Australia’s elderly robbed of in-home care by simple rule change

A change to in-home aged care was supposed to see Australia’s most vulnerable looked after— instead, their fees have doubled, meaning some can’t get out of bed or afford to a shower each day.

Almost 200,000 senior citizens have been effectively robbed of in-home care by changes that were supposed to make things better.

These are seniors who can’t look after themselves but don’t want to go into full-time care.

For many of them, like 72-year-old Kerry Keelan from Port Macquarie, it means she can literally no longer afford to get out of bed.

It was triggered when the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) award last month increased the minimum shift time for casual and part-time care workers from one hour to two hours.

The Fair Work Commission suggested home care ­providers should try to roster staff so they can see two or more patients within that two-hour shift.

Port Macquarie local Kerry Keelan, 72

is now unable to afford the care she needs. Picture: Supplied.

In practice, however, most providers are now simply charging their elderly clients for two hours, instead of one hour.

As a result, many of Australia’s most vulnerable citizens are no longer able to afford home care, while many cannot afford to go into residential aged care.

Ms Keelan lives with spinal degeneration and is wheelchair-bound.

Previously two nurses would come to her house for one hour in the morning and another hour in the evening to hoist her in and out of bed, make her meals and support her around the house.

To pay for this, she is on the highest government-funded home care package of about $53,000 a year.

But, with two-hour minimum shifts, her package will not even cover enough care for three days.

The rest would need to come out of her pension – an amount she cannot afford.

Ms Keelan with family members Rachel Keelan-Slightv and Veronica Keelan-Slight.

“Mum’s got all her faculties, she’s not old enough to be in a nursing home,” said her daughter Rachel Keelan-Slight, who helps with her care.

“There aren’t places in the nursing homes, you’ve got to wait … I have absolutely no idea what we’re going to do.”

Ms Keelan-Slight juggles caring for her mother with working full-time. She feels helpless to assist with the new changes.

“I’m a single mother trying to put one kid through uni and I’ve got another daughter doing her HSC,” she said.

“I’ve used up all my holiday and sick leave, I’ve got nothing left.”

Maureen Collins lives independently in an over-50s village in Albury. The 77-year-old has severe rheumatoid arthritis and cannot use her hands or feet.

Previously a nurse would visit her for 30 minutes to an hour in the morning to help her shower and make food.

After her provider, Community Interlink, increased fees by more than 30 per cent, Ms Collins can no longer afford to even have one shower a day.

Maureen Collins finds it difficult to move from her chair.

She is also limited to having only seven meals prepared for her during the week.

According to the Aged Care Department, providers are not allowed to change service delivery or prices unless the care recipient agrees to it.

Ms Collins said her provider came to her home with a new service agreement and she felt pressured to sign it. She did not read the agreement. And she claims Community Interlink did not give her a copy, as is required.

“The only question I asked was: ‘Have your fees gone up?’ and they said: ‘No’,” she said.

Julie Hailey has been commissioned to help with Ms Collins’s care. Due to staffing shortages in the industry, her services are in high demand.

Ms Hailey said she is frustrated those with home care packages are going to lose out.

“Everyone deserves to have a shower a day,” she said.

“I feel like some people that are managing their claims seem to be getting paid a lot more out of the kitty … I’ve heard of (providers) getting over $100 an hour just for setting up the plan.”

Without a nurse Maureen cannot use her hands without scratching and bruising herself.

Ms Collins’s situation is not unique, with many people in home care allegedly facing pressure to sign new agreements.

Peak advocacy body Older Person’s Advocacy Network (OPAN) chief executive Craig Gear said they have been receiving multiple complaints of this nature.

“What providers are often telling people is: ‘Just accept the fact that we are going to change your care. Either the hours we’re going to deliver or the amount we’re going to charge you’,” he said.

“In one particularly troubling case, the service provider suggested their care recipient take a reverse mortgage to meet the shortfall costs, this is obviously not acceptable.”

While the award changes have left older Australians vulnerable, they were put into place as part of the recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission to improve conditions for care workers in the sector.

Aged and Community Services chief executive Paul ­Sadler said that while a longer period of work is a positive thing for employees, issues occur when providers can’t roster multiple clients within the two hour period.

The interim report of the Aged Care Royal Commission raised serious concerns.

“The cost of the service to the consumer might go from a one hour to a two hour cost, even though the care is still only taking one hour,” he said.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells acknowledged that fee hikes were an issue and said the government is looking at legislation to introduce fee caps. She feels the award change is still necessary.

“The changes will help ­attract more workers to or back to aged care at a time when we urgently need thousands more,” she said.

“To make these changes work, some providers will need to adjust how they operate their business ... these changes do not mean every client should be charged for two hours of care they don’t need.”

Though the changes are well meaning, Ms Collins fears she is out of options.

Maureen Collins is at a loss on how to get her care needs met.

“I am so frustrated with all the costings, I might as well throw my hands up in the air and go to the hospital,” she said. “What am I going to do? If I have to go to town for a doctor’s appointment, I’ve got to pay for two hours and at those prices.”

Since the award change, Ms Collins has cancelled multiple appointments, including one with her heart specialist as she cannot afford the travel.

This has put her health at ­serious risk.

Ms Keelan describes herself as an extrovert, yet at the prices she cannot ­afford to hire help to leave the house.

As a result she gets no ­social interaction other than the nurses and family.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare lists social isolation as one of the most significant threats to the health of older Australians.

To help with the added ­expense of her mother’s care, Ms Keelan-Slight has started a GoFundMe. “I think the award needs to go up but they didn’t consider what’s going to happen to the people.”

Community Interlink was contacted for comment.

Are you affected? tell us: [e-mail] support: Aged Care Safety Commission on 1800 951 822 or OPAN on 1800 700 600