Anika Wells, the former Minister for Aged Care, said, "Our new Aged Care Act puts the rights of older people front and centre. The new act includes an enforceable Statement of Rights."
The new Act has not improved people's rights to aged care.
In fact, with just over three months to go to Support at Home, people’s rights to aged care are getting far less every day, and it will get worse.
Minister for Health and Ageing, Disability and NDIS, Mark Butler (pictured right), said this in Adelaide this week, “Pretty much every aged care facility that I visit in Adelaide and in every other city across the country is full because there was just not enough investment over the last several years.
“That's a problem now, but it's going to become a bigger problem over the coming three to five years, given the ageing of the baby boomer generation. The oldest baby boomer is about to start to hit the average age of entry to aged care facilities and we just don't have enough beds.”
Having paid taxes all their lives, should it not be a right to have a bed in aged care if needed?
The government’s preferred policy is for people to be cared for in their home. Last Tuesday, Caroline Egan wrote seniors are being told they will have to wait up to nine months to be assessed for Government-funded aged care services. Now, three months late, the government has released the Home Care Package waiting figures – 88,000 seniors are now waiting for a package and the figure is actually higher due to the delay in assessments.
This is a clear breach of the government’s own statement of rights.
Today, Caroline reports the backlog of assessments has become so great, Single Assessment System organisations are instructing assessors, including clinical assessors, to conduct all assessments via Telehealth. But My Aged Care states: "Assessments are done in person, at your own home."
Now the government has introduced a 60% interim funding plan.
As Sarah Newman (left), Chief Operating Officer Home Care at BaptistCare tells us, “A future model that again builds in this underfunded approach is not in line with the Rights-based promises of the New Aged Care Act.
"If a highly trained professional assesses that an 85-year-old living with multiple comorbidities requires a certain amount of funding to enable her to shower four times per week, have nutritious meals provided daily, receive physio support fortnightly, weekly house cleaning and attend a weekly social group, 60% of this does not meet her needs.”
The “Rights-based” aged care system will continue to be heavily rationed, totally at odds with the royal commission’s recommendations.
What is being promised by government and what is reality is totally different.
In November 2024, 86-year-old South Australian Cyril Tooze (pictured), who was terminally ill, was initially given a nine-month wait time to receive home care support, despite needing and meeting the highest needs. The wait time was extended further and after a lengthy stay in hospital following a fall at home, Cyril applied to end his life under South Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Scheme.
What rights did Cyril have? There will be more cases like Cyril Tooze.
