“Any age group we look at, we find that people are less healthy than those of the same age in the previous generation. So, baby boomers, for example, are substantially less healthy at 80 than their parents were.”
This is just one of the concerning facts highlighted by researcher Kevin Pittman and shared on the latest BCHS Podcast.
Kevin is the outgoing BCHS Board secretary, and has some dire warnings about the future of health and human services.
“When we think about disability care, aged care, childcare, all of those human services, the three big challenges we all face are going to be increasing demand, static or reducing or dwindling government funding, and increasingly shortages of staff,” Kevin says.
The half-hour podcast episode unpicks these challenges and demonstrates how each inflates the other. Kevin says a whole-of-society approach will be needed to address them, including increased government funding, skilled immigration and personal responsibility for our health.
“There are no simple, straightforward answers, but thinking about them means that people may come up with ideas,” he says.
Be informed, inspired and influenced by Kevin’s research and message. Search for the Bendigo Community Health Services podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or listen in here.
