By Jacqueline Forst

The new Aged Care Act was set to take effect next month but the Federal Government has wisely decided to delay implementation until 1 November as providers are not ready.

We have seen little in the mainstream media about the changes coming our way. For decades, we've expected significant government support in our later years and that’s about to change.

The Aged Care Royal Commission’s 2021 report exposed harrowing conditions and called for sweeping reforms.

Improvements have been made, but they have come at a cost. Rising expenses are pushing the sector’s financial sustainability to the brink.

For Kiama residents, given our demographics, access to aged care remains a pressing concern.

Although the Act has been passed, key regulations are still being drafted and may not be released until just before implementation, which creates uncertainty for providers and residents.

Two significant changes will impact older residents in Kiama: a substantial increase in user fees (with existing arrangements “grandfathered”) and the removal of planning controls and bed licenses.

This shift allows providers to open or close facilities at will, leaving access to care in the hands of market forces, not community need.

Wealthier areas will likely attract investment, while lower-income regions are left behind. The Kiama region is attractive to aged care investors, particularly as lifetime accommodation fee caps are lifted for those without a pension.

Some of the new charges being asked are staggering.

Profits lie in luxury retirement apartments, not in aged care beds. Yet, as our population ages, the demand for beds will rise.

The government claims that fewer will be needed, assuming most prefer to age at home. But residential care is often a necessity, not a choice.

Many people can’t afford a luxury aged care apartment; more vulnerable people with high needs will be pushed to remain at home, relying on increasingly expensive in-home care.

Both major parties support these reforms, but many Baby Boomers won’t be able to afford the needed support.

The new “Support at Home” program replaces existing Home Care Packages.

It promises more funding tiers (from 4 to 8) but less flexibility and higher costs.

As a carer of an elderly person, I know it’s a privilege but it comes with sacrifices.

For at-home care to be effective, more families will need to bear the load. The new model must not deepen intergenerational inequity.

In Kiama, our updated Housing Strategy must expand lower-income housing options for the elderly and support innovative intergenerational living arrangements.

The answer is not simply down-sizing as pensioners on fixed incomes cannot afford high strata fees in luxury Kiama apartments on top of increased co-payment fees for assistance with showering or dressing.

We cannot become a town of holiday homes and luxury retirement apartments while the elderly who built Kiama, the workers, and the families we rely on are priced out.

Jacqueline Forst brings extensive experience as a consumer and carer advocate with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and Carers NSW. With postgraduate qualifications in Commerce and Social Work and a background in human services design, she is deeply committed to social equity and community-led innovation.