In-home nursing care clients fear they’ll be overlooked

An in-home care recipient fears she and others like her will be overlooked in the wash-up of the aged-care royal commission.

Margot Harker, who gave evidence to the aged care royal commission, in Canberra on Thursday. Picture: Kym Smith

Aged-care recipient Margot Harker has plenty of faith in the royal commission’s ability to chart a better path for older Australians, but little faith in the capacity of governments to deliver it.

Having given evidence to the commission in March, Ms Harker agrees that the provision of aged care, in particular the in-home care she receives in her Canberra residence to support her needs following a stroke eight years ago, needs a fundamental shake-up.

“I am quite hopeful about the royal commission’s work, and believe it will come up with some quite radical changes, both macro and micro, for aged care in this country,” she told The Australian. “But it is a separate question about what the government does about it. I don’t believe I will live long enough to see any change. I have maybe a good eight to 10 years left, and I don’t have any hopes for substantial change.”

Ms Harker was 64 when she suffered a stroke in 2011, putting her on the cusp of care both in the NDIS system and in aged care. She ended up in aged care, and now says both systems have significant issues.

Despite her physical limitations, Ms Harker has continued to be a strong advocate for those receiving in-home care. “The carers need so much more training than they currently receive to deliver the support people like me need,” she said. “And there needs to be a massive injection of funding into the sector.”

Ms Harker fears any government reform and additional funding will favour residential aged care, which has been under a heavy spotlight at the commission after video footage collected by families recorded abusive behaviour by some carers of residents.

“It worries me that people think aged care is just about the institutions. But, of course, there are lots of people like me isolated in their homes receiving aged care, only that doesn’t generate the shock-horror value,” she said.

“I fear home care won’t get the same priority when it comes to change, because the government will go for the big shiny bauble of residential aged care.”