The Aged Care Tsunami is Coming and We Are Completely Unprepared with Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher

The Aged Care Tsunami is Coming and We Are Completely Unprepared… By 2040, Australia’s population over 85 will double, threatening to trigger a full-blown collapse of the aged care system.  In this episode, we sit down with Simon Kuestenmacher, a leading demographer, columnist, and Co-Founder of The Demographics Group, who is widely recognised as one of the world's top data visualisation influencers. Together, we break down Australia's looming workforce collapse, the critical role of skilled migration, and how technology must bridge the gap before it is too late.  Tune in to understand the hard, data-driven facts of where the nation is heading and why this conversation matters for every worker, family, and business owner today. Key moments: 00:00 Why Australia's Aged Care System Faces Guaranteed Failure by 2040 05:00 How Dementia Data Exposes the Massive Scale of Our Healthcare Crisis 08:25 Why Tasmania Holds the Key to Solving Australia's Ageing Population Problem 10:11 How Red Tape and Bad Data Hold Back Healthcare Innovation 15:00 How Cover My Ass Bureaucracy Is Strangling Government 18:45 Why University Overeducation and Low Wages Are Driving Staff Out of Care 21:54 How Employer-Sponsored Visas Can Fix Australia's Skilled Labour Deficit 25:14 The Truth About Net Overseas Migration and Common Economic Myths 29:30 Why AI and Robotics Won't Magic Away Our Healthcare Workforce Deficit 35:12 Navigating Retirement: The Mental Benefits and the Post-Career Trap 41:20 Why Building Physical Nursing Homes Won't Solve the Demand Surge 48:47 How Modern In-Home Care Models Satisfy What Retirees Actually Want 53:22 How the Shrinking Middle Class Is Threatening Regional Care Access 59:33 The Exact Reforms Needed to Save Australia's Failing Care Sector Connect with Simon on LinkedIn or Instagram. Check out The Demographics Group here https://www.tdgp.com.au/ — If you want to book a free Reablement Planning Workshop with Optimum Allied Health, visit www.opthealth.com.au/tws If you’re starting to scope out your next project, get in touch with Paynters over at www.paynters.com.au  If you are building a new care facility today, or embedding care into an existing village, you should talk to Eevi.  Visit eevi.life or call 1300 802 738.  If you have something you want to say, and are interested in being a guest on Time Well Spent, we want to hear from you - you can find the guest form here: https://timewellspentpod.com/ And if you want to connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast, you can find them on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast