On Sunday, the federal government announced a Royal Commission into the aged care sector.
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It is expected the commission will reveal bruising details about treatment of one of Australia's most vulnerable groups. There is no official data as to how widespread the problem is.
However, new government figures show a 177 percent increase in the number of aged care homes where a serious risk to residents had been identified in the past financial year.
There was also a 292 per cent increase in the number of facilities that refused to comply with rules.
Crookwell Taralga Aged Care chief executive Jo Boyce welcomed the inquiry.
"We believe there is no room in our community for poor or inattentive care and we have zero tolerance for criminal abuse, assault or negligence," Mrs Boyce said.
"We all want a safe and high-quality aged care system that delivers accessible, affordable, quality care and services for older Australians. They need it and deserve it.
We believe there is no room in our community for poor or inattentive care and we have zero tolerance for criminal abuse, assault or negligence.
- Jo Boyce
"The Royal Commission will pave the way for the future of aged care… an essential service, assisting about 1.3 million of our most frail Australians."
Although there are thousands of aged care staff providing high-quality care, the ABC Four Corners program Who Cares? echoed many of the stories Dementia Australia hears from aged clients.
Unfortunately, the themes of over-use of anti-psychotics, under-staffing of homes and a lack of training are not new, said Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe.
“The system in many instances is letting our most vulnerable people down,” said Ms McCabe.
There is an estimated 425,416 Australians living with dementia; without a medical breakthrough, this is expected to increase to 536,164 by 2025.
Over the next two years, the inquiry will look into the quality of care of the elderly and extent of substandard care, challenges of caring for people with disabilities in residential aged care, the needs of people with dementia, future challenges, and changing demographics.
“CTAC are proud of the quality of care we provide... It is business as usual, caring for our residents in our facilities, and our clients in the community,” Mrs Boyce said.
