Older people are not the problem: advocate calls for safe, respectful hospital care

Craig Gear, CEO of the Older Person’s Advocacy Network (OPAN), pushes back at the recent media coverage, perceptions, and language, about older people in hospital.

Published: 1 September 2025
  • National
  • 1 September 2025
  • The Health Advocate

‘Commonly used terms such as 'bed block’ and 'long-stay patients' give the impression older people are clogging up the health care system and/or using it inappropriately.'

'Access to a hospital bed should be predicated on a person’s clinical need – not their age bracket. Older people have a right to high quality, safe, respectful care in all settings,' he says in the latest issue of The Health Advocate.