With the recent closure of the Oakden Older Persons Mental Health facility in SA still very much on all of our minds, we felt we had to share this recent story written by 91-year-old aged care resident Ron Elphick for the West Australian.
The former retirement village resident has been living in residential care for 15 months and has put together a few insights into how he has adjusted to his new life. If you have a loved one who is getting older, it is well worth a read.
Among his reflections, Mr Elphick recommends that all residents consider setting up an Advanced Health Directive and granting an enduring power of guardianship to a family member. These he says will ensure your end-of-life wishes are respected and save your family the stress of having to make difficult decisions without guidance.
But most importantly Mr Elphick emphasises the need for “careful forward planning” if you have a family member in declining physical or mental health, including registering their name with several facilities.
“Such places often have long waiting lists and it is not illegal or immoral to apply to more than one facility,” he says.
Definitely food for thought.
You can read the full story here.
