Currently there are no permanent or respite places available in local residential facilities so aged people, including those living with dementia, have to make alternate arrangements.

There a few options – either stay in hospital  or go home.

In the first case it means other people cannot enter hospital because of bed shortage and with the second option, in home care, there is a scarcity of level 3/4 packages for home care.

The current policy of all parties is to have people remain at home for as long as possible but this is only possible if members of the family who become primary carers are given the required assistance.

Carers will need education on many aspects of the journey ahead of them.

I have been through the system  myself and am currently part of a support group for carers of people with dementia.   

I realise there are not enough residential or respite (long or short term) places here.  

Under the 2016 budget cuts for aged care – which change the method of calculating the subsidy for complex cases in nursing homes –  there will be a significant decrease in the payment.

This will lead to a decrease in the number of complex cases admitted in favour of low level care.

So I ask all candidates to publicise their plans so  the elderly and their families can vote according to their needs.

Val Fell, Figtree

It is interesting I had a letter in the paper 12 months ago saying WIN TV was going to lose Channel 9 programs and an officer from WIN put a letter in stating I was wrong.

Firstly all channels are licensed to the individual operators so WIN TV in the Illawarra will still be either 8 or 80’s.

Southern Cross 10 will still be 5 or 50’s. Southern Cross Ten will change its name to Southern Cross Nine, station unchanged.

The WIN Local News unless changed recently is recorded at their Studios around 5 pm each day and played on air at 7 pm.

This means WIN can slot in this news at a popular time with viewers.

I have been a loyal viewer since WIN began. My change will be I will swap over to Prime for their Sydney News as this is better quality than Sydney 9.

I will still endeavour to stay with WIN where possible.

Richard Cannan, Warilla

I read a text from mining union officials to contract miners, telling the contract miners to dig in and not accept wage cuts in new contract agreements.

It outlines that contracting companies are cutting margins to win work and as usual blames the employer.

What it fails to point out is that it is the union that are signatory to the enterprise agreements that support the lower rates.

The union can not tell their paid up members one thing and approve of agreements that allow smaller contracting companies to drive the alternate behaviour.

I support a safe, productive mining industry and expect constancy from all involved. With this type of action the union should place themselves in the same category as extreme activists.  

Rolf Schmidt, Towradgi