Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is our turn to care. Tony and his wife, Sheelagh, migrated to Australia from Liverpool, England, and raised three sons. When Sheelagh suffered a heart attack 17 years ago, Tony stopped work to care for her. A few years later, she was diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia. Tony managed as Sheelagh's health gradually deteriorated, but, when her leg was amputated two years ago, doctors advised that she should move into an aged-care home. The fees and charges were complex and difficult to understand, leaving the family struggling to meet full-fee payments and missing out on a place for Sheelagh in the aged-care home of her choice. Despite the move being caused by the loss of her leg, not dementia, Sheelagh was placed with other dementia patients, many very advanced. She became isolated and lonely. Tony said:

In January last year we celebrated our golden wedding anniversary. I asked my wife what very special present I could give her. She replied, "Tony, please take me home".

So he bought a hospital bed, lifter and commode, modified their home and Sheelagh came home. Tony had applied for in-home care, but the waitlist was long and it was many months before a package was finally approved. After a year Sheelagh's needs were beyond home care, and she moved permanently into an aged care home, but an administrative bungle by the Department of Human Services, which lost her income and asset assessment, meant a delay of 10 weeks and financial strain for Tony. At each step in the process the government failed to provide the support and dignity we expect for Tony and Sheelagh. This system is broken. It needs to be fixed.

Last week the Health Services Union launched their Our Turn to Care campaign in Lake Haven in my electorate. Their survey of aged care workers showed that 58 per cent believed they were unable to provide the care their residents deserved and they wanted to give. Eighty-one per cent blamed short staffing. People like Sheelagh and Tony can't receive the care they deserve until there are enough staff to care for them.

The increasing demand for aged care is driven largely by our ageing population and the increasing prevalence of dementia. Over the next eight years an extra 55,000 aged care workers are needed to keep up with demand. Aged care workers are dedicated, but many burn out due to high workloads and low wages. This, combined with poor resourcing of My Age Care and an alarming lack of in-home services, is hurting older people when they are most at risk. The aged care system should support decent care for older Australians, but as Marta, who came to Australia in 1983 from Chile, told members at the HSU launch last week, 'I love Australia. This is my home, but I didn't think Australia would treat their elderly like this.'