Rural, remote and specialist support for home aged care providers has been the focus of the latest wave of aged care reforms.
The Australian Government will invest AUD $600 million to help ensure the availability of Support at Home aged care services in rural and remote Australia, and for people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
Eligible providers operating in rural and remote areas, or providing specialist services, can apply for additional funding to support their financial viability and ensure service continuity for their clients.
This funding will ensure that people living in regional Australia have the freedom, support, and choice to remain in the homes and communities they love as they age.
Successful applicants will be advised from the end of May 2025 and receive their grant funding by August 2025.
Minister for Aged Care, Hon Anika Wells, said that this was something smaller communities across Australia could benefit from, and would elevate the national aged care system.
“The Albanese Labor Government is delivering more than AUD $600 million to ensure older people can access quality and affordable aged care to stay independent at home for longer, regardless of where they live or if they need specialist services,” said Wells.
“This additional funding recognises the challenges faced by aged care providers in rural and remote Australia, or who deliver specialist services to our most vulnerable older people.”
This has followed an announcement that the Australian Government has invested AUD AUD $31.2 million to develop a new framework to deliver virtual nursing support in aged care.
The project will focus on supporting residential aged care providers in rural and remote areas, and those that support older people of First Nations or culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The trial will explore how virtual nursing services can support older people in aged care homes to access consistent, high-quality, care when and where they need it.
While not a replacement for face-to-face care, the virtual nursing in aged care project seeks to build evidence of how virtual care services can further enhance the provision of care, providing residential aged care homes and on-site staff with access to additional clinical expertise to support the delivery of high-quality care to older people.
La Trobe University will conduct an evaluation of the project. The evaluation will consider the impact of virtual care on clinical outcomes, workforce, and service sustainability.
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