Australians have had to navigate recent changes to aged care packages that have led a sharp rise in service costs.
Christina Tsobanis, from Melbourne, cares full-time for her mother and is also a carer for her aunt. She says she loves being a carer but it has been getting tougher, particularly since the new reforms were introduced.
Her 85-year-old mother, Sophie, who is living with dementia, has had her care reduced from about 26 hours a week to 14. Since November 1, she has had to cut back one of her showers a week and has stopped seeing her podiatrist. Tsobanis has taken on more of the responsibility herself.
There is no professional support on weekends or public holidays, as even a single visit would cost half of Sophie’s weekly budget. Added administrative restrictions also mean she can no longer get the best deals on essentials like continence pads as she could before the reforms.
“What I begrudge is the fact that the funding is basically being rerouted to the provider’s pockets as opposed to providing some flexibility of choice around how we can cost effectively manage the services that we need for mum to live independently and safely every day,” Christina said.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
