A terminally ill elderly man who turned to Voluntary Assisted Dying after being denied in-home care has died.
Cyril Tooze, 86, was approved for the highest level of home care assistance under the federal governments MyAgedCare program earlier this year due to his chronic lung and heart illnesses.
The Adelaide Hills man was initially given a nine-month wait time to receive at-home care, despite no one to care for him and his family living interstate.
But when the backlog of demand and a staff shortage stretched that period out beyond October, he opted to end his life following a lengthy hospital stint after a fall at home.
Mr Tooze was just 46kg when he died last Friday, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.
Independent federal Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie, who advocated for Mr Tooze, said it had been an honour to have known him.
The man that I knew, he had such courage and such dignity to the very end, she said.
To the very end he wanted his situation to shed light and provide a human story for the 76,000 other older Australians who, just like him, are deteriorating, having accidents and injuring themselves while waiting for a Home Care package that theyve been assessed as needing.
When his wait for in-home care stretched out past nine months Cyril Tooze said he wanted to end his life
Despite a new Act being passed in the House of Representatives with urgency, there is no plan from the government to address the blown-out waiting list and the reality is that people are dying while theyre waiting for Home Care.
Federal aged care minister Anika Wells said her thoughts were with Mr Toozes family and friends as we mourn their loss but appreciate Cyrils life and his commitment to helping older Australians.
After speaking with Mr Tooze, she said that the the Anthony Albanese government was making a $4.3bn investment in a new Support at Home program that will benefit around 1.4 million Australians by 2035.
That program is designed specifically to help older Australians remain independent, in their home and their community for longer, Ms Wells said.
Independent federal Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie (pictured left) said it had been an honour to know Mr Tooze (right)
With his only family living in Queensland and no other options for surgery to drain the fluid from his lungs, Mr Tooze recently told Nine News that he was desperate to live out his days at home.
While he was offered respite care assistance, he still couldnt afford it on top of rent.
Mr Tooze was eventually granted temporary home care assistance after taking his story public in the hope that the federal government would finally act.
They have to do something and something quickly, Mr Tooze said.
People are dying.
South Australias voluntary assisted dying scheme was introduced in January last year.
Tributes are flowing for Cyril Tooze (pictured with independent federal Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie), who died last Friday aged 86
Permission can be granted if the applicant has been diagnosed with an incurable, advanced disease that will kill them in the next six months and is causing suffering ... that cannot be relieved.
Almost 200 South Australians were granted permission to access VAD in 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 ACTs scheme begins in November 2025.