"Use it or lose it" may become the new mantra for anyone getting government-subsidised home care help. A shortage of home care packages and overstretched home support services means thousands of people are going without services, including cleaning or help with a daily shower.

The home care package program provides funding for a coordinated package of care and services to meet people's individual needs. There is no mechanism for identifying surplus funds from people who aren’t using all their allocation, or those who are on a higher package than they need and redistributing those funds to people in need. But it is an obvious solution to a growing problem.