Aged care reform has entered a new phase. Council on the Ageing Queensland (COTA Queensland) notes that the conversation is no longer focused solely on policy design or legislative change; it is increasingly about what reform feels like to older people trying to navigate the systems.
Recent analysis comparing community forum discussions with broader media reporting reveals a strong alignment between public messaging and lived experience. Across both datasets, the same themes continue to emerge around confusion around Support at Home, delays in accessing services, workforce shortages, rising costs, administrative complexity and growing concerns about trust in the system.
What stands out the most, however, is the emotional dimension of implementing reform.
Older people and carers participating in community discussions have described feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and increasingly burdened by the complexity of navigating aged care supports. Many have expressed concern that the system/s now rely heavily on consumers having high levels of digital literacy, persistence and advocacy capacity simply to access services or resolve issues.
Support at Home has emerged as a central pressure point. People have raised concerns about unclear entitlements, co-contributions, provider charges and long wait times, while others have voiced hesitation about transitioning from the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). There was a strong perception that CHSP remains more flexible, preventative and easier to navigate than the emerging Support at Home model.
At the same time, workforce shortages are becoming highly visible in everyday life. People have reported difficulty accessing physiotherapy, podiatry, home maintenance and allied health services, particularly in regional areas. These experiences closely mirror media reporting about service provider strain, workforce fatigue and growing concerns about system readiness.
The national discussion has also highlighted broader concerns about trust, transparency and accountability. Older Australians have spoken about unanswered complaints, confusing communication, unexplained financial discrepancies and challenges resolving issues with service providers or agencies. For many, the administrative burden itself has become a significant source of stress and anxiety.
Importantly, older people are not rejecting reform. Rather, they are asking whether the system/s has the capacity, workforce, communication and safeguards needed to implement reform safely and equitably.
This evolving national discussion on aged care reform suggests a critical shift: The challenge is no longer defining the direction of reform, but ensuring implementation works in practice for the people who rely on the system every day.
As reforms continue to be implemented, lived experience will remain essential in understanding where policy aims to align with the reality of older Australians, and where further attention is needed to ensure older Australians are supported, heard, reassured and able to navigate the system/s with confidence.
While COTA Queensland welcomes the recent announcement of increased national investment in health and aged care supports, there is much left to do to improve, for example, the wait times for assessment, reduce the hospital discharge delays, address rising costs of living and housing stress, and ease financial pressure on pensioners, carers, older rental tenants, and older women.
We will continue to advocate with and for older Queenslanders and older Australians on implementation of aged care reform. Through our existing programs, we will continue to work with service providers through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme Sector Support and Development, and through the Care Finder Aged Care Navigation Service in Cairns, we will continue to work directly with at risk older people who require timely and urgent access to community and aged care supports.