Diane Raulli struggles to get moving in the morning. She lives with paraplegia and relies on a healthcare worker to help her from bed into a wheelchair.

Three days a week the 69-year-old pays for the help from her Disability Support Pension. She has no choice.

"You can't explain it really because it's just so scary. Scary in the sense that you could be in bed all day," she said.

Home-care package levels 1. Basic care needs, yearly subsidy up to approximately $8,000 2. Low-level care needs, subsidy up to approx $14,500 3. Intermediate care needs, subsidy up to approx $32,500 4. High-level care needs, subsidy up to approx $49,500 (The yearly subsidy value is paid by the Government to a provider chosen by the individual. The maximum Government contribution increases each year.) Source: myagedcare.gov.au

Last April, Ms Raulli was assessed as needing a level four home-care package — the highest level available. She is still waiting.

And she is not alone. The latest figures reveal there are now 101,508 people in the queue for appropriate home-care packages.

More than 60,000 have no package at all, and 40,000 have a package at a lower level than what they need.

"It shocks me. And I think, this is never ending," Ms Raulli said.

"In my lifetime I don't think I'm ever going to come out of the system and get a package.

"I think I'll die before all that happens."

Whatever level you are offered, take that offer: Minister

Home-care packages from the Federal Government help older Australians live in their own homes, providing everything from cleaning and shopping, to visits from a nurse.

Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt blamed the current situation on budget pressures and an underestimation of demand.

Ken Wyatt said the Government had "no idea of the number of people waiting for placements". ( ABC News: Claire Moodie )

His advice to those caught up in the backlog: even if a package isn't at the appropriate level — take what you can get.

"I would encourage people on waiting lists that whatever level you are offered initially, take that offer," Mr Wyatt said.

Last February, the Federal Government launched reforms designed to give consumers control over their packages. The Government said it was only then it realised demand was soaring.

"Up until February 2017, we had no idea of the number of people waiting for placements … within aged care," Mr Wyatt said.

Before the changes, older Australians applied for home-care packages with individual providers. There were literally hundreds of waiting lists across the country.

"We had no line of sight of the number of people who had been listed and were waiting for places," the Minister said.

The waiting list continues to grow

The latest numbers reveal in just six months, from April to October last year, the queue grew by more than 22,000 people. And it shows no sign of slowing down.

"It's absolutely clear the Government will have to bite the bullet and put extra resources into home care," said Ian Yates, chief executive officer of Council on the Ageing Australia.

Ian Yates said more resources were need to address the backlog. ( ABC News: Marco Catalano )

"Government needs to act now. The queue will continue to grow because we don't have enough high-level packages out there."

The Government has tried to address the shortfall by converting 6,000 lower-level packages to more costly level three and four packages.

The aged-care budget is $18.6 billion this year. Most of that goes to residential care, with about $2 billion spent on home care.

"I do feel for families who struggle with the fact they do not get the level three or four package," Mr Wyatt said.

"But the reality is we have a budgetary process, and that fiscal constraint has to be considered."

Ilse Schneidereit, who cares for her elderly husband Hans, said she felt hopeless about their situation. ( ABC News: Norman Hermant )

Ilse Schneidereit cares for her 79-year-old husband Hans, who lives with Parkinson's disease and dementia. The couple are also on the waiting list.

"It definitely is very discouraging," Ms Schneidereit said. "You feel a bit hopeless."

Her husband has a level three package that provides five hours of care once a fortnight.

The rest of the time, Ms Schneidereit is her husband's only carer. It is a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week job.

He was assessed for a higher level — but that was 18 months ago.

As the queue grows, the more pessimistic Ms Schneidereit becomes.

"It makes me almost give up on my plan to get a level four. It's not right," she said.

"I feel for the people who don't have any package. Who's looking after them?"