An elderly and wheelchair-reliant Wagga woman has been left desperately searching for home care after her provider ended their agreement.
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Jean Magennis, 82, has post-polio syndrome, which has left her paraplegic and with limited use of her arms.
She needs assistance with daily tasks, including showering, and has to be hoisted in and out of her bed.
Mrs Magennis has a level four My Aged Care package, which entitled her to almost $60,000 of home care each year, administered by a provider. Previously, her care was managed by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, but in November 2019 she signed with Just Better Care.
Mrs Magennis said over some weeks, she raised her concerns about what care she was entitled to - including the availability of assistance at the weekends - and later received a letter informing her that the agreement was being terminated, with just four weeks' notice.
"It has been very frustrating, and upsetting," she said.
The letter adds that Just Better Care would use "reasonable efforts" to assist in helping Mrs Magennis to find a new home care provider.
"As discussed, your home care package has limited funds that the government provide, unfortunately Just Better Care cannot continue to provide you the care outside the scope you require if funds are limited," it reads.
Mrs Magennis, with the help of health care professionals, has now been able to secure some assistance through the department.
But she had been extremely worried about what would happen if she had been unable to find alternative care.
Mrs Magennis is urging others to ensure that when they sign an agreement, they know exactly what care will be provided and what the termination conditions are.
She believes the way My Aged Care is run could be improved and that even small changes could help.
"Why charge people for a full hour if they only need care for 30 minutes on some days?" Mrs Magennis said.
In an interim report, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety found the system "fails to meet the needs of its older, vulnerable, citizens" and is unable to deal with the level of demand for home care.
The system does not deliver uniformly safe and quality care, is unkind and uncaring towards older people and, in too many instances, it neglects them, the report said.
Just Better Care's chief operating officer Alison Chandler said confidentiality prohibited her from discussing an individual, but added that if Mrs Magennis had concerns, she could raise them with Just Better Care or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
