“Falling Through the Cracks: How Australia’s Aged Care System Is Failing People with Disabilities”

For years, Australians with disabilities have relied on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for critical support, tailored therapies, mobility aids, and personal care that empower independence.

But what happens when these individuals turn 65?

They’re forced to transition into the aged care system, and that’s where the trouble begins.

Unlike the NDIS, aged care is not designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities whose challenges aren’t age-related.

The result? A devastating loss of support. Many older Australians with disabilities are finding themselves stripped of services they once depended on, left to navigate a system that doesn’t understand them, or worse, doesn’t care.

“I went from having a full care plan to being told I’d get a shower twice a week,” says one Sydney resident who lost access to NDIS after entering residential aged care. “It’s like they expect you to stop needing help just because you had a birthday.”

This isn’t just a bureaucratic oversight, it’s a systemic failure.

The aged care system, even with the upcoming rights-based Aged Care Act in November 2025, still lacks the specialised disability support that many older Australians need.

And the cost? Astronomical. Room prices in aged care homes have skyrocketed, with providers now allowed to charge up to $750,000 for a single room without oversight.

For pensioners with disabilities, this isn’t just unaffordable, it’s exclusionary.

So what are people complaining about?

• Being forced out of NDIS into a system that doesn’t meet their needs

• Losing access to critical therapies and supports

• Facing skyrocketing aged care costs

• Lack of transparency and accountability in aged care transitions

• Feeling voiceless in a system that’s supposed to be person-centred

This is a wake-up call. Australia’s aged care reforms must do more than rebrand, they must rebuild. Until then, thousands of older Australians with disabilities will continue to fall through the cracks.

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