Aged Care by Algorithm: Smarter System or Losing the Human Touch?

We’re revisiting a story that’s been sparking a lot of listener questions after last week’s discussion — the rise of algorithm-driven decision-making in Australia’s aged care at home funding system. This week, we’re joined by Professor Hal Swerissen, Emeritus Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, to unpack what’s actually happening behind the scenes. The big question: when funding decisions for older Australians are increasingly shaped by algorithms, are we improving fairness and consistency… or quietly removing human judgement from care? We’ll break it down:• How the Support at Home system actually assigns care funding• Why small scoring changes can mean thousands of dollars in support• Concerns about “black box” decision-making with no manual override• Why families are increasingly appealing assessments they don’t understand• And whether this is efficiency — or a system now needing reform At the centre of it all is a simple tension: standardisation vs individual care needs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.