The disgraceful situation facing Aged Care workers and residents in the failing Aged Care system has been highlighted once again in a report today to the Aged Care Royal Commission.

New research shows Australia fares badly when compared internationally, with the highest reported level of residents in care but one of the lowest levels of spending on aged care.

“The research demonstrates what United Workers Union has argued repeatedly: insufficient funding is going towards the people who provide care to Australia’s elderly,” United Workers Union Aged Care Director Carolyn Smith said today.

The Flinders University research for the Aged Care Royal Commission also found overall staffing levels in aged care in Australia was lower than many other countries, stating: “Australia appears to provide lower levels of staffing overall in residential care in comparison to the USA, Denmark, New Zealand, Switzerland and Germany.”

Ms Smith said: “In Australia’s largest survey of aged care workers last year United Workers Union found more than four in five workers always or often did not have the time to do the tasks they are required to do.

“Today’s research shows clearly the Australian government’s neglect of Aged Care – it simply does not spend enough money to employ enough carers to provide quality care.”

The research also raised the impacts of the lack of spending and the lack of carers, citing Canadian research showing over-65s in Australia were experiencing the highest level of emotional distress compared to other countries.

“Scott Morrison has to take personal responsibility for fixing the Aged Care crisis in this year’s Budget,” Ms Smith said.

“When he was Treasurer he cut $2.1 billion from the Aged Care funding, and that must be replaced.

“But Australia’s elderly deserve much more in this year’s Budget than a continuation of underfunding and neglect.”

The Flinders University research provided to the Aged Care commission is available here:
https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/Documents/research-paper-2-review- international-systems-long-term-care.pdf