Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

I received this email just yesterday. I changed the names for privacy reasons and brevity:

[My] [f]ather-in-law (age 93) has a heart condition (triple bypass…), he also has lung problems … and needs a walking frame to get around.

In July 2023 he had seizure and in September 2nd 2023 he was approved for a level 3 My Aged Care package. We were told … the waiting time was 3 to 6 months. We were approved for immediate lawn mowing and gardening but when I rang … I was told that there was none available in this area. After about 5 months I was then told that it was 6 to nine months wait when I rang.

In April 2024 I rang again as my Father-in-law had another fall while in the shower … His doctor said that he should have someone with him whenever he has a shower. I again rang my aged care and was given approval for someone to come in 3 days a week to help with the showering. I contacted the provider they said organised all the paperwork and then didn't hear from them again.

… My Aged care rang early in May … they said that the full package would be available within a month

I rang My Aged Care 28th May as the 9 months was up and was told that the wait is now 12 to 15 months.

During this time he has had several falls. Some of which we had to call the ambulance to get him up.

My wife aged 61 (their Daughter) is their carer …. She has got one frozen shoulder, the other shoulder keeps dislocating, she has Bursitis in both hips and one shoulder and needs to have a knee replacement ….

I have been trying to help her … but I [have had] a double knee replacement, arthritis in most joints and a collapsed vertebrae

….

I was wondering if you could help me find out how we can get some help as I am worried that my wife will end up crippling herself trying to look after her parents.

Yours faithfully

P.S. … about 2.30am this morning he had another fall. Luckily we were able to get him up. We have tried to get a lifter to get him up but cannot find anywhere that we can hire them from and they are too costly to buy. We have been told that we should be able to get one once he has his home care package but that is now another 6 months away.

… we are at the stage where we are not able to get him up and will need to call the ambulance to help get him up when he falls.

My team reached out to this gentleman today. In the intervening day and a half, his father-in-law has been hospitalised. This is just the latest story shared with me. Each one breaks my heart, and what is worse is that, even when I escalate my concerns to the department, to the minister or to the media, we simply do not see any change.

Minister, what modelling has been done on the impact of the 24,100 additional packages promised in this budget on the waiting list for home care, which sat at 51,000 last December and is undoubtedly higher now? What will the impact be on waiting times for home-care packages, noting the level 3 package waiting time has gone from one to three months in February 2023 to now 12 to 15 months in April 2024? Let me repeat that. In February 2023, people were waiting one to three months for a level 3 package; they are now waiting 12 to 15 months for a level 3 package.

Further, based on the waiting list figures for December, how many people does the modelling predict will pass away while they're waiting for a home-care package?

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