Deidre de Jonge was preparing for her husband Gerrit's funeral when the $4,500 chair — funded by taxpayers and meant to help the terminally ill former miner stand and recline without muscle pain — finally arrived at their home in Townsville. It arrived two weeks after Mr de Jonge died, having been approved under the federal government's End of Life Pathway, which provides up to $2,000 for assistive technology and up to $25,000 for approved services over 12 weeks.
“I absolutely hated it, I hated the chair because it arrived too late,” Ms de Jonge said. “The only reason I've still got it is because my husband said we fought hard for it.”
The couple applied for My Aged Care funding in October 2024 after Mr de Jonge was diagnosed with terminal oesophageal cancer. About 15 months later, in January this year, he was told he had less than three months to live — still without receiving a cent in funding. His feet were so swollen he could barely walk, his widow recalled.
About 130 kilometres away, Daryll Mulgrue has been honouring her partner Geoff Small's memory with framed photos on a bookshelf. The 88-year-old died months before funding for his home care was due to arrive.
On June 30 this year, 107,000 people were waiting for the federal government's home aged-care program, Support at Home. That figure excludes another 53,000 people who received some funding while waiting, according to previous reporting in March. The federal aged care department has defended the program, saying wait times are falling, but did not respond to requests for comment.
Advocates say the experiences of the de Jonge and Mulgrue families reflect a system that is “broken”, and some appearing at a senate inquiry into the program this week are expected to describe similar failures and call for reform.