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Julie Cross, Courier Mail 13-02-26
Almost 5000 older people died waiting for appropriate aged care support at home in a year, new data has revealed.
And in an illustration of just how hard it is for elderly Australians to get the help they need, a 99-year-old couple was told they will have to wait up to 12 months for new package funding to come through.
Frank and Valma’s plight was highlighted by National Party Senator Bridget McKenzie at a Senate Estimates committee on Wednesday.
She said the Victorian couple had been assessed as needing an upgrade to their aged care package, but had been told they will have to wait up to a year to receive the extra funding, by which time they will both have turned 100 years old.
Sen McKenzie told The Courier-Mail “the system was failing”.
“We all pay our taxes and expect to have an aged care system that means a couple like Frank and Valma can age in their home safely,” Sen McKenzie said. “And it is clear from the evidence to Senate estimates today that that is not the case.”
The committee heard from Department of Health, Disability and Ageing staff that Frank and Valma were not classed as a priority, because they did not fall into one of six categories, which include being at risk of homelessness, having cognitive issues, living alone, or being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.
“If Frank and Valma were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, they would get the home care package prioritised,” Sen McKenzie said. “The minister needs to respond to this case and make sure that Frank and Valma aren’t waiting until they’re 100.”
A further question from Sen McKenzie revealed that in the financial year 2024-2025, 4812 older people died while waiting for the appropriate care they had been assessed as needing.
Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Anne Ruston drilled the Department on wait numbers since the new aged care reforms came into play on November 1.
The Community Affairs Legislation Committee heard that on December 31 there were 131,366 Australians waiting for their approved home care package. Of those 36,403 were already receiving 60 per cent of the funding they were entitled to, while 94,463 were waiting with no funding at all.
It was also confirmed that the average wait time had grown to nine months, just to receive 60 per cent of their funding.
Senator Ruston said if you add on the 103,527 people waiting for aged care support, there were a total of 234,893 waiting for aged care support on December 31.
“These latest figures show the Albanese government has made absolutely no progress in fixing the aged care crisis it has created, with the home care waiting list continuing to surge,” Senator Ruston said.
Meanwhile, concerns were also raised about the relevancy of the Star Ratings created to help older people choose a home. Sen Ruston asked why the Disability SA facility at Northgate, in Adelaide, which in a surprise audit was found to be restraining dementia residents, still had 5 stars for compliance.
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