This week’s Budget must focus on improving health services and cutting waiting times for geriatric surgeries, Grey Power New Zealand told the Prime Minister last week.

National President Gayle Chambers met with Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon and the Minister for Seniors, Hon Casey Costello, on May 14.

Accompanied by Vice President David Marshall and National Secretary Jo Millar, Chambers said that the Budget to be delivered on Thursday must:

• Reduce waiting times for geriatric surgeries such as hip, knee, shoulder and cataract operations and time it takes to make a first appointment with a specialist. The Prime Minister advised that the government is working to lessen waiting times, including outsourcing surgeries to private services.
• Remove disparities in home care provision and stop services being cut due to budget restraints, which in turn negatively affect care, leading to more hospitalisation.
• Increase the accommodation supplement, which has not been reviewed since 2018, and review asset thresholds for receiving financial assistance, which are currently inconsistent between owning a home and other forms of housing.

Grey Power asked the Prime Minister to look into the difficulties faced by seniors wanting to downsize by building a smaller home, but struggled to obtain bridging finance while their existing home was being sold. Banks would not lend if the only income was superannuation.

Grey Power is eager to see what the budget holds for seniors in New Zealand and how it addresses the disparities in health, Income provision and housing.

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