[mOiOz]

Being a senior is more concerning than money and payments. It's about the lack of consideration in health care. My husband was treated like he was of no concern because he was older, he was placed into aged care ward in hospital and basically left to suffer the consequence of his age. I had to be outspoken and jump up and down demanding tests and xray's be conducted to assist him. Lucky, I did as issues were found that were treatable. I watched as many older people in public hospital had food trays placed in front of them who could not assist themselves. Staff removing trays that had not even been touched as patient unable to open packaging. Showers and personal hygiene not attended as staff to busy or overworked.
The lack of respect for seniors in this country is everywhere , look on the public transport system and see how may younger people will offer their seat . How many at a checkout will offer them to be served first as they are older and may not be able to stand as long.
I could go on and on, but I am sure you get the gist of my frustration.

100% AGREE

 

[Reet]

As a senior I find it more and more difficult to live on the pension with my meagre savings going down as I supplement my pension with it. The only outings I have are shopping for groceries and attending U3A twice a month. I have a very small pension from my days working in England and because I declared this I am penalised on my Australian pension and cannot receive a full pension. The UK pension does not increase at all when you live in a Commonwealth country and I have now learned that people still living in England are to be taxed on their pension. I hope our government here don't do likewise as it would make living a lot worse than it already is. I would like to be able to attend concerts or cinema but cannot afford to do so. I am 88 years old and live in my own house which I bought with money left to me by my brother upon his death which means I have to find rates and money for upkeep of the house. Where will it all end wonder.

 

[Mars]

My Husband and Myself are OK at the moment We have now down sized and we own our smaller house thank goodness'. If we had to pay rent we probalby couldn't. We shop fortnightly and try to only get what we need. it would be nice to have a spend up like we used to. We are both 86.

 

[Shaun Newman]

I can only tell my truth, it is bloody hard if all you have in the aged pension to survive on. Many are fortunate to also have superannuation from which they can draw, however if for no fault of your own you cannot supplement the humble pension in some way life is a real struggle. How the unemployed survive is a mystery.

 

[Jest]

We came from a generation that learned to make do if money was tight. We didn't expect to get married and instantly buy a 3 bedroom home, a new car and travel the world with our 2.5 children. I'm sure we would all like more money but we are resourceful and always come through somehow. Being unemployed was not something we even considered when we were young. Jobs were more plentiful but we also took work where we could - it may not have been our number one choice but was a stepping stone along the career path. Its sad that being older and retired our opinions are not always acknowledged.

that was in the 50's. After the 70's, people started expecting everything. brand new everything.

 

[Gsr]

We are part pensioners because I work part time. We are lucky to own our home through years of scrimping and doing without to pay it off. We put solar on our house with a battery before hubby retired so don’t get huge power bills. We have to be careful what we spend, we haven’t had a holiday since 2016, don’t eat out, rarely buy takeaway, have sandwiches for tea a couple times a week, eat smaller meals with cheaper cuts of meat. We only buy clothes when what we have are worn out. We grow a lot of the vegies we use and have citrus trees so save money on fruit when in season. hubby is still able to do our car service and most maintenance on our car so that helps. We manage to save a small amount some fortnight’s which we keep for emergencies. Bu we definitely live a basic no extras life. It would be good to get a rise in the pension to a level where I could afford to retire as well.

 

[Mindygirl12022]

Well I shouldn't have sent a laughing picture. In Australia getting old is far better than in many other more damaged Countries. We are fortunate here that we have a Health System that allows us to claim an amount of money back after certain medical treatments. In the USA that isn't so, and the cost of Private Health Insurance is off the charts. I do think though that I get tired of younger people (not all) who talk to you as you're no longer someone who matters or we can be looked down upon as knowing nothing of life as well as they themselves do. To be called 'Lovey, Deary, spoken loudly to when they don't know if you're deaf or not, I find belittleing and annoys the heck out of me. So what I do is reply 'Yes of course Lovey'. They just look at me and I wonder what is going on in their minds. Beyond that, I just surf along and ignore them. Mostly though people of all ages are very kind to me and not in a way that makes me feel annoyed. They help when you drop an item at the shops, if you happen to be unsteady at times they help there too. These people are the future of our Country so long as they keep going the way they are now.

 

[gordon1940]

Being a senior is difficult. I live a way out in the country. I do not drive, have no family, no job, no pension, no super. and am not in perfect health by a long way. My motto is make the most of the situation in which you find yourself but there are times when I wish my deceased husband would come and get me! On the plus side I am old but at least I got to old age - better to be over the hill than under it!!

A positive "Battler". Bless you.

 

[windyweather]

Look after the Seniors who have worked hard all their life and paid taxes instead of giving money to people who are capable of working but would rather go surfing etc. This generation is lazy (not all) and expects everyone else to work so they can get their Dole money. Pensioners are struggling these days and it's not right.

 

[Clancieblue]

100% AGREE

 

[Harro1948]

We are keeping our heads above water, but no thanks to Austalian Government. They don't like that we get part pensions from other countries. (UK for me and USA for my wife) not huge amounts, but Australian Government stops us from getting a full Austalian pension. We both worked for the pensions in other countries, (and only get part pension from these two countries) So we then worked in Australia since Jan 1980 and should get a full pension. Like alot of people, sometimes we have to dip into our savings to pay an extra large bill (IE recent power bill) We are lucky to have alittle extra tucked away. High time the Australian pension was raised to a living wage for anyone on the pension. "Not Happy Jan"

 

[tfours]

One cannot generalize, we are all unique and some live better than others, not necessarily financially, and in my 92 years the cost of living invariably increases annually, no matter who is in power. In spite of the ups and downs I have a wonderful life and enjoy every minute of it.

 

[Annna]

The only way pollies can understand the difficulties that most pensioners are experiencing is for them to live as pensioners live and understand those difficulties.

Yes, agree totally. Live on a Centrelink pension, not a parliamentary pension.

 

[Annna]

Retirees have to qualify for a Centrelink pension.

If you've worked hard, forgone holidays and spending and your savings exceed the criteria, no pension for you.

What's ignored is the sacrifices you've made to have that money.

 

[Annna]

Australians should respect their elders.

The reality is that retirees are often (at the least) ignored and (more commonly) denigrated.

Treated as valueless 'has beens'.

Sad. It highlights the ignorance of youth.

 

[cheryl2354]

Being a senior is difficult. I live a way out in the country. I do not drive, have no family, no job, no pension, no super. and am not in perfect health by a long way. My motto is make the most of the situation in which you find yourself but there are times when I wish my deceased husband would come and get me! On the plus side I am old but at least I got to old age - better to be over the hill than under it!!

Why no pension.