Australia’s aged-care-at-home system fails dying people and carers

Dying Australians who have been approved for government-funded aged care at home are struggling to access essential supports, carers say, with long delays and little control over how money is spent. Emma Nicolle cared for her father, Alan, after he was assessed and granted the highest package in October, with extra funds after a November reassessment.

He died on Wednesday with cancer. Nicolle says she pleaded from late October to have a mechanised bed and wheelchair ordered as her father developed bed sores, but was told of a mandatory waiting period. The sleep electric bed arrived four months after funding was approved and less than two weeks before he died.

She also faced confusion over who should provide clinical care after hospital discharge, and said a computer system repeatedly blocked requests for essential equipment. Other families report similar problems getting clarity on who controls packages and how funds are spent.

Australia

aged care, home care, care packages, carers, mechanised bed, wheelchair, bed sores, funding delays, government funding, hospital discharge