George Davis thought retirement would be the best time of his life.<\/p>\n
But the 80-year-old spends each day travelling 100 kilometres to sit by his wife, Petronella, in hospital.<\/p>\n
But Ms Davis is not sick. The 79-year-old has rapidly progressive dementia and is no longer able to be cared for in the home the couple has shared for 60 years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
George Davis travels 100km a day to visit his wife in Bundaberg Hospital. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)<\/p>\n
Ms Davis is a “stranded” patient, one of 1,000 people in Queensland taking up a public hospital bed while waiting for a more permanent care solution.<\/p>\n
“She doesn’t like it, she can’t understand why she’s still not in a nursing home,” Mr Davis said.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Health Minister Tim Nicholls called on the federal government to “take responsibility” for aged and disability care.<\/p>\n
Mr Nicholls said the federal government was “failing stranded Australians”.<\/p>\n
“It’s really important that we actually address this issue, and that the federal government steps up and takes responsibility for providing residential aged care facilities and a faster NDIS process for our younger patients.”<\/p>\n
Mr Crisafulli said state and territory leaders “across the political divide” were calling on Canberra for a national solution.<\/p>\n
Sent away<\/p>\n
When Ms Davis’s care needs became too much for her husband, she went into respite in her hometown of Childers, 400 kilometres north of Brisbane.<\/p>\n
But when an aged care bed became available at Forest View Care Childers, it was given to another patient from Gladstone, more than 200km north of the town.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For the past three years, George Davis has been a full-time carer for his wife of 60 years. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)<\/p>\n
“I think it’s wrong to send a local to a hospital in another town,” Mr Davis said.<\/p>\n
Ms Davis has been sent to Bundaberg Hospital, 40 minutes away, until another residential aged care bed can be found.<\/p>\n
“I’ve heard some of the nursing homes have closed their books,” Mr Davis said.<\/p>\n
“They just won’t take any more names. The government doesn’t seem to do anything about it.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tim Nicholls says money to keep aged care residents in hospital could be better spent. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)<\/p>\n
Hinkler MP David Batt said the current model for aged care was not working and the government needed to go back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n
“Those people that are from this area that have spent all their time here, they’re pioneers of what this place looks like now,” Mr Batt said.<\/p>\n
“They’re the reason we have such a fantastic place, and then we’re telling them they need to move on somewhere else to live on their own, no family support, no friends.<\/p>\n
“That’s not how you should be able to finish your golden years. It’s just not good enough.”<\/p>\n
Hospital pressure<\/p>\n
Mr Nicholls said the current number of long-stay hospital patients was, on average, 10 per cent of residential care beds in Queensland, and 13 per cent in the Wide Bay.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tim Nicholls says the Commonwealth is not stepping up to the mark for aged care. (ABC News: William Murray)<\/p>\n
He said some patients were waiting 250 to 280 days in hospital, with one patient staying longer than 400 days.<\/p>\n
Mr Nicholls said people waiting in public hospitals for more appropriate care were costing Queensland $2.5 million a day.<\/p>\n
“That’s money that is not being diverted into emergency departments or other surgeries that could be spent very, very much more wisely on delivering services,” he said.<\/p>\n
Forest View Aged Care in Childers has 30 beds, and general manager Andrew Ainscough said he had unsuccessfully applied with the federal government five times for an additional 44 beds.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Andrew Ainscough says it has never been harder to find care for patients. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)<\/p>\n
“Locally, just in Childers, there’s currently 397 people waiting on our wait list,” Mr Ainscough said.<\/p>\n
“As a registered nurse and trying to coordinate care, in my 28 years of nursing, this is the hardest I’ve ever seen.<\/p>\n
“I’m stressed every day now, trying to give care for a community, trying to find care.”Reforms on the way<\/p>\n
Funding for aged care is complex and multi-layered.<\/p>\n
Providers must get a licence from the federal government for an aged care bed.<\/p>\n
Part of the ongoing funding comes directly from the government through the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC).<\/p>\n
Other funding is provided by the patient through a refundable deposit and a daily care fee, which varies from patient to patient.<\/p>\n
In 2018, a royal commission<\/a> was announced to address non-compliance and failures within the sector.<\/p>\n The final report<\/a>, released three years later, made 148 recommendations, including funding based on need and stronger regulation and transparency.<\/p>\n Concerns have been raised about the Aged Care Act that came into effect on November 1. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n