Support requests from the elderly to deal with issues involving aged care providers have jumped by 20 percent.
A report from the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) showed there were 44,000 cases of advocacy and information support across its national network of advocates in 2023-2024.
OPAN CEO Craig Gear said the 20 percent increase was driven by issues around poor communication and lack of information from providers.
Mr Gear said those two issues topped the list for a second year in a row, with issues around fees and charges also common among the complaints.
“It is disappointing to see that yet again, people are struggling to have clear communication and information from their aged care providers,” he said.
“Our analysis shows day-to-day breaches, suggesting fundamental ageist and ableist beliefs pervade the aged care sector, leaving older people in the dark on important decisions affecting their care.”
Mr Gear said the sector was undergoing complex change and additional oversights were being implemented to address many of these issues.
“But these reforms are slow and older people are telling us we need to move faster.”
He said the new Aged Care Act had the potential to improve many of the issues raised, but the sector remained concerned about the delay in implementation, currently set down for July 1 next year.
Read the full report: Presenting Issues 2023-2024.
