How our aged care system is pushing couples to the brink

April 8, 2026 — 3:01am

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When one member of a couple enters aged care, the financial impact rarely falls evenly. In fact, for many, it feels less like shared responsibility and more like robbing one to pay for the other’s aged care.

That may sound blunt, but it captures a difficult truth about how the system operates.

Aged care means testing assesses couples by splitting income and assets 50/50. On paper, this seems fair. In reality, once one partner moves into care, their lives – and their costs – change dramatically.

Take Jack and Shirley, part pensioners who own their home, have $600,000 in investments and $10,000 in personal assets. Jack is moving into aged care, he is required to cover the cost of his........

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