Imagine being unable to speak or eat, desperately needing care after a grueling battle with cancer, only to be told you’ll have to wait months—possibly too late. This is the stark reality for many older Australians caught in a system that’s failing them. But here’s where it gets even more heartbreaking: Peter O’Shannessy, a 74-year-old throat cancer survivor, was approved for a level-three home care package—a lifeline that promised a recliner, a suction machine, and a personal carer. Yet, his family was thrust into a national queue of over 121,000 people, facing a wait of seven to nine months. By the time the cancer returned, Peter was terminal, and the system’s delays became a matter of life and death.
Peter’s daughter, Eloise Randall, recounts the agonizing wait: ‘Dad’s needs were increasing by the moment. We needed personal care, we needed nursing.’ Despite desperate pleas, the reassessment for urgent care was scheduled eight weeks out—a delay that proved fatal. Peter passed away just four weeks before his appointment, leaving his family shattered. ‘He spent his last weeks feeling like he was drowning,’ Eloise shared, her voice trembling with grief. ‘My mum was burnt out, caring for him alone with no support.’
And this is the part most people miss: The aged care assessment system, once managed by state-based Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT), was partially privatized in December 2022 at a cost of over $1.2 billion. Companies like Aspire4Life, a not-for-profit, were contracted to handle assessments. But the transition has been plagued by delays, with over 116,000 people now waiting for assessments nationwide. Aspire4Life, while investing in meeting demand, couldn’t comment on Peter’s case due to government contracts, highlighting the system’s opacity.
Families are at their breaking point. Coral Wilkinson, a former ACAT assessor in Cairns, now helps families navigate this bureaucratic maze. ‘People are desperate,’ she says. ‘Some wait nine or 10 months, ending up in hospitals or nursing homes because they can’t get support at home.’ She believes the Department of Health and new assessment companies were ill-prepared, lacking the expertise to handle complex cases.
Here’s the controversial twist: The government claims median wait times are just 23 days, but former clinical assessor Janine Mason paints a different picture. She quit a private assessment company after feeling pressured to rush assessments, calling the process ‘dehumanized.’ Worse, she reveals a practice where elderly individuals are dropped from waiting lists if they don’t respond to three phone calls—often without their knowledge. While her former employer denies this policy, others confirm its existence, raising serious ethical concerns.
The 2021 Royal Commission recommended streamlining assessments but never endorsed privatization. It also warned against conflicts of interest, yet over half of the contracted assessment companies are service providers or related entities. The government insists there are ‘robust arrangements to prevent conflicts,’ but the lack of enforcement of key performance indicators (KPIs) for 12 months raises doubts.
Peter’s family continues to grieve, fearing for vulnerable elderly Australians without family support. ‘It’s too hard to navigate this bureaucracy,’ Eloise laments. ‘Dad’s final wish was to speak again. We spoke for him, and we still got nowhere.’
Thought-provoking question for you: Is the privatization of aged care assessments a step toward efficiency, or a dangerous gamble with the lives of our most vulnerable? Share your thoughts in the comments—this is a conversation we can’t afford to ignore.
