‘Geographic narcissism’: the battle to fund aged care providers in rural Australia

In the isolated town of Mareeba, northern Queensland, aging residents face significant challenges accessing quality healthcare due to language barriers, limited funding, and geographic isolation, which result in inadequate aged care services. Efforts by Ross Cardillo's Mareeba Family Healthcare initiative highlight community resilience in supporting elders through unconventional methods, yet they often struggle to secure necessary resources. These issues mirror broader systemic problems in rural Australia, where aging populations outstrip available healthcare infrastructure, leading to high costs and underfunding for essential services.