It appears that age dental care is in crisis and there's a call for a senior's dental benefit scheme to help stop thousands of older Australians ending up in our hospital system unnecessarily to tell us about it. To Australian Dental Association Vice president Angie Nilsen, Angie, good morning to.

It appears that age dental care is in crisis and there's a call for a senior's dental benefit scheme to help stop thousands of older Australians ending up in our hospital system unnecessarily to tell us about it. To Australian Dental Association Vice president Angie Nilsen, Angie, good morning to.

You, good morning.

You, good morning.

Just how serious is the situation for older Australians.

Just how serious is the situation for older Australians.

Well, at the moment, we've got sixteen thousand seniors that have been admitted TOSS for preventable dental conditions and that set to increase by forty two percent if we're not going to do anything about it over the next five years. We've got four point two million older Australians in Australia, so it's a huge amount of our population that we need to manage.

Well, at the moment, we've got sixteen thousand seniors that have been admitted TOSS for preventable dental conditions and that set to increase by forty two percent if we're not going to do anything about it over the next five years. We've got four point two million older Australians in Australia, so it's a huge amount of our population that we need to manage.

Why are they not going to see a regular dentist? What's the situation there?

Why are they not going to see a regular dentist? What's the situation there?

There's several barriers. Some of it is a financial burden, some of it is actually accessing care. So the point of the Senior Dental Benefits scheme is to help produce that financial burden and give people the option to go through other public or iver dentists either way to be able to access care and get to the problem before it gets to the point that they need to go to the need.

There's several barriers. Some of it is a financial burden, some of it is actually accessing care. So the point of the Senior Dental Benefits scheme is to help produce that financial burden and give people the option to go through other public or iver dentists either way to be able to access care and get to the problem before it gets to the point that they need to go to the need.

Well. I guess the problem with any dental issue or a lot of health issues, the longer you leave it, the worse it gets. So what could be fixed in a minor and simple way gets to be a major issue.

Well. I guess the problem with any dental issue or a lot of health issues, the longer you leave it, the worse it gets. So what could be fixed in a minor and simple way gets to be a major issue.

That's right, And the longer it's less the more complex it can be. But there's also quite significant links between oral health and general health, especially when you get to older people. So the situation with older people who get to hospital admissions is that they're at more risk of something like aspiration, pneumonia, and these things could potentially be fatal. It's really important that oral health is addressed early.

That's right, And the longer it's less the more complex it can be. But there's also quite significant links between oral health and general health, especially when you get to older people. So the situation with older people who get to hospital admissions is that they're at more risk of something like aspiration, pneumonia, and these things could potentially be fatal. It's really important that oral health is addressed early.

So you're calling for a senior's dental benefit scheme. How would that work?

So you're calling for a senior's dental benefit scheme. How would that work?

So this is the same sort of way that it would work like the child Dental Benefits scheme, and it comes off of that Dental Benefit Sact where it would be caps are just over a thousand dollars over two years, and it would be focused on prevention and that would be mean steed. So it would be for concession card holders I've seen as city cards and healthcare card holders.

So this is the same sort of way that it would work like the child Dental Benefits scheme, and it comes off of that Dental Benefit Sact where it would be caps are just over a thousand dollars over two years, and it would be focused on prevention and that would be mean steed. So it would be for concession card holders I've seen as city cards and healthcare card holders.

So it's a good concept. Is it been presented of the government. Do they have any thoughts about it?

So it's a good concept. Is it been presented of the government. Do they have any thoughts about it?

It has been presented and we've talked about it at the Senate Inquiry to Dental Access. We've talked about it. It's been mentioned in the Royal Commission as a key recommendation. So we'd really look forward to speaking to the Health mester of the new government about how it is possible to actually make it happen.

It has been presented and we've talked about it at the Senate Inquiry to Dental Access. We've talked about it. It's been mentioned in the Royal Commission as a key recommendation. So we'd really look forward to speaking to the Health mester of the new government about how it is possible to actually make it happen.

Would you say it become part of medicare.

Would you say it become part of medicare.

I think it's a tricky thing when you talk about dentic care as a whole, and understand the Greens want it to go entirely to have dentistry for everyone. However, targeted schemes are going to help the most vulnerable people and make sure that we're using resources appropriately to cost up for dentistry. It was a really wide range of billions of dollars for the entirety, and having been an HS dentist myself in the UK and seeing how it does not work, finding it making sure it was working for the most vulnerable in our society is going to be really important.

I think it's a tricky thing when you talk about dentic care as a whole, and understand the Greens want it to go entirely to have dentistry for everyone. However, targeted schemes are going to help the most vulnerable people and make sure that we're using resources appropriately to cost up for dentistry. It was a really wide range of billions of dollars for the entirety, and having been an HS dentist myself in the UK and seeing how it does not work, finding it making sure it was working for the most vulnerable in our society is going to be really important.

Thank you, Angie. That's Angreie Nilson Australian Dental Association Vice President. Joining us now is Patricius Barrow, CEO of the Council on the Aging Australia. Patricia, what are your thoughts?

Thank you, Angie. That's Angreie Nilson Australian Dental Association Vice President. Joining us now is Patricius Barrow, CEO of the Council on the Aging Australia. Patricia, what are your thoughts?

I can only echo what Angie was saying, and the question is that you're raising the fact that sixteen thousand people older people have ended up in hospital. When you think about the stress that hospital's under, it's crazy and we need to make sure that older people can afford to go to the dentist. And that's what older people tell us, that they can't afford it and so they put it off and then they end up in a much worse situation. Good oral health so fundamental to our health and well being. We just need to see this senior dental Benefit schedule introduced and make sure that people can go to see the dentist when they need to.

I can only echo what Angie was saying, and the question is that you're raising the fact that sixteen thousand people older people have ended up in hospital. When you think about the stress that hospital's under, it's crazy and we need to make sure that older people can afford to go to the dentist. And that's what older people tell us, that they can't afford it and so they put it off and then they end up in a much worse situation. Good oral health so fundamental to our health and well being. We just need to see this senior dental Benefit schedule introduced and make sure that people can go to see the dentist when they need to.

Are yes that figure sixteen thousand older people admitted to hospital for urgent treatment and it's expected that figure will increase to forty two percent. I mean they are alarming numbers.

Are yes that figure sixteen thousand older people admitted to hospital for urgent treatment and it's expected that figure will increase to forty two percent. I mean they are alarming numbers.

They really are alarming, and I think we need to put a stop to it. We know that there's four in ten older Australians those who are particularly on lower incomes, who just skip going to the dentist because they can't afford it. They might end up going to the public dental system at state level, which generally by the time even by the time they've got there, they might have waited for twelve months and it's an emergency, so you can see how it happens that people end up in hospital. But we distress that the hospital system's under and it's not good for anyone to be in hospital if they don't really need to be there. So we need to make sure that we've got affordable dental care for older people to use when they need to.

They really are alarming, and I think we need to put a stop to it. We know that there's four in ten older Australians those who are particularly on lower incomes, who just skip going to the dentist because they can't afford it. They might end up going to the public dental system at state level, which generally by the time even by the time they've got there, they might have waited for twelve months and it's an emergency, so you can see how it happens that people end up in hospital. But we distress that the hospital system's under and it's not good for anyone to be in hospital if they don't really need to be there. So we need to make sure that we've got affordable dental care for older people to use when they need to.

Thanks for that, Patricia Patricias Barrow, CEO of the Council on the Aging. Are you an older person, have you put off having dental treatment because you can't afford it or you're concerned in some other way, let's know your feelings about it. Eight double two three double o double oh. But huge numbers. Sixteen thousand older people admitted to hospital for urgent treatment of painful dental issues in the year twenty twenty two to twenty three, and that is expected to increase by forty two percent to twenty two thousand six hundred and thirty by twenty seven twenty eight, and the number will continue expand and grab as Australia's population gets older. So it would appear that now is the time to introduce a senior's dental benefit scheme. It will be interesting to see with a federal election coming up whether either the government, the current government or the wannabe government the Coalition will put that forward as part of their program five Double A Mornings with Graham Goodings

Thanks for that, Patricia Patricias Barrow, CEO of the Council on the Aging. Are you an older person, have you put off having dental treatment because you can't afford it or you're concerned in some other way, let's know your feelings about it. Eight double two three double o double oh. But huge numbers. Sixteen thousand older people admitted to hospital for urgent treatment of painful dental issues in the year twenty twenty two to twenty three, and that is expected to increase by forty two percent to twenty two thousand six hundred and thirty by twenty seven twenty eight, and the number will continue expand and grab as Australia's population gets older. So it would appear that now is the time to introduce a senior's dental benefit scheme. It will be interesting to see with a federal election coming up whether either the government, the current government or the wannabe government the Coalition will put that forward as part of their program five Double A Mornings with Graham Goodings