Natalie Siegel-Brown steps down as Inspector-General of Aged Care after less than 2 years. Her farewell message warns of the decline Aged Care faces if implementation doesn’t change. The reforms have not only caused harm to older Australians but it has also driven up tax payers with long-term costs.
The outgoing Inspector-General praised the new Aged Care Acts underpinning principles, however, it is the implementation that she has criticised. The Support at Home program has discouraged participation from older Australians as they face issues like increasing complexity, long waiting lists, and co-payments. Instead of becoming independent in their own homes, older Australians may be pushed to residential aged care.
Siegel-Brown believes that the aged care sector is not short on funding but there is a poor allocation of resources. She also warns that thousands of ageing Australians are deteriorating due to waiting lists.