Aged care has an ageism problem, and it’s not just about residents.
The Australian Government’s 2024 Aged Care Worker Survey found 87% of respondents were female, with an average age of 47. Most respondents were personal or home care workers and assistants.
For providers, that makes the way older workers are recruited, supported and retained a workforce issue – not simply a question of workplace culture.
Beverly Baker, Appointed Advisor and Public Officer at the Older Women’s Network NSW, says ageism can show up in both obvious and subtle ways.
Ageism of older Australians is prevalent in our society and is the one form of discrimination that is seen as acceptable,” Baker says.
That can mean being passed over for promotion, having experience dismissed or being told an organisation is looking to attract a younger demographic.
It can also influence how older women present themselves at work.
“Women dye their hair, don’t mention their age on their CVs, hide anything that may be seen as an age-related condition,” Baker says.
The assumptions that follow older workers
Baker says one of the most common assumptions about older women in the workplace is that they can’t keep up with technology or adapt to change.
“The most common assumption is that they are technically illiterate,” she says. “The next is that it is hard for them to take on new information or structures, that they are slower to adapt or adopt change and that they aren’t really a valuable part of a team.”
Recent research from the Diversity Council Australia and Australian Human Rights Commission found older women are also receiving less access to career development and mentoring than other groups.
Only 41% of older women surveyed had opportunities to participate in career development, while just 13% had access to mentors.
For aged care leaders, it’s time to question whether assumptions about age influence recruitment, training, promotion, or retention decisions.
When the worker is seen as needing care
Baker says ageism can take on a particularly problematic form when older people apply to work in aged care.
“When an older person applies for work as a carer they are in danger of being seen as needing care themselves,” she says.
“They can be seen as too weak to be able to work with clients, even though they may have just come out of a caring family member role.”
She sees a similar assumption operating on the other side of the care relationship.
Baker says service providers can view older clients through a lens of being “weak, vulnerable, lacking in capacity”, rather than recognising their individual preferences, capabilities and right to make decisions.
That can influence everything from training and workplace culture to how dignity of risk and supported decision-making are approached.
“All older people are not the same. They have lived many and varied lives,” Baker says.
For providers, that raises a practical question: are the assumptions shaping workforce decisions also shaping the way care is delivered?
What providers lose
Overlooking older workers also means losing experience.
“These companies lose out on so much,” Baker says. “Not just the corporate history, the understanding of what has been tried and why it might have failed.”
She also points to the value older workers can bring to younger colleagues through mentoring and lived experience.
For a sector focused on attracting and retaining workers, that experience is a workforce asset.
What leaders can change
Baker says aged care leaders need to treat older workers as workers first, rather than making assumptions about their capability based on age.
That includes involving older workers in management decisions about their work and recognising their experience when addressing workplace challenges.
With an ageing workforce, Baker also says occupational health and safety need to remain front and centre, alongside appropriate support for workers dealing with difficult situations.
She suggests a buddy system could give workers a way to identify challenging client situations and avoid facing them unsupported.
Just as importantly, workers need to know they can raise concerns without fear of reprisal.
A genuinely age-inclusive workplace, Baker says, is one where people are happy to come to work, staff turnover is low, and staff and client satisfaction are high.
For aged care leaders, the starting point is to assess capability, not age. The same principle applies to the people receiving care.
