Government provides funding to support families in caring for elderly people at home, despite the challenges faced by many families in providing 24-hour care, says Prime Minister Mark Brown.

Brown says that the advice received by the government is that it is best for elderly people to be kept in their own homes as long as possible before needing to be moved to a specialised facility.

The Prime Minister made these comments while responding to a question raised by Cook Islands United Party leader and Opposition MP Teariki Heather in Parliament on September 17.

During the question-and-answer time, Heather asked PM Brown: “We noticed that a lot of our sick people, or old people returning from New Zealand here to the Cook Islands, they are not coming into the hospital, but they are taken straight into their homes, and their families are responsible for their care.”

“And yet, they (families) have not received proper training to care for them.”

Heather said there was a 97-year-old mother in his constituency, along with her son who had just returned from treatment in New Zealand, needed care.

He called on the Prime Minister to keep an eye on the needs of the people, especially those needing care.

PM Brown said the question should be directed to the ministries and government departments responsible for such matters on what help could be provided to this household to make the life of this elderly lady and her son much more comfortable.

“Personal tragedy should not be politicised. Care for our elderly is not a matter for a political party to be accused of not caring,” the Prime Minister said.

Brown said many have been through situations where elderly people, who were very old but not sick, needed care.

“And for most of the history of our country that care is provided by the family and it continues to this day because we do not have a facility that looks after our aged people for geriatric care.

“As a country that has developed and grown over the years, we have had to build and establish needs that previously we did not have in our country.”

Brown said that it was only a couple of years ago that the government opened a mental health ward at the hospital to help care for those who have a mental illness, in a facility that is suitable.

He said that in the past, because some of these people can be violent, it has been difficult for families to care for them. Additionally, in the past, he said mental health cases were often referred to the prison for care.

“In terms of those who are reaching the end of life care, the hospital provides service to some who are reaching the end of life, so that they can receive palliative care that is pain relief before they pass on,” Brown said.

“But for others who need 24-hour care that is provided in the home. And in fact, the advice received by the government all those years is that it is best for elderly people to be kept as long as possible in their own homes before needing to shift them to a specialised facility.”

Brown said the government provided funding to help households improve their facilities for toilets and bedrooms “so that infirm elderly people can be cared for in bathing them and helping them in their homes”.

“And we know it is a challenge for families to be able to devote 24-hour care to look after their elderly. And many of our people will now employ and hire full time caregivers from the Philippines or Fiji and other countries because they need to continue working.

“And many of us have had to personally live through that and provide care for our elderly parents, when they reach the end of their life.”