As aged care reforms lag behind rising demand, advocates warn that urgent action is needed to protect seniors’ dignity, health, and ability to age safely at home.
Many older Australians who want to age in their own homes are facing distressingly long wait times for government-supported home care packages.
In one case, a 93-year-old woman was approved for the highest-level home care package but told it could take six to nine months before services arrived.
“Well, that’s not much use to me because I’m going to be dead by then,” she told ABC News – tragically, within a few months she was. Her story underscores a growing crisis: seniors in need of help now often wait months or even years for essential in-home support, with some dying before help comes.