Survey highlights fears about entering aged care

A year on from the release of the aged care royal commission’s final report, negative perceptions of residential aged care in Australia persist.

That’s according to the findings of a survey conducted by National Seniors Australia. Just under half of the 5,166 people surveyed (49 per cent) said the reports of neglect and abuse in the aged care system had affected their aged care planning and decisions.

However, both cohorts expressed similar sentiment in the additional comments provided by almost a quarter of the respondents (1,309). Most attitudes were “totally negative,” said National Seniors chief executive Professor John McCallum.

Approximately a quarter of commenters said they would never enter aged care or they expressed a strong preference against it.

“While many of these answered ‘yes’ to the main question – suggesting the reports of neglect and abuse were responsible for their feelings – some made it clear that their view was influenced by other factors such as personal or professional experience with residential aged care,” the report said.

One of the more disquieting findings of the report is that 71 respondents prefer death over entering the residential aged care system (5.4 per cent). “The number of people wanting to commit suicide rather than go [into care] is quite shocking,” Professor McCallum told Australian Ageing Agenda.

“After hearing the stories of the abuse and poor care … I would prefer to die than enter a nursing home,” wrote one respondent. “I will attempt suicide before I go anywhere near aged care accommodation,” wrote another. “People don’t want to hear that,” said Professor McCallum. “But we put it in because that is what people out there are thinking and saying.”

There were far fewer positive comments to counter the negative reports but some commenters said they believed media reports exaggerated the problems of neglect and abuse or inadequately contextualised them. Around 40 people shared positive aged care experiences while 30 people expressed hope the reported problems would be resolved when they needed to access aged care.

The 115-page report – As close to home as possible – found that if seniors did have to enter residential aged care, they preferred a place that resembled a home rather than an institution. “People wanted a place to be as much like home as possible in terms of comfort and care,” said Professor McCallum. One respondent wrote that residential care should be “a place where one feels close to home … where [people] can thrive physically, emotionally and spiritually in their latter years.”

The report also identified a strong need for “comprehensive, transparent information” about individual residential aged care facilities so that consumers are able to make informed choices when considering where to go. “A key element is for there to be a one-stop shop and information that’s clear,” said Professor McCallum. People “really do need clarity” because information regarding aged care facilities is “diabolical and disconnected”.

Asked by AAA whether the aged care sector had made improvements in the wake of the royal commission’s damning findings, Professor McCallum said it was hard to say. While acknowledging that some in the sector had worked hard to make improvements, these were derailed by the pandemic. “Suddenly there’s something called COVID that comes in and disrupts the workforce,” he said.

But there is a general feeling, added Professor McCallum, that too much profit is being made and not enough of that is being reinvested into the system. “People are very concerned that the money isn’t being well spent,” he said. There was also robust backing for better pay and conditions for staff. “That’s very strongly supported by people,” said Professor McCallum.  

It is hoped that the findings of the National Seniors report will feed into solutions to the residential aged care crisis and help build a new vision of what Australian aged care can look like in the future.

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