Dorothy’s aged care home charged $52 a day for Foxtel, wine and newspapers that were no use to her. She wasn’t alone

Dorothy Gilling’s aged care contract included an additional fee for services ‘she simply couldn’t use’, her son Jeff Gilling says. Photograph: Supplied View image in fullscreen Dorothy Gilling’s aged care contract included an additional fee for services ‘she simply couldn’t use’, her son Jeff Gilling says. Photograph: Supplied Dorothy’s aged care home charged $52 a day for Foxtel, wine and newspapers that were no use to her. She wasn’t alone Exclusive : Many aged care residents in Australia are charged for services they can’t use or understand, prompting an investigation from the regulator Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Jeff Gilling was surprised when he looked at the contract for the aged care home his mother, Dorothy, was about to enter. Contained within it was a $52 daily fee for Foxtel, outings, newspapers and a choice of wines. “She was in advanced stages of dementia, and so couldn’t even turn on the TV, let alone choose a channel or enjoy what she was watching,” Gilling says. When he was told the additional service fee “wasn’t optional”, he signed. “She was being charged for services that she simply couldn’t use or enjoy. But the contract gets put in front of you, and your priority is to get your parent out of hospital and into better care, or out of the home into safe care, and so there’s a lot of emotion.” Australian aged care firm accused in class action of charging residents for high teas and classes they couldn’t use Read more Gilling later researched his mother’s rights, then took the fight to the aged care facility in Sydney’s north-west where his mother lived – and managed to get almost $37,000 refunded. Yet his shock mirrors that of others around Australia, who have either been charged or had loved ones charged fees from aged care providers for services they can’t use or understand . The national regulator, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, received 199 complaints about aged care fees, funds and service charges to residents in the first half of 2026 alone, launching an investigation into several providers charging allegedly illegal additional fees. The commission says there are “several providers where we have concerns about misuse” of fees. Of the 199 complaints that included a concern around “fees and charges” or “funding for services relating to ageing” at residential facilities, 121 relate to for-profit providers; 75 to not-for-profit providers, and three were about government providers. The regulator’s commissioner, Liz Hefren-Webb, told Guardian Australia that “these investigations are ongoing”. “Because of this, we won’t provide further details at this time,” she said. She said a number of providers had already voluntarily reviewed and changed their practices. The for-profit provider Arcare is meanwhile facing a class action alleging Arcare illegally charged residents fees for services including high teas, hot meals and exercise classes, even in cases where residents physically could