Two weeks after being sent home, my 83-year-old mum had a mini stroke — likely from the very medication meant to ease her pain. It’s been eye-opening, jaw-dropping, and exhausting — not just for her, but for all of us trying to fill the gaps in a care system that’s running on autopilot. This is what “aged care” really looks like from the inside.

After my dad died in a Brisbane private hospital, I tried to work with leadership to improve care. I brought solutions, ideas, and hope — and was ghosted. This isn’t about blame. It’s about what happens when systems say the right things, then do nothing. We deserve more than silence.