Minister Wells addresses aged care concerns in breakfast radio interview

With the Federal Election just over three weeks away, the Minister for Sport and Aged Care, Anika Wells, appeared on 4BC Breakfast this morning with Peter Fegan in a rare appearance directly answering listener questions. 

Unfortunately, while the segment was full of praise for Ms Wells’ local chances in the election and the upcoming aged care reforms, some of the answers fell short in addressing the real issues.

The conversation started strong when Mr Fegan shared a question sent in via SMS from an anonymous friend living in residential aged care:

“What’s the plan to support aged care residents and workers given the increasing demand on [sic] the ageing population?”

Ms Wells outlined in response how the Australian Government has delivered the biggest structural aged care reforms — including the new Aged Care Act — in 30 years.

“The key recommendation out of that Royal Commission into Aged Care [Quality and Safety], the draft report was titled ‘Neglect’, was for a whole new Act that’s based around people. The old Act is basically based around ‘How does government departments provide money to providers to do different services for people,” she said.

“The new Act is based around the rights of the person and setting our whole system up for the future. Some of those reforms that have come in already look like 4.8 million [additional] minutes of care for residents of aged care, like your friend, every single day. That is already in place and has been in place for a couple of years.”

Other measures such as the government’s total $17.7 billion investment into increased award wages is another notable sign of support for workers, although Ms Wells did not reference this during her chat. 

She did not refer to any potential measures that could be linked to the election campaign, either. 

Wayne, the segment’s first caller, followed up by explaining how his mother entered residential aged care four years ago and it was a “$325 stump up fee to get in there”. More recently, his mother in law was quoted $750,000 to enter residential care, before the family chose another room costing $540,000. 

He asked Minister Wells why the price of residential care has increased so much over the past three years, and also how the government plans to address bed blockages in hospitals.

NOTE: Based on Wayne’s explanation, the comparison between what is likely a daily accommodation payment (DAP) and potentially a combination of care fees with a refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) makes it difficult to fully assess the change in pricing.

Minister Wells said that there would be a number of different elements that have influenced those contrasting experiences. However, she reaffirmed that pricing should not be a barrier to entering aged care. 

“What we have in place is a strong safety net so that if you can’t afford to pay that, taxpayers will still cover the cost of care for you. There is still a very strong safety net that exists. What we are asking people to do, who can afford to co-contribute to the cost of their care, is to do that,” Minister Wells said.

“The price of the room probably dictates what that room looks like. Some of the rooms that are still around are dual-share, no ensuite, no balcony, cinderblock 1950s rooms. Some of the rooms people have now are level 12, overlooking the Brisbane River, ensuite, very fancy. The price of that room is going to be higher. And that’s your choice, it should be your choice. 

“I’ll agree with you, Wayne, that at the moment we are busting at the seams and there aren’t enough beds and that’s because people in my job haven’t done the work for ten years when we knew this population boom was coming. We’ve now had to hustle five-to-ten years’ worth of reform into two years. We have done that and we hope come July 1 you will see the result.”

The Minister was also wrangled into a discussion about the poor design of the aged care system. 

Derry [sic], explained how he helped an 82-year-old neighbour secure some support at home. Despite a very basic request for gardening and lawnmowing, he said she has been unable to find a home care provider that could deliver this service for three years after being approved for an ‘aged care package’. 

After thanking Derry for helping his friend, Ms Wells highlighted that the aged care system should not have been neglected for so long that individuals have to rely on the goodwill of neighbours, friends and family. 

She then discussed how there has likely been some confusion in what the 82-year-old has been approved for. 

Many critics and supporters of the aged care system have touched on how difficult it is to navigate. In this case, the woman was likely approved for lower-level support through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) while also being eligible for a Home Care Package (HCP). 

“The current aged care system is impenetrable and hard to navigate and it shouldn’t be like that. Often you’re coming into the aged care system at your worst moment: you’ve had a fall, you’re in hospital, or your daughter or your neighbour’s had to step in and help you,” Ms Wells explained.

We need the system to be fairer, clearer to navigate and I truly believe it will be all of those things thanks to the landmark reforms.”

Yet no support was provided to explain the differences or correct terminology during her first assessment. Additionally, limited resources for many CHSP providers contributed to ongoing and unaddressed service delays.  

Ms Wells did not expand on any specific details that could have addressed how the system will become clearer in the future, although it is hopeful that under Support at Home, older people will have a better understanding of what services are available and where they can find them.

The conversation ended with a call from Janice, a carer for her husband. She wanted to know how they could enter retirement living when the time is right despite not holding any Superannuation. 

“We have a very strong safety net and the changes that we’ve made in the new Act, which is coming in on 1 July, is still designed around the fact that we will always cover the cost of your clinical care. You will never have to worry that you’ll never get the clinical care you need whether it’s in your home or in residential aged care because of your financial situation,” Minister Wells responded.

However, when prompted by Ms Fegan to address the specifics of aged care entry — and not paying for care — Ms Wells was unable to specify how someone could enter retirement living without the means.

There may have been some confusion as she instead focused on residential care. Instead, she spruiked the growth in investment and scale for Support at Home. 

“Let’s not gild the lily here, we are short of beds. People are streaming into our aged care system. By 1 July we’ll be at our record number of new home care packages, we’re adding 107,000 home care packages to the system,” she added. 

“The biggest number ever. That will mean we have the most ever in our system at once with 300,000 people. That speaks to the number of people who need more support as they age.”

Unfortunately, Janice was left with insight into how she and her husband could enter retirement living on low means. My Aged Care does offer some financial support and advice, while direct help would be available through an independent aged care consultant or financial advisor.