Our stories
Today in Australia, 2,934 younger people with disability under 65 years of age are forced to live in aged care. Almost half are in a partner relationship, and more than 1 in 4 are parents of school age children.
Some of these people are aged in their 30s and 40s, living with people in their 80s. They rarely see family or friends and it is common for young people living in aged care to lose skills and independence. People with disability must have access to the support they need to be in control of where and how they live and who they live with.
The Summer Foundation connects with people with disability to share their personal stories. Read and watch stories that show the impact of living in aged care:
Watch more stories
Kate’s story
Andrew’s story
James’ story
These are the facts so far:
There are still close to 3000 young people forced to live in aged care.
At least 30 people a month continue to enter aged care.
In the 2022 financial year only 39 younger people moved out to more appropriate accommodation.
More than 10,000 people under 65 have died in aged care in the past 10 years. If a young person goes into aged care, they have a 90 percent chance of dying or getting stuck there until they age out and are no longer counted.
