It costs millions per day for healthy people to lie in hospital beds

Elderly patients who are medically cleared but still occupy hospital beds while awaiting aged care placements are costing millions of dollars each day across Australia. This situation is leading to significant physical decline for individuals like 80-year-old Gwen Webb, who has spent six months in a hospital bed in Townsville.

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I can't walk at all.

Webb has experienced substantial muscle loss in her legs, rendering her unable to walk. Initially admitted for a spinal fracture, her condition worsened due to prolonged immobility. Despite some physiotherapy sessions, she was moved to interim care at a residential aged care home, where she claims she was not offered access to the facility's gym or physiotherapy services, as these were reserved for permanent residents.

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You can only use the gym if you're a permanent resident.

Across Australia, there are approximately 3,300 older patients who are well enough to leave the hospital but remain in beds due to lengthy waits for aged care facilities. Some Queenslanders have been waiting for over 1,000 days. Experts highlight that these extended hospital stays are not only weakening patients but also increasing their future care demands and associated costs.

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The longer they stay there, the higher the chances are that their demand for care and their needs are going to grow significantly.

Christina Wyatt from Occupational Therapy Australia expressed concern that the risk of preventable conditions, such as muscle loss, significantly increases with long hospital stays. Scientific research suggests older patients can lose up to 10% of their muscle mass each week in hospital. Wyatt emphasized that the longer patients remain in this state, the higher the likelihood their care needs will grow, making recovery increasingly difficult.

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Once you get to that point, it's very difficult to come back.