Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator McAllister. My office has been contacted by John, whose father is living with dementia and has been waiting for residential aged-care place for more than 12 months. After being hospitalised, John's father was deemed unsafe to return home. He has remained stuck in the Modbury Hospital in South Australia for 47 days, costing his family more than $3,800—as well as taxpayers thousands of dollars more—and taking a serious toll on his mental health. John told my office that his father was not alone. An entire ward occupied by older Australians waiting for aged-care placements was what his father shared. Minister, will your government take full responsibility for this national aged-care crisis, which is leaving thousands of older Australians, like John's dad, stranded in hospitals?