PRIME Minister Scott Morrison announced last week that 1,700 Australian Defense Force (ADF) personnel would be deployed to aged care facilities experiencing ‘acute situations.’
ADF support teams will include a registered nurse, medical technicians and general support personnel. Duties may include screening visitors, providing companionship or serving meals to residents, and helping with general duties to assist medical staff.
Shepparton Villages CEO Veronica Jamison said that staff have been “magnificent,” across rolling outbreaks that have hit all four their facilities since early December.
Ms Jamison said that Shepparton Villages would welcome assistance from the ADF, as existing staff are exhausted from two years of the pandemic. She described the anguish aged care workers are facing as the most difficult time she’s seen after 40+ years in the industry.
“While we don’t need assistance now, we’ve seen how quickly this can change,” said Ms Jamison. “In January, suddenly 20 percent of our workforce was unable to work, and we had to rely on volunteers.”
“Now we’re seeing aged care workers leaving the industry in droves.”
The workforce in regional areas tends to be hit the hardest, with employers like Shepparton Villages struggling to attract staff from larger metropolitan areas.
“We hear it all the time – someone relocates for a job here and they can’t find accommodation, or their partner cannot find a job, it’s hard to get the kids into a school and to settle your life.”
“Our whole industry is at a crisis point,” said Ms Jamison. “Aged care workers deserve a better deal from the government to attract and retain staff.”
