Elderly Australians left stranded in hospital waiting for a spot in aged care as spots dwindle

John Martin OAM is 90 and has nowhere to go after his aged care home shuts. He’s one of thousands who are in limbo as waitlists of elderly people needing care explode. See the video.

Elderly people are being left stranded in hospitals for months on end while they wait for a bed in aged care homes.

Around four in 10 wait more than nine months, according to a new report by the Productivity Commission.

The latest data reveals that 438,779 hospital days were lost due to elderly people waiting for a spot in a residential aged care facility in 2022-23.

Queensland’s elderly had the highest number of hospital days used by patients waiting for residential aged care, totalling 163,342, followed by NSW (150,496), South Australia (58,549), Tasmania (11,144), the Northern Territory (7065), and Victoria (4305).

Victoria has the country’s lowest hospital days for aged care patients (4305), thanks to the Transition Care Program which provides nursing, personal care, physiotherapy, and case management services.

For every 1000 people aged 70 plus in 2024, there were 67.5 beds in the aged care sector, compared to 74.2 beds just three years prior.

The Northern Territory and Tasmania have the lowest rates, at 47.6 and 58.9 beds per 1000 people, respectively, followed by Queensland (65.1), NSW (68.7), South Australia (69.2), and Victoria (71.5).

Former Singleton mayor John Martin OAM is among thousands of elderly Australians caught in the growing aged care crisis.

Alison Horn with her uncle, John Martin, who was told he needs to find somewhere else to live.

The 90 year old, who has called the NSW town his home for decades, now faces an uncertain future as Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility prepares to shut its doors at the end of March.

Management claims the small home of 44 beds is unviable in this market and that only facilities with 100 to 120 beds or more can survive.

Since 2021, 103 aged care homes in Australia have closed and 85 have opened, although since June 2022 the number of aged care beds overall has increased by 3842. However, estimates from the Productivity Commission reports suggest it has not increased in line with Australia’s ageing population.

The sudden closure of the Mercy home has blindsided residents and their families, leaving many scrambling for options.

“I’m worried about where I’ll go,” Mr Martin said. “At the moment, it looks like we might have to move out of town, and I don’t want that to happen. Singleton is my home.”

Dr Tuan Au, a local GP, said the situation in Singleton was dire. He has 10 elderly patients in the local hospital waiting for an aged care place, with one waiting more than six months so far.

“One of my patients had to go to a nursing home in Newcastle, an hour’s drive away,” Dr Au said. “The homes are full, the hospital is full, we cannot take anybody else.”

Dr Tuan Au says the situation in Singleton is dire. Picture: Supplied

He said the community was angry at the turn of events, especially as it helped to pay for the building of the home, and had given donations for programs.

Chairman of the board overseeing Mercy Aged Care, Charles Reis, said the facility had been financially unviable for many years, relying on $5 million in subsidies from other parts of the not-for-profit.

He said on top of that the outdated building — where residents shared bathrooms — required a complete renovation to meet modern standards, which they couldn’t afford.

“We looked at every possible option to avoid closing the facility, but it has not been viable for a very, very long time,” Mr Reis said.

A Government spokesman said the Commonwealth had provided $610.4 million to state initiatives to get older Australians out of public hospital beds and into aged care.

Originally published as Elderly Australians left stranded in hospital waiting for a spot in aged care as spots dwindle