Abstract:

While many aged in Australia are still medically & economically healthy, sectors of the aged experience extreme disadvantages, which can lead to isolation & loneliness. Long-term Australian residents from non-English-speaking countries & recently arrived elderly immigrants may be so restricted in their language ability that they lack friends, cannot get information on how to use public transportation, & do not possess a driver's license. Their isolation could be improved by an annual trip home to their country of origin, paid for by taxpayers, if need be. Another disadvantaged elderly sector is those without access to a car because of insupportable costs, physical frailty, or the lack of a driver's license. Because of the dependence on cars for transportation in Australia, requirements for licenses for the elderly could be relaxed, possibly limiting them to daylight hours or restricted geographical spaces, so that community safety is not endangered.