As we begin 2026, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the dedicated staff in aged care, home care, and hospitals, as well as the volunteers who supported the community over the festive period. Your commitment makes a profound difference in the lives of others at a time of year that can be difficult for many.
However, as we look to the year ahead, gratitude must be matched by action. While our frontline workers continue to show up, the federal government remains disappointingly silent on the urgent aged care funding concerns raised by families and advocates. While other nations with more rapidly ageing populations are leading the way in innovation, Australia – once a pioneer in this space – is lagging behind.
The demand for aged care didn’t take a holiday over Christmas. People are continuing to live in hospitals waiting for residential aged care, desperate to move into a permanent home after living there sometimes for 12 months. Others are at home waiting for a residential place – often living with their children – many in their 70s. And others are in the long queue waiting for home care assessment and then funding to enable them to stay home, alleviating pressure on hospitals and residential aged care.
This crisis is especially acute for full pensioners with limited assets. When transitioning to residential care, these people rely on government support to help fund their aged care place, whilst they contribute 85 per cent of their pension toward their care. In metro Brisbane, finding a “fully supported” place is now nearly impossible. Based on the number of these people we are currently assisting, we could fill an entire aged care home tomorrow if these beds were available.
It is heartening to see new residential aged care homes being built in Brisbane, but the question remains: how many of these beds will be offered as “fully supported” to assist those most vulnerable?
With Queensland’s over-65 population set to nearly double to 1.7 million by 2053, our current growth in residential places is nowhere near enough. Australia needs urgent, innovative affordable aged care to ensure our seniors can live with care and dignity where they choose.
Julia McCarthy is owner of Choices to Age at Home with more than 30 years’ experience in the business and aged care industries.
