A NATIONAL campaign is calling for an overhaul of the aged care system, as local Bendigo services continue to increase facilities to meet a growing demand for aged care places.Health professionals, charitable organisations and unions joined forces to highlight their concern of an “imminent crisis in aged care”.The coalition of 28 different consumer and health groups, known as the Council of the Ageing, say by 2050, 3.5 million Australians will need aged care services.“That is a greater than threefold increase on the current load,” council CEO Ian Yates said.“Yet many older Australians are already struggling to find the services they need to continue to live at home or are on long waiting lists for residential care.The council is lobbying the federal government to commit to recommendations of the Productivity Commission for a wide-ranging reform of the aged care system. The Council says the current system is more than 50 years out of date and needs to be upgraded. In central Victoria, the ageing population has meant aged care facilities have had to expand.A number of services around Bendigo, both through public and private facilities, will open additional beds this year.Demand for residences offering an alternative to aged care homes has also grown.Bentleys Aged Care in Bendigo, run by Violet Town Bush Nursing Centre, is a transitional service that has helped meet local needs of elderly people.“We’re a transitional program offering something different to your standard nursing home,” Violet Town CEO Felipe Rodriquez said.“People come and do rehab with us, and are then either referred to further aged care or are able to return to their own home.”Mr Rodriquez said places like Bentleys would continue to ease the strain on nursing home demand. The Council of the Ageing will call on the federal government this week to implement a full revamp of the aged care system.