As I write this our Sydney weather is set to soar to a very unseasonal 36 degrees. I am pleased however that all our centres are fully air conditioned and that our SummitCare teams remain vigilant to ensure that all our residents are kept cool and well hydrated during these times.
As the weather soars I am reminded that nothing stays the same and this is more than true for Australia’s rapidly ageing population. In fact according to the Australian Government:
“Australia’s population is ageing due to increasing life expectancy and declining fertility rates. Both the number of people at the older ages is growing and older people are representing an increasing share of the total population.” In addition to this:
“For those aged 85 and over, the proportion has increased from 0.5% (63,200) in 1970, to 1.1% (190,400) in 1995, to 2.1% at 30 June 2020 (528,000). The proportion is expected to continue to rise to between 3.6% and 4.4% in 2066.”
To put this into perspective we can think of an upside down triangle with the upper side representing our growing aged population and the small tip at the bottom representing the ever-decreasing younger people working full time supporting them.
This analogy shows that as a society, we will need to rethink how we deliver care to our elderly in a way that allows our Ageing population to be cared for in a manner that incorporates a “lifestyle” element combined with care in an affordable manner.
To facilitate this SummitCare has been proactively working with our Architects and Planners to develop plans for exciting new world class developments and I will be happy to discuss these projects in more detail in future newsletters.
To conclude, I am reminded that it is not just the general population that is ageing as just a few weeks ago I became a grandfather for the second time when we welcomed a healthy and beautiful baby Kaia into our family!!!! Mother and baby are healthy and we are all thrilled.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I joined SummitCare alongside my late father Emerich in the early 1980’s and now with Daniel working with us, we have our third generation working at SummitCare.
Sending you all our warmest wishes throughout the Christmas season and wishing everyone good health and happiness.
Warm wishes
Peter Wohl and Family.
