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

When will this government hear the voices of older Australians who are waiting for care at home, the voices of the 105,000 older Australians who are waiting for care at home, the voices of older Australians such as Enid and Warren who have come to my office for help this week? Enid is 94 and is vision impaired. She looks after her husband, Warren, who is 97 and is living with dementia. As Warren's illness progresses, Enid is finding it harder and harder to care for him, cook for him, meet his personal care needs and keep him safe at home. Enid and Warren receive some care at home, but it's not enough. In April last year they were approved for higher, level 3 care. They are still waiting. For 16 months they have been waiting for this care at home. They have continued to contact My Aged Care and their care provider, but to no avail. Enid called my office this week out of desperation. They don't want to bother anyone; they just need help and they need it now.

Enid knew my late father, Grant, who passed away this year after living with younger onset dementia for more than five years. They had met at Catholic Healthcare's Warnervale Wellness Centre, eaten sandwiches and talked politics. When Enid asked for my help this week she said it was because she couldn't do it anymore. To make matters worse, Warren had said to her: 'I don't know why you were even bothering to call. We'll be dead before the package comes through.' Their desperation is heartbreaking; their need is real. My office contacted My Aged Care only to learn that Enid and Warren were not even on a high-priority list for home care. They were considered medium priority. They have been waiting for 16 months, Warren is 97 and living with dementia, and they are not considered a high priority. My Aged Care staff have now requested a new assessment of their needs in the hope Enid and Warren can be escalated to a high-priority list—another assessment, another list, another wait.

Enid and Warren are not alone. As I said, they are two of the 105,000 older Australians who are waiting for home care. Seven hundred and fifty people who are waiting live on the Central Coast in my electorate. Many are living with the dementia that my dad lived with. Enid and Warren are two people who matter. This couple illustrates the state of home care in Australia and the failure of this government to do anything about it. It promised great things in the budget but delivered not a single cent more for aged care. It released 14,000 new home care packages over three years, but the waiting list grew by 20,000 in six months. That won't keep up with demand, let alone the wait list—a wait list of 105,000 older Australians just like Enid and Warren. What's worse is that the government has robbed residential aged care to pay for home care, and the cuts in residential care have begun, with job losses for aged-care workers in my community.

Last month I welcomed Labor's Medicare taskforce chair, the member for Newcastle, and deputy chair, the member for Macarthur, to my electorate of Dobell, where we held a roundtable to discuss aged care. We heard from older Australians about their fears and from carers about their struggles, from staff about their working conditions and from providers about their challenges to do more with less. In the morning we visited an aged-care facility where the University of Newcastle operates their 'Senior Smiles' program to look after the oral health of residents and where a children's playgroup meets each week. In the afternoon we heard that another aged-care facility was shedding the equivalent of 10 full-time staff, affecting cleaning, recreation and physiotherapy services. This is the reality for aged care in our community—aged-care facilities partnering with others to provide important services for their residents and cutting staff to make ends meet.

In residential aged-care facilities, in home care and in respite care there are hardworking, caring staff doing their best every day for older Australians. From everyone there is a commitment to quality care for older Australians. From everyone there is a concern that quality care is becoming harder to deliver. They are being let down by this government, which is failing older Australians. It is not sufficient for the government to claim record spending on aged care. That is only due to population growth. That spending is not in line with demand and need.

The government must immediately release more home-care packages and stop the cuts to residential aged care so that older Australians such as Enid and Warren, who have reached out to me this week, can have the care they need and deserve. I note that the minister is in the House at the moment. I implore you, Minister: Enid and Warren—they are 94 and 97; one is visually impaired and one is living with dementia—are waiting for another assessment to be escalated to become high priority. They've been waiting since April of last year for more in-home care. They need it now. It's urgent. I implore you: please act to help people across Australia like Enid and Warren.