These days everyone assumes that if anybody does anything, the government has to be involved - regulating it, accrediting it, and ultimately running it.
But step back and think - why? How many people in government have run an Aged Care facility (or any business at all)? How many of them have any real understanding of the issues? How many bureaucrats or politicians who claim the wisdom to run entire industries, would you trust to run a corner store?
There are two theories of government:
- That it exists to protect the rights of citizens to live their lives as they see fit; or
- That it exists to tell people how to live, what decisions to make, and to enforce the wishes of some on everybody else
Why can't industry groups develop their own voluntary standards - and individual businesses choose their own standards - and the people who want to use their services be the ones to judge and choose?
The only people who would lose are those who want the power to command other peoples' lives and choices.
Imagine that....
Meet the author - Sonja Bernhardt
2 comments:
Sonja
I can see where you are coming from and we all get frustrated with over regulation but we have also heard of elderly patients sitting in soiled
nappies. Their children don't visit regularly and the elderly might not comprehend much of anything, so the "user be aware" principal falls down.
Thanks Peter by way of response I add: If industry organisations believe that accreditation is a good thing, then their members, who are the experts in their industry, can generate the appropriate standards; and individual businesses can choose to adopt them or develop their own according to their judgement.
Residents and any other interested parties can hold them to their published standards, whatever they may be, as to gain business by stating care will be provided according to certain standards but not actually doing that is plain fraud and/or breach of contract.
I believe that there is no reason why a combination of private fees and private charity can achieve better outcomes than government favours - especially in a much lower tax regime. It is just harder for most people to imagine.
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