Reducing community and long-term care services to older adults in Otago, as proposed by the Otago District Health Board (ODT, 21.4.09) may save money short term but will be a bad investment.
The proportion of Otago's population that is 65-plus is greater than for all other regions (13.8%) and is above the national average.
So it is to be expected that expenditure will also be above the national average.
It is projected that for Central Otago, one-third of the population will be elderly (80-plus) by 2026; consequently the demand for services is going to increase not decrease.
If some people are receiving services they do not need then the assessment process is clearly flawed.
One of the problems with the current assessment tool used by needs assessors in Otago to determine if a person can have home help, meals on wheels, assistance with a shower etc, is that it is subjective rather than objective.
The person is merely asked if they can do these tasks independently or not.
In the past, an occupational therapist would make a home visit to assess whether the person could safely manage activities of daily living independently; an objective assessment was performed and service decisions were more soundly based.
If we stop offering community services to people with a demonstrated need then it is likely their nutrition will be poorer, leading to weight loss and increased frailty, which in turn will lead to increased risk of falls and fractures involving acute hospital care.
Then if there is no long-term bed available, the person will remain in an acute bed longer.
Saving money on community-based services will be offset by increased costs of hospital services.
Singling out the elderly for health care cuts is ageist and short-sighted.
Anne Coup
Mornington
•In recognition of the importance of readers' contribution to the letters page of the Otago Daily Times, the newspaper each week selects a Letter of the Week, with a book prize courtesy of Dunedin publisher, Longacre Press. This week's winner is Anne Coup who receives Kate De Goldie's The 10pm Question, for her letter on proposed cuts to elderly care, printed on Monday and republished here.
