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.

When my mum was discharged from hospital on a Friday — still in pain, still scared — I realised the system doesn’t end at the hospital doors. This is what “transitioning home” actually looks like for families: no plan, no support, just paperwork and people left to cope.