Dracopoulos family hit hard by closure of only aged care home in remote NSW town

·

As the regional aged care system in New South Wales buckles under a lack of funding and increased demand, many elderly residents are being forced out of towns they’ve called home for their entire lives.

Arthur Dracopoulos’ 94-year-old mum, Helen, is one of these residents.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Helen was forced to move out of the only aged care home in the remote southern NSW town of Bombala, after aged care provider Southern Cross closed the facility earlier this year.

The closure meant Helen had to move from her hometown of nearly 60 years to an aged care home more than an hour away at Pambula.

Arthur’s wife, Dina, told the newspaper that the swift closure of the facility had a “devastating” impact on the families in Bombala.

The Dracopoulos family have been hit hard by closure of only aged care home in remote NSW.

“I can’t complain about the care, but she’s dying of loneliness,” Dina said. “It’s just devastating. They’ve literally been torn from their homes.”

A year before Bombala’s closure, Southern Cross also withdrew from Harden in the state’s west.

NSW Regional Health Minister, Bronnie Taylor, said the closures at Bombala and Harden pointed to a worsening health crisis in the bush.

The latest statistics from NSW Health show that in regional NSW hospitals 511 patients are waiting for either aged care or NDIS accommodation, while in the last year the number of elderly people on the waiting list for aged care places has tripled.

A spokesman for the Federal Minister Aged Care, Anika Wells, told The Daily Telegraph that the government is “determined to put care back into aged care, particularly in regional areas.”

Source: The Daily Telegraph.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

‘I will never forget you’: Emotional farewell for Greek Consul General in Sydney

An emotional Greek Consul General Yannis Mallikourtis delivered his farewell speech on Monday evening at Business Sydney’s Event Centre.

Adelaide’s St Sophrony Parish raises funds for hall construction

The newly established St Sophrony of Essex parish in Hectorville, Adelaide, held its first official fundraising dinner on Sunday, June 29.

From homelessness to homeowner: Kostas Papadimitropoulos shares his inspirational story

Melbourne man Kostas Papadimitropoulos has turned his life around after being scammed out of his life savings and forced to live in his car.

Sydney Dance Company shines at Athens Epidaurus Festival with ‘Impermanence’

The Sydney Dance Company captivated a crowd of 5,000 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus last week, performing 'Impermanence.'

Former ATO worker Paraskevi Vula Danassis convicted in $2 billion GST scam

Former Australian Taxation Office employee Paraskevi Vula Danassis has been convicted over her role in a $2 billion GST fraud scheme.

You May Also Like

Greece, Israel, Cyprus sign gas pipeline deal, angering Turkey

The leaders of Greece, Israel and Cyprus met in Athens on Thursday to sign a deal for an undersea pipeline that would carry gas from...

Call for Greek-Australian community to evaluate dementia films

"Although the Greek community is very well served, (resources) are often really disjointed and hard to find," Dr Josefine Antoniades said to The Greek Herald.

Chinese tradie flood in Australia as Italian, Greek builders slip away

A fall in Greek, Italian, Balkan and Arabic speakers on Australian building sites have sparked warnings of labour shortages.