The solution to chronic wounds is bleeding obvious! That’s why Wounds Australia is raising awareness and pushing for long overdue reform to aged care.
“Wound care is the missing piece of the puzzle in the Federal Government’s aged care reforms,” Wounds Australia Chair Hayley Ryan said.
“Wounds Australia is calling for the Federal Government to adopt its 11 Point Plan that will save hundreds of millions of dollars and prevent thousands needing medical treatment each year.
“Wounds Australia and its 18,000 members and supporters are ready to help drive the policy change needed. But we need national leadership to solve this hidden epidemic.”
Perth’s Yvonne Buters watched her elderly father die painfully in residential aged care when pressure injuries on his feet were not diagnosed and treated correctly. She feels there were missed opportunities to prevent and treat her father’s wounds before they became life threatening.
The majority of pressure injuries are preventable. Yet these painful ulcers cost the Australia health budget almost $1 billion each year and result in over 500,000 lost hospital bed days.
Yvonne’s experience shows staff in aged care need support, information and increased wound education and training to provide the right treatment at the right time.
Wounds Australia Chair Hayley Ryan said there have been too many missed opportunities to improve the health of older Australians. This can be remedied with simple affordable actions.
Wounds Australia should be used as the primary resource for designing and adopting best practice in wound management.
