the Aged Care Today magazine featured articles

The date 1 November 2025 will be one to remember – a milestone that should make each one of us extremely proud for what we have achieved, but also one which provides a cautionary tale. It should remind us how far we’ve come and how much we can do when we work together. However, reform doesn’t end with the passage of an Act, as the many challenges we still face show. There is more to do. As the technical and operational aspects of implementation continue to be teased out, we must look beyond the legislation to focus on what comes next.

For Ageing Australia, supporting our members through this period remains paramount. We’ve established a Transition Response Team dedicated to helping members navigate this next phase – answering questions, sharing practical strategies and identifying early challenges. The team is collecting insights and evidence so we can resolve emerging issues quickly and collaboratively with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Services Australia or the Commission. Working together in this manner remains the most effective way to resolve problems and find solutions that make a difference.

Together, we’ve proven what’s possible – turning countless hours of calls, meetings, forums, media articles and appearances, summits and reports into meaningful outcomes for providers and, importantly, older Australians. The new legislation is testament to what we can achieve when we work collectively. However, the legislation is only step one in a much longer journey, as evidenced by the substantial problems our sector still faces.

If we focus only on implementation, on ironing out the creases, we risk missing the bigger picture. This is the moment to lift our gaze onto the bigger issues affecting our sector and older people – to think about the future and how we continue to build trust and strengthen the reputation of our sector.

Recently, I wrote an opinion piece for The Australian, about the increasing numbers of older people facing longer-than-needed hospital stays in the state health systems. The figure often quoted, of long-stay older patients in public hospitals, is 2,500 across Australia. That’s a heartbreaking statistic. This phenomenon is often referred to as ‘bed blocking’, a term with ageist undertones. Would we use it to refer to younger people with a need for care? In fact, it is a symptom of a set of connected problems.

It is not the fault of older people themselves, as the term ‘bed blocking’ would suggest. No one likes to be in a hospital bed, but to transition out of hospital, people need somewhere appropriate to go – not to mention with the appropriate support. It’s useful to consider that it costs $3,000 per day for an individual to be in hospital, and just $300 a day to support a person in residential aged care.

There are other factors in play, including the complexity of state-federal interactions and the continuing long wait lists to access home care. There are still around 200,000 older people who either have not yet been assessed for home care, or who have been approved for a home care package but are still waiting to receive support. If we can’t provide timely support to people who are not in a hospital environment, how can our current systems activate immediate support for people who need it urgently?

It’s clear home care will have an increasingly important role to play in our community, but it doesn’t mean we stop building residential aged care homes. We can’t rely on stretched residential care services. Yet, we can’t expect that more residential care homes will continue to be built in perpetuity, especially considering it costs between five and seven billion dollars to construct just 10,000 extra beds. As a side note, if we were considering whether to build extra hospitals or schools to meet demand, the response would be different. This is another aspect of ageism we need to address.

We also need to think differently about the kinds of residential homes we build. With an ageing population and rising rates of dementia, we must invest in care environments that truly meet people’s needs – including bespoke dementia units that provide safety, dignity and comfort. Already about 80 per cent of people aged over 85 require some sort of residential care, including respite care or palliative care. Expecting high-needs residents to be supported in generic homes isn’t sustainable – not for them, not for staff, and not for others who share their home.

These are the kinds of conversations we must lead as a sector, and we’ll continue to engage members every step of the way. The commitment of our members – and the wider aged care sector – to keeping the rights and wellbeing of older Australians at the centre of everything we do, is nothing less than extraordinary. Despite the challenges – particularly the changing regulatory environment, increasing financial pressures and ongoing workforce issues – aged care providers continue to exhibit an unwavering dedication to caring for older people with dignity, respect and excellence. Whatever issues we face, I know we can rely on your meaningful input.

As we close this extraordinary year, I want to sincerely thank our members for your contributions, energy and resilience. Seeing so many of you at the Ageing Australia National Conference 2025 was a real highlight. The sense of connection, optimism and collaboration in that room reminded me why our work matters so deeply.

According to much of the feedback I’ve received, this conference was our best one yet, and it could not have happened without the work of our national conference team, led by Susie Tillotson, Head of National Conferences and Special Events. To all our partners, collaborators, sponsors, speakers, exhibitors and participants throughout 2025 – thank you for making it possible.