The young to still languish in nursing homes
The recent COAG meeting agreed upon a $1 billion national health reform package, 244 million of which will be spent moving young disabled people out of nursing homes. However the National Alliance of Young People in Nursing Homes says that despite this being a step in the right direction, less than one thousand of the six thousand five hundred young people under the age of 65 living in nursing homes, would benefit. The group claims that immediate funding is needed to reloate young disabled people back into the community so that they can avoid social isolation often experienced in homes designed to nurse the elderly. The Director of Young People in Nursing Homes National Alliance Bronwyn Morkham, spoke to The Wire about the long term impact of this issue on the community, as did Jeff Jackson Secretary of Australian Health Services Union.