Presbyterian Support Southland Highlights Aged Care Challenges

• Matt Russell praises committee for visiting regional aged care providers in New Zealand.
• Presbyterian Support Southland faces funding shortfalls, rising care needs, and aging facilities.
• Growing dementia care demands prompt calls for major changes in the aged care sector.

Presbyterian Support Southland (PSS) Chief Executive Matt Russell expressed his appreciation for the Health Select Committee’s efforts to visit regional aged care providers across New Zealand. He noted that this engagement is crucial for understanding the ongoing challenges faced by the sector.

“As a not-for-profit providing aged care services, we face a number of challenges including ongoing funding shortfalls, increasing acuity and aging facilities. We are fortunate to have generous organisations and individuals to support capital projects such as our D6 psychogeriatric refurbishment project to increase the number of beds in Southland. However, this approach to funding isn’t sustainable. As the number of people requiring dementia and aged care support is estimated to rise dramatically in the coming years, a transformational change is needed to ensure we continue to adequately care for and support vulnerable older people in our community into the future,” Russell said.

The visit to the Iona dementia unit at Peacehaven included a tour led by Aged Care Association Chief Executive Tracey Martin, Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell, and Russell. This visit was part of the Health Select Committee’s inquiry into the capacity of the aged-care sector to support people with neurological cognitive disorders like dementia, as demand for these services is expected to rise significantly.