A terminally ill elderly man who resorted to voluntary assisted dying after being denied home care has died.
Cyril Tooze, 86, was approved for the highest level of home care support under the federal government’s MyAgedCare program earlier this year due to his chronic lung and heart conditions.
The Adelaide Hills man was initially given a nine-month waiting time for home care, despite no one caring for him and his family living interstate.
But when delayed demand and staff shortages extended that period beyond October, he chose to end his life after a long stay in hospital following a fall at home.
Tooze weighed only 46kg when he died last Friday, Adelaide Advertiser reported.
Independent federal MP for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie, who defended Tooze, said it had been an honor to have met him.
“The man I knew had so much courage and so much dignity until the end,” she said.
“To the end, he wanted his situation to shed light and provide a human story for the other 76,000 older Australians who, like him, are deteriorating, having accidents and hurting themselves as they wait for a home care package that has been assessed for them. as needy.
When his wait for home care dragged on for more than nine months, Cyril Tooze said he wanted to end his life.
“Despite urgently passing a new law in the House of Representatives, there is no government plan to address the waiting list, and the reality is that people are dying while waiting for home care.”
Federal aged care minister Anika Wells said her thoughts were with Tooze’s family and friends “as we mourn his loss but appreciate Cyril’s life and his commitment to helping older Australians”.
After speaking to Tooze, he said Anthony Albanese’s government was making a $4.3 billion investment in a new Support at Home program that will benefit around 1.4 million Australians by 2035.
“That program is specifically designed to help older Australians remain independent, in their home and community, for longer,” Ms Wells said.
Mayo Independent Federal MP Rebekha Sharkie (pictured left) said it had been an honor to meet Mr Tooze (right).
With his only family living in Queensland and no other surgery options to drain fluid from his lungs, Tooze recently told Nine News he was desperate to live out his days at home.
Although she was offered respite care, she still couldn’t afford it on top of rent.
Ultimately, Tooze received temporary home care assistance after going public with her story in hopes that the federal government would finally act.
“They have to do something and something fast,” Mr Tooze said.
“People are dying.”
South Australia’s voluntary assisted dying scheme was introduced in January last year.
Tributes are flowing for Cyril Tooze (pictured with Mayo independent federal MP Rebekha Sharkie), who died last Friday aged 86.
Permission may be granted if the applicant has been diagnosed with an advanced, incurable illness that will kill them within the next six months and is “causing suffering… that cannot be relieved.”
Almost 200 South Australians were granted permission to access the VAD during the first year of the scheme.
VAD is legal in most Australian states.
The Northern Territory will be the only place where VAD will be illegal when the ACT scheme begins in November 2025.