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The negligence is staggering’: elderly and dying Australians left waiting for urgent aged care
Dying Australians approved for government-funded aged care home support are struggling to access it, with carers describing a system plagued by delays and lack of control around how funding is spent.
The accounts of carers and aged care assessors spoken to by Guardian Australia show that beyond the controversial, algorithm-driven assessment process for home care funding, many are left without adequate and timely support even after funding has been approved.
Emma Nicolle was caring for her dad, Alan, in his Canberra home for several months until he died on Wednesday with cancer. She said “the negligence is staggering”.
“My dad was clearly dying, so the need was urgent and acute,” Nicolle said.
“From late October I was begging Aged Care at Home to allow me to order the mechanised bed and wheelchair Dad desperately needed, as he was developing bed sores due to the unsuitable bed and chairs he had no choice [but] to use.
“He couldn’t shower without the modifications to his bathroom, and getting him in and out of bed, on and off the toilet, and into the car for hospital trips was exhausting, painful and inhumane for both of us.”
But Nicolle was told there was a mandatory waiting period to spend any budget on certain items.
Four months after funding was approved, a mechanised bed was delivered. Alan died less than two weeks later.
Moving her father in and out of bed has left her with injuries. “I have herniated discs myself so this has destroyed my health and caused Dad and I intolerable pain, discomfort, grief and shame.”
Source: The Guardian, 28 February 2026