AUSTRALIA | The Government's plan to introduce 20,000 home care packages by November has been welcomed by key industry advocates.
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) welcomes the announcement by Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler that 20,000 home care packages will be released immediately.
OPAN has previously called for the release of a minimum 20,000 additional home care packages to reduce the current 87,000 people waiting up to 11 months to receive the appropriate level of home care.
OPAN Director of Policy, Education and Systemic Advocacy Samantha Edmonds said the announcement is a positive step, but more work must be done to protect and safeguard the interest of older people.
“This is good news especially in advance of the new Aged Care Act commencing on 1 November,” Edmonds said.
“Inadequate in-home care support can push older people into hospital and prematurely into residential aged care, which is unfair and avoidable. Once an older person has been approved for the appropriate level of in-home support, they typically wait another 12 months to receive it.”
Edmonds said that untenable delays such as these put older people at significant risk of adverse outcomes, and older people should not have to wait more than 30 days for in-home support.
“These delays have an adverse impact on a person’s dignity and wellbeing. We have a shared responsibility to alleviate this challenge. Australia has an ageing population, and it is crucial that our policies and laws are fit-for-purpose in 2025 and beyond. Living independently is a top priority for many older people, and the Government must deliver this.”
Minister Mark Butler hoped this meant the Government could get this legislation through the Senate.
Hon Sam Rae, Minister for Aged Care, said, throughout the reform process, the Government has taken a principled approach and was committed to the bipartisan nature of these reforms.
“With this bipartisan agreement, we get passage of the bills, we get implementation on the 1st of November, we bring forward from the 83,000 Support at Home packages that we previously funded, 20,000 that will be delivered ahead of 1st November, an additional 20,000 that get delivered across November–December, and then the balance of our Support at Home packages, the 43,000 delivered in the first half of next year,” said Rae.
“This is an excellent outcome for older people in Australia, for their families, for providers, people that work across the sector, the workers that look after the people that we love.”
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