‘Aged care is in crisis’: battling to keep community nursing homes in the bush

Resident Una Parr watches television in a recreation room at Adina Care in Cootamundra. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/The Guardian

Two months before Garry Kadwell and the Crookwell Taralga Aged Care (CTAC) board opted for a merger to ensure the survival of the rural community-owned, not-for-profit aged care facility, he spoke to local stakeholders in stark terms.

“If you ever want the hardest decision to make, make one for your community, make one on behalf of someone else,” he says. “Because everyone in this community is counting on that decision to be right.”