John Hewson (Aged care should not weary them, April 22-28) addresses an elephant in the room: The charitable and religious organisations in the aged care sector that expected healthy cash surpluses that they could then draw on to help fund their other religious and pastoral care objectives. My research shows this continues to be a factor contributing to the low standards of care in some not-for-profit aged care homes. Remember St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Victoria? The Greek Orthodox Church received “exorbitant” rent and fees from St Basil’s. If St Basil’s was not paying such exorbitant rent, it is likely management could have employed more highly skilled staff to improve the standards of care.
The aged care sector urgently needs full financial transparency about how the $27 billion in government subsidies are spent, including to whom the aged care provider pays rent.
First published in The Saturday Paper 22 April 2023