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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Volunteers at a NSW aged care home were appalled to discover residents were charged $15 each to attend musical performances provided for free, in what they say should be a wake-up call for how the sector is run.<\/p>\n Katrina Evans has played piano at Blue Haven Bonaira in Kiama for a decade, performing \u201cpretty much anything that brings a smile to my mum\u2019s face\u201d.<\/p>\n Her mother, 98-year-old Madeline, has lived in the facility for five years. When staff attempted to sell them a new \u201cAdditional Services\u201d package, Evans questioned why her mother should have to pay to watch her daughter play. \u201cNobody should be making money off the back of a volunteer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n For two months, Evans and other volunteers wrote multiple letters to management to express concern about the charges. On Tuesday morning, they received an email from management confirming a return to \u201cone core program, which all residents will be able to attend and participate in\u201d.<\/p>\n The centre is owned by Hall & Prior, which runs aged care facilities across NSW, the ACT and Western Australia. In a statement, they blamed the move on aged care changes implemented in November, when the \u201cexpanded activity and lifestyle program\u201d was developed with residents and their representatives.<\/p>\n Under the Aged Care Act 2024, providers can offer an optional Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) for those who would like to access extra services such as hairdressing, wine or premium menu options.<\/p>\n Providers can determine the cost and inclusions of the packages without government approval, but cannot charge existing residents for services or activities that were previously included.<\/p>\n For $20 a day \u2013 or $7300 a year \u2013 residents at Blue Haven Bonaira were offered a HELF bundle, with volunteer-provided entertainment included in the package. Residents who were not part of the bundle program could also attend shows if they paid a one-off $15 fee.<\/p>\n Evans said she was happy with management\u2019s decision to overturn the HELF charge, as she believes music should be \u201cfree for all\u201d. However, she is worried other aged care facilities \u201cmay be doing this throughout Australia, and may have misinterpreted the act\u201d and would like more clarity from the government.<\/p>\n Federal Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae said in a statement the government has been \u201cvery clear\u201d the HELF \u201ccan only be charged for services that go above and beyond what a provider is already required to deliver\u201d.<\/p>\n Rae said charging for volunteer performances \u201cclearly falls short of the community\u2019s expectations\u201d but added such cases were rare and \u201cproviders mostly act reasonably\u201d.<\/p>\n Dr Christa Wood runs Alchemy Chorus South Coast, a dementia-inclusive choir which performs at aged care homes across the community. She said residents \u201cabsolutely love it\u201d, and join the singing or get up to dance.<\/p>\n She initially assumed there was a misunderstanding about residents being charged, and was stunned when staff both confirmed and defended it. In their statement, Hall & Prior said the fee was intended to \u201cassist in offsetting the additional costs associated with supporting residents to attend activities, supervision requirements, venue cleaning costs and engaging external entertainers and service providers\u201d. The performances take place on-site.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s terrible,\u201d Wood said. \u201cIt\u2019s creating a two-tiered system in a retirement village [between] those who can attend a performance because they can afford it and those who can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood said there had been a noticeable drop in attendees across all volunteer sessions, affecting the atmosphere of shows and \u201cdenying people that opportunity to feel some joy\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Blue Haven Bonaira was originally built and operated by Kiama Council, opening in 2019 as one of the largest council projects in the country. Evans said the $106 million complex, boasting landscaped grounds and water views, is known by locals as \u201cthe Hilton Hotel of Kiama\u201d.<\/p>\n After it pushed council into heavy debt, the facility was sold to for-profit aged care provider Hall & Prior in 2024, which officially took over in April last year.<\/p>\n The opposition\u2019s Health and Aged Care spokeswoman, Senator Anne Ruston, said the case was \u201cjust another example of the fundamental flaws in Labor\u2019s Aged Care Act\u201d.<\/p>\n Editor’s pick \u201cEither the system is operating exactly how Labor intended, or they botched the design. Either way they need to go back to the drawing board and take the time to fix the mess they\u2019ve made,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n Rae said he has referred the matter to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Katrina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/42303c8b9eac0cafa441bf285422728044fb523e.jpeg\")
Katrina Evans was appalled her mother Madeline\u2019s aged care home planned to charge her to see her own daughter play piano.<\/p>\n![\"Christa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/45ef7fe148c44d18ce5d8ef4d69dc253de11dd90.jpeg\")
Christa Wood and her husband Ray, who lives with dementia, sing and dance at aged care homes across the community.<\/p>\n![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/982a754ec4461fd351ce8cdfbea84ad65a0c1859.jpeg\")
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