Friday, April 14, 2006

Looking after the Baby Boomers

As the Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age and old developed countries are significantly aging. Their is a new boom industry in old age care.

Remittances to Fiji is one of the fastest growing industries. I have two relatives who spend half a year in USA to look after elderly people. The average salary in Fiji less then $15,000 FJD a year but my two relatives are able to bring back $50,000 in half a year. That figure is exponentioly higher then what I can save in a year.

So my wife is now in the process of doing a course on Care Giving for old people. This is so that she can either work in a nursing home if we go back to Australia or Bale can do a six month stint in the US.

Bale's best friend did the same course and found a job in a nursing home in Australia after only two weeks, of arriving in Australia.


I can see one of the most future resistant jobs is Nursing and Old Age Care as the people with the most wealth are getting older.

2 Comments:

Blogger Peceli and Wendy's Blog said...

Yep George. Many of the Fijian migrants to Australia, men or women, get jobs fairly quickly in nursing homes looking after elderly people. It's a well paid job but not easy if you have to treat eighty-year-old like babies because they have dementia. Fortuntely the Fijian women I know who work in this area have a natural kindness as well as practical skills that suit this kind of work.
I still reckon it's best for old grannies and grandpas to live with their extended family some of the time. Wnat do you think?
W.

1:02 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am expecting to be looked after by jordan or andrew when I become invalid.

As we are from a pacific island family we are expected to look after our parents or even uncles and aunties when they become invalid. So not putting them in nursing homes.

I think what happens is when you have a culture of trying expecting your kids to move out of your house when the turn 18 then its seems reciprical that the parents will be sent away when the parent become invalid. I expect our kids to live with us as long as they want and even bring the future wives if need be.

When we migrate to Australia bale is expecting to look after my parents.

8:02 pm  

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