By Dr Sarah Russell
AFTER the heart-breaking revelations of the Aged Care Royal Commission, many of us hoped stories of neglect and poor treatment of older people were behind us. Not so on the Mornington Peninsula, thanks to our council leaving aged care.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council stopped providing aged care services in 2022 because of changes in the way the Federal Government funded aged care. Thousands of vulnerable older people were left without home care – some for several months. Then mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said the council wanted “to ensure our residents had a choice and the advantage of a competitive market environment”. A choice? What sort of choice was it to leave some of our most vulnerable residents without care?
In the past, when an older person needed assistance to live at home, GPs and the council were the first port of call. Now older people begin their ‘aged care journey’ either by phoning My Aged Care or, if they are computer literate, visiting its website.
The aged care system is now so complex that the government has employed Care Finders to help older people and their families ‘navigate’ it. Aged care wasn’t complex when local councils delivered services to older people in their home. As a recent study by Flinders residents showed, many older people are both unaware of their entitlements and also how to access them.
I was recently asked to advocate for Susan*, who lives alone on the Peninsula with no family on hand to offer support. Susan is an example of someone who has fallen through the cracks and is now at serious risk. Susan had been assessed by Peninsula Health’s Cognitive, Dementia and Memory Service twice, in April and August 2022. On both occasions, she saw a professor who wrote a detailed letter to Susan’s GP. Whose responsibility was it to follow up the suggestions in the letter? Her GP? Her neighbours? Her friends? With no family living on the Mornington Peninsula, and no one nominated as her power of attorney, there was no follow-up.
In March 2023, a friend became increasingly concerned about Susan’s safety at home. She made an appointment for Susan to see her GP. The GP gave Susan a piece of paper with the following list of actions she needed to take.
- Call CDAMS
- Call ACAS assessment
- Webster pack
- Chase MPOA
Susan did not know what the acronyms meant (who would?). Again, no one followed up the “to do list”.
It is likely that there are many other older people on the Mornington Peninsula in Susan’s situation – living alone with significant cognitive impairment. Now that our council no longer provides aged care services, who is helping them access the support they need?
In July 2024, Susan’s GP requested a comprehensive assessment via My Aged Care. In December 2024, Susan mistakenly received a regional assessment. According to those working in the sector, My Aged Care often makes this mistake. Comprehensive assessments need to be undertaken by staff who are clinically qualified. Regional assessments, on the other hand, do not require staff with a tertiary degree.
Susan’s regional assessment was undertaken by APM, one of four private companies operating on the Mornington Peninsula. Susan’s assessment was riddled with errors, some quite serious. Her assessor claimed she was driving, doing her own shopping and able to prepare meals. None of these claims were correct, and made a significant difference to the amount of home help support Susan should have been offered.
However, even if Susan was eligible for services, the private providers on the Mornington Peninsula may not have been able to provide them. According to a case manager, private providers on the Mornington Peninsula who received funding via Commonwealth Home Support Program have no capacity. She said: “I called every provider last Friday and no one has capacity for any Commonwealth Home Support Program services. This has been the case for approximately eight months”.
When I raised concerns about the errors in Susan’s assessment with the Minister for Aged Care, I received the following response from the Department of Health and Ageing: “I would like to assure you that the Australian Government is committed to creating a better experience for older people in Australia seeking aged care services.”
In the past, our taxes funded councils to undertake regional assessments and provide aged care services under the Commonwealth Home Support Program. Our Council’s services were in the main excellent and much appreciated by recipients. Older residents and their families appreciated having a highly trained and fairly remunerated Council employee provide aged care services. They also knew they were not being ripped off by a private provider that prioritised profits over care.
Now our taxes are given to large private companies to undertake private assessments, and then private companies to deliver the services. Has this created “a better experience for older people in Australia seeking aged care services”? For older people living on the Mornington Peninsula, the answer is a resounding “No”.
Dr Sarah Russell is Director, Aged Care Matters
First published in the Mornington News – 25 February 2025
*Not her real name
