Health Minister Mark Butler said he and his state counterparts would discuss how to alleviate pressure on the aged care system today, as The Australian reports the number of people waiting in hospital for a place in aged care has grown to almost 4000 people.
“With the ageing of the baby boomers, there are more older Australians… in aged care. There are more waiting for aged care, and it stands to reason there unfortunately are more in our hospital system as well,” Butler told Sunrise.
He said the government was ploughing money into supporting older Australians to live at home for longer and building new facilities, but demand for services was unprecedented.
“I get the issue. It’s a very serious issue in our hospital system, as it is in our broader aged care system. And I’m looking forward to the next several hours working with my health ministry colleagues on things we can do to alleviate that pressure.”
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