July 19th, 2025Just sayin’…

It was heart breaking to talk to some of the people involved in our home care story on pages 6 & 7.
Usually, as a journo, you try to offer a few words of comfort but in the case of the 92-year-old woman being cared for by her daughters so she can die at home, I had nothing to say. Just sorry. Sorry you are going through this hell. Might as well be thoughts and prayers.
Under her “package” (sounds like a Christmas present all tied up with string) the woman receives just four hours of respite care for the daughter who lives with her. That’s four hours out of 168 for the week. This is not a nine to five job.
And then there are three bed baths a week – and sometimes when only one carer comes along the daughter must help out. No refunds here. There is also a bit of money left for incontinence products and some sustenance from the Daylesford Hospital.
As one daughter told me, when the money runs out, it runs out. This is real life, not The Block where Scotty can always magically find another $5000 for a spendthrift contestant. At one stage they had to move their mum into Hepburn House for a couple of weeks so they could save on all those respite hours and bedbaths, and get a little nest egg started again. Is this really how we treat our elderly?
Oddly, they once received 16 hours’ respite and shopping and housecleaning. Assessed for higher needs, the services dropped. Go figure that one.
Less drastic but still hopeless, is the 86-year-old bloke who just wants to stay in his house and would like a safety rail for some steep steps. The occupational therapist says yes but the budget says no. Bit of gardening help? Sorry, already 1000 waiting ahead of you in the queue. If we help 100 a year we can get to you in 10 years. Luckily he’s a sprightly guy and probably will make it.
(The only good story was another bloke who had a Gold Card for being a veteran. I have always counselled people away from the armed forces, just seems like a poor choice at times, but I would now tell them to join up. Although I think you need to do overseas service – but that might be OK until we get involved in another war.)
No one I wanted to talk to wished to be named. Fair enough. You never know the backlash. And I reached out to all the care agencies involved along with Ageing Australia and the Australia Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. As of Saturday, all had returned my emails and calls, except the national peak body for aged care, Ageing Australia. Hmmm.
There are also a lot of other stories, some sad, some ridiculous, which are never published but true none-the-less. A personal story from the latter category is when my mum fell and hurt her spine. Not so much at-home care but temporary care.
She had to wear a back and neck brace for six weeks and we got her a spot in the nursing home just over the road from her retirement village unit. How lucky, we thought, until we arrived and there was just a bed in the room. I asked about a chair, for her or for visitors, and was told that was not available. Then I enquired about a television – six weeks is a long time to just sit. Again, no go.
So Kyle being Kyle, marched across the road and came back carrying a huge lounge chair from her home. And then went back again for a television and stand. All sorted. But as the above daughter pondered, what do people without children, and fairly able ones at that, do?
I know of another woman who moved into aged care after being on a home care package for a short time. Her daughter asked what happened to the leftover money and was told it went back into the general coffers. She called bullshit and was able to use the money for things her mum needed in aged care. Why do we always have to fight for our rights? And what if you don’t know how to fight, or don’t have someone to advocate on your behalf?
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing says: “Aged care is the support provided to older people who need help in their own home or who can no longer live at home. It can include: help with everyday living; assistive equipment and home modifications; personal care and health care; and accommodation. Aged care can help you to: stay connected to your community; be more independent; take care of your health and safety; and meet your cultural and social needs.”
I also call bullshit. It’s not about care and support, staying connected, being independent. It’s about money.
If you ever want a read, Google the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Read fun things like: “Discovering the extent of substandard care in any human service should be quite straightforward. In Australia’s aged care system, it is exceedingly difficult. Those who run the system do not seem to know about the nature and extent of substandard care, and have made limited attempts to find out. “
I just turned 60 and was OK with getting older and being more carefree. Not so sure now. Just sayin’…