian Indian).
Government Support To Fight Scams Welcomed By Banks
The New Zealand Banking Association welcomes the New Zealand government’s support to help fight fraud at the inaugural Global Fraud Summit held in London this week.
NZBA chair Vittoria Shortt, who attended the summit on behalf of the New Zealand banking industry, says the commitment to support collaboration across sectors is essential to tackling fraud both internationally and in New Zealand.
Community groups are about to become even more important
In the rush to close down various publicly provided services inevitably more burden will fall on the not-for-profit sector. It would be cruel indeed if they were not fully supported to meet that burden.
Older people regularly left in hospital with nowhere to go - report
The fractured aged care system is in dire need of an overhaul, with older people regularly being left in hospital with nowhere to go, according to a new report.
The report by the Aged Care Commissioner sets out 20 recommendations to improve the quality of care for elderly people.
Expansion Of Vaccine Programme Needed To Support NZ’s Ageing Population - Research
Vaccine programmes may need to be expanded to protect older Kiwis, Māori and the immunocompromised against a potentially debilitating disease, according to a population health academic.
The call comes as new research into the shingles virus shows that New Zealand’s population may become increasingly vulnerable to the disease as they age.
Flu Vaccine Available To 1.7 Million New Zealanders In 2024
“For the 2024 flu season the vaccine is funded for all people 65 years and over, people with long-term conditions (like asthma and diabetes), those who are pregnant, and people with specific mental health conditions or addiction issues.”
In 2022 and 2023 Pharmac widened access to the flu vaccine with funding made available as part of the government’s response to COVID-19 and its impacts. Pharmac used the ring-fenced COVID-19 treatment budget to pay for children up to 12 years of age, and all Māori and Pacific people between 55 and 64 years of age to access the vaccine. This funding has now ended so these groups are no longer eligible in 2024.
Probe finds retirement villages risk ‘misleading public’
The Commerce Commission has written to 12 retirement village operators it says may have contravened the Fair Trading Act following a nine-month probe into the sector.
It launched its investigation in May 2023 after a string of complaints from Consumer NZ, the Retirement Commissioner and the Retirement Village Resident Association.
The complaints largely said terms in retirement village occupational right agreements clearly benefited the providers, as well as claiming misleading advertising about the availability of higher care for residents.
Manaaki te katoa | Be kind to all
