Imagine being unable to speak or eat, desperately needing care after a major surgery, only to be told you’ll have to wait months for help. This is the harsh 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 battling throat cancer, was approved for a level-three home care package that could have provided him with essential support, including a recliner, a suction machine, and a personal carer. Yet, his family was forced to join a national queue of over 121,000 people, facing a wait of seven to nine months. By the time his cancer returned, Peter was terminal, and the system’s delays became a matter of life and death.
Peter’s story isn’t unique. And this is the part most people miss—the aged care assessment system in Australia has been partially privatized, with companies like Aspire4Life now handling assessments. While these organizations claim to be investing in meeting demand, families like Peter’s are left in limbo, begging for urgent support. Eloise Randall, Peter’s daughter, spent countless hours on the phone, pleading for help. Despite her warnings that time was running out, Peter died just four weeks before his scheduled reassessment. His final weeks were marked by fear, anxiety, and a sense of drowning, all while his wife cared for him alone, utterly exhausted and unsupported.
Here’s the controversial part: The government insists wait times are manageable, citing a median of 23 days for assessments. But former assessors and families tell a different story. Janine Mason, a former clinical assessor, reveals a disturbing practice where elderly individuals are dropped from waiting lists if they don’t respond to three phone calls—often without their knowledge. This dehumanizing approach, driven by KPIs and contractual pressures, raises serious ethical questions. Meanwhile, the Royal Commission’s 2021 recommendations explicitly advised against privatization and called for independent assessors to avoid conflicts of interest. Yet, over half of the contracted companies are also service providers or related entities, sparking concerns about bias.
Coral Wilkinson, a former ACAT assessor, now helps families navigate this bureaucratic maze. She describes clients in tears, desperate for quicker assessments, with some ending up in hospitals or nursing homes due to lack of home support. But here’s the real question: Was the system truly prepared for this overhaul? Wilkinson believes the workforce wasn’t ready, and the Department of Health may have underestimated the complexity of assessing older adults with high needs.
As Peter’s family continues to grieve, they fear for the countless vulnerable Australians without family support. Eloise’s words are haunting: ‘Dad’s final wish was to speak again. We had to speak for him, and we still got nowhere.’ This isn’t just a story of delay—it’s a story of systemic failure. What do you think? Is privatization the answer, or are we sacrificing care for efficiency? Share your thoughts in the comments—this conversation needs your voice.
