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Living Longer Living Better (LLLB) Opens to Mixed Reviews

Announcement posted by Tall Trees Care Communities 15 Dec 2014

Founder of alternative to nursing home care in Brisbane and Gold Coast areas reveals why many senior citizens are dissatisfied with Living Longer, Living Better.
Australia, 15 December 2014 - In 2011, the Australian Government Productivity Commission authored a report called “Caring for Older Australians.” The report found, among other things, that improvements were needed in such areas as more choices for residents and sustainable funding for aged care. Former Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler strongly advocated a program that would take care of those problems.

Among other things, Mr Butler decried the “cookie cutter approach” and advocated “more choices” for aged care recipients. On the strength of this sentiment, a program was created: “Living Longer, Living Better (LLLB).”

Many in the aged care industry supported the program as one that would improve the quality of aged care by increasing competition and removing limits on the number of bed licences. It was thought that competition would bring out the best in the aged care industry and help avoid a projected shortage of as many as 279,000 beds by 2050.

LLLB was lauded by many as a proactive step towards solving a future problem and improving the current situation for aged care recipients. However, since it took effect in July of this year, reviews are mixed.

All Residential Aged Care Recipients can Now be Required to Pay a Bond

Before LLLB took effect, “low care” recipients were required to pay a bond, while “high care” recipients were not. Since two thirds of residents were considered to be “high care,” this meant only one third were required to post a bond. The standard bond is usually between $250,000 and $300,000.

Under LLLB, all residents are required to post a bond. That works out to three times as much bond money than before and three times as many people being burdened with paying a bond.

“The Cookie Cutter Approach”

Minister Butler also remarked in 2011 that consumers didn’t want a “cookie cutter approach” and that LLLB would provide choices while eliminating the “cookie cutter approach.” He postulated that competition would produce more diversity in the approaches to aged care and provide more choices for residents.

According to senior citizen advocates, this has not happened yet.

The Tall Trees Care Communities Approach

Tall Trees Care Communities is a small organisation of communities which provide an alternative to the typical nursing home or aged care facility. They serve the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas. According to Co-Founder Phil Usher:

“We talked to our own parents and got feedback from a lot of elderly citizens when we were deciding how we were going to create Tall Trees Care Communities. The two things that they wanted most were their independence and their dignity. Nobody likes being treated like a number or having all of their decisions made for them every day. So we decided on the model of consumer directed care.”

Phil Usher concluded, “Our residents couldn’t be happier. And neither could we.”

Tall Trees Care Communities are a group of nursing home and aged care alternatives in the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas. To learn more about Tall Trees and their unique approach to consumer directed care, call (07) 3442 9378 or visit their website: http://www.talltrees.net.au/.