"Aged care in Australia is worse today than it was 10 years ago"
Even Labor MP Fiona Phillips said her office receives emails and calls from older people and their families seeking help with their aged care needs "almost daily".
In the final sitting week of parliament for the year, Independent MP Rebekha Sharkie said the Government's approach to aged care is "clearly failing" older Australians.
"I can stand here and say that aged care in Australia is worse today for older Australians than what it was five years ago and what it was eight to 10 years ago along every single area where older Australians touch into the system," said the South Australian MP.
The Member for Mayo, who wanted residential care providers to publicly report on their finances, has been a long-standing critic of the care of ageing Australians.
Her comments were made in parliament on Monday, as National Party MP Sam Birrell moved a motion about the Government's "failure" to build enough residential aged care beds, saying older Australians were being left "effectively homeless" when they are stranded in hospital unable to access aged care.
Birrell referred to the state health ministers' "serious warnings" about gridlock across public hospital systems.
LNP MP David Batt said the Government is forcing older Australians to remain in hospital beds when they have no medical need to be there, leaving them "effectively homeless".
"The warnings from state health ministers couldn't be clearer," Batt said. "These Labor government failures are blocking hospital beds."
Liberal MP Tom Venning said the situation in hospitals and "stricken" aged care homes is akin to a "ticking time bomb", with costs and demand rising. Venning said their office has put on extra staff just to deal with aged care queries. "It truly is a desperate situation," he said in parliament.
Benning shared the story of one of his constituents, Virginia, whose partner, James, was diagnosed with dementia last year. James has been in Wallaroo hospital, on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, for 10 months because there are no secure memory support units available in that region. James has become violent in his time in hospital and is a flight risk, Police have had to retrieve him from the street four times.
"James is being forgotten, and Virginia is being left behind," Venning said.
Even Labor MP Fiona Phillips said her office receives emails and calls from older people and their families seeking help with their aged care needs "almost daily".
