Calls for urgent home support packages after aged care reform delay
A group of 10 crossbenchers have written to the government calling for the additional packages to be made available from next month, a push that has been backed by the aged care sector and advocates.
Under the aged care reforms — which passed parliament in November with bipartisan support — 83,000 home support packages were due to be rolled out from July.
But the government announced last week that it would delay the implementation of the wider reforms until November to allow for a smooth transition and allay concerns from the sector.
While providers and advocates welcomed the extension for the most part, they have raised concerns that the four-month delay would worsen the existing backlog of people waiting for at-home supports.
About 80,000 people are currently on the waitlist for home care packages, with some people waiting a year for their correct supports to help with things like cleaning, cooking and showering.
Independent Senator David Pocock, who was part of the group that wrote the letter to the government, warned on Wednesday that "people are dying on the waitlist".
While he said delaying the majority of reforms was a good thing, he argued there is "absolutely no reason" to hold off on the home care packages.
"The government has already budgeted for this," he said.
"They need to bring that part of the reform forward so people can actually age at home with dignity rather than ending up in hospital or in aged care facilities, which are far more expensive."
Fellow independent Helen Haines said the longer the wait for services, the bigger the backlog will grow.
"The longer that they wait, the higher the chances are of further deterioration in their health and in many cases, people have a premature entry into residential aged care," she said.
Canberra resident Kaye Pritchard has seen first-hand what the waitlist for at-home support means for the people that need it.
Her cousin, Robin Rawson, was 93 when she died in April last year after being approved for a level four home care package — the highest one available.
She had been told it would take six to nine months before she would be able to access that additional support.
"I can remember her saying at the time, 'well, that's not much use to me because I'm going to be dead by then,'" Ms Pritchard said.
"And she certainly was within the next couple of months. She deteriorated and passed away without ever receiving any of the benefits that she needed in those crucial last weeks of her life."
Ms Pritchard said her cousin wanted to stay at home and the additional supports would have given her peace of mind that she could "die with dignity".
"Six to nine months to wait for a package for someone who is terminally ill is just not good enough," she said.
The reworked Support at Home Program is designed to shorten wait times for home care packages and lift funding for the highest classification of need up from $60,000 to $78,000 a year.
It will provide support for nursing care, occupational therapy, help with showering or taking medications, and everyday living like cleaning and gardening, as the government aims to help more people stay in their homes for longer.
Those packages will also be subject to greater means testing, which will vary depending on individual circumstances.
Tom Symondson, the chief executive of peak body Ageing Australia, warned that the waitlist would grow to over 100,000 people if the packages are held up until November.
"We need to see packages start to flow," he said. "We just can't have people waiting longer than they already are."
Craig Gear, head of the Older Person Advocacy Network, told the ABC that many people want to be able to age at home.
"And we also know that the residential aged care system, it's under a lot of pressure and it's pretty full at the moment," he said.
"So we need to help support people to stay in their home as long as they can."
Aged Care Minister Sam Rae did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.
But Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler last week said the government had decided to push back the start date after listening to the sector.
"We need to think about a delay of a few months to ensure that all of the systems are in place to deliver a smooth transition to the new laws, and also that older Australians are fully informed about what those new laws will mean for them," he said.
"Nonetheless, what we see into the future is a once-in-a-generation reform to the aged care system that will deliver high quality, world class aged care services to older Australians who have built this community."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Preventable': Disturbing statistics reveal deadly problem across major state
Victoria has been rocked by the highest number of fatal overdoses in a decade, with nearly 600 residents dying from drug overdoses last year alone. Ten years ago, illicit drugs contributed to less than half of all overdose deaths. In 2024, the Coroners Court found this figure increased to 65.6 per cent. Ten years ago, illicit drugs contributed to less than half of all overdose deaths. In 2024, the Coroners Court found this figure increased to 65.6 per cent. It's a figure increasing yearly, with 584 Victorian residents dying from drug overdoses in 2024, up from 547 the year before and 552 in 2022. Heroin contributed to 248 deaths in the state, and 215 deaths were related to methamphetamine – a stat that has tripled since 2015. The majority of all overdose deaths occurred in metropolitan Melbourne, with about 75 per cent being unintentional. Monash University Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri told NewsWire the bleak new figures were a reminder of the lack of treatment available for opioid addictions. 'Each of these 584 deaths represents a life lost unnecessarily,' she said. 'Behind every statistic is someone's loved one, a friend, a sibling, a parent.' Worryingly, the majority of the fatal overdoses were men, who made up two-thirds of total deaths over the past decade. Ms Arunogiri said there was a 'strong connection' between drug abuse and mental health, especially if people lacked access to mental health support and effective treatment and instead turned to substances as their 'only available relief'. 'People often turn to substances as a way of coping with untreated trauma, anxiety, depression or other psychological distress,' she said. 'This is why integrated care that treats both mental health and substance use is so important.' The increase in fatal heroin and methamphetamine overdoses was 'particularly concerning', Ms Arunogiri said, as harm reduction methods were available to prevent further deaths. 'The positive here is that solutions do exist, we just need to implement what works,' she said. 'Expanding medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction must be a priority, given heroin's role as the top contributor.' Ms Arunogiri said lifesaving medications needed to be provided at a faster rate to prevent overdoses. 'Medications like methadone and buprenorphine can reduce the risk of overdose, but people often face long waits for care,' she said. 'Effective measures like drug checking and expanding access to opioid overdose reversal medications, such as naloxone, is also critical.' Penington Institute chief executive John Ryan said 'too many Australians are dying from preventable drug overdoses' and argued governments were '(refusing) to fully embrace measures to drive down this horrific toll'. 'We're still not spending enough money on proven harm reduction initiatives like drug testing, supervised injecting, community education and the wide provision of the anti-overdose drug naloxone,' he said. In May, the Victorian government introduced its take-home naloxone program, which was expanded across 50 needle and syringe program providers, including over the counter at pharmacies, at the Medically Supervised Injecting Room and via prescription to expand access to the medication. Ms Arunogiri said these were 'important steps' to preventing further harm. 'These evidence-based interventions are crucial, but we need further investment to make sure everyone can access the health care they need,' she said. 'The most devastating thing is that we know these deaths were preventable. 'We understand what works – effective medications, harm reduction services, early intervention, but we need to remove the barriers that keep people from accessing the healthcare we all deserve.'
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- News.com.au
How king of spin Shane Warne is saving thousands of Aussies in his ultimate legacy
Shane Warne will be remembered as one of Australia's all-time sporting greats – but his greatest legacy may be saving thousands of lives. The spin king died suddenly of a heart attack while holidaying in Thailand in March 2022. His death shocked the nation and untold millions of cricket lovers across the globe. But it also spurred the launch of the Shane Warne Legacy, which over the summer rolled out a national heart health screening initiative. The foundation hopes that Warne's untimely death can be a catalyst for change and help Australians identify the warning signs. As part of the initiative, over 76,000 Australians were screened at pharmacies across the country and the Boxing Day Test. The results of the Monash University-led study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, have revealed that seven out of 10 Australians screened had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 'They identified thousands of Australians at risk, many of whom hadn't had a blood pressure check in the past year,' Dr Sean Tan said. 'Meeting people where they are, whether that's at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes.' The checks found that just shy of 69 per cent of people had a risk factor for heart disease such as elevated blood pressure, being overweight or obese, or smoking. It also found half of the people with high blood pressure hadn't had a check in the last year. Helen Nolan, Warne's long-time personal assistant and now the CEO of the Shane Warne Legacy, said she hoped the leg spin great's death could be lead to change. 'Shane was loved by Australians from all walks of life and we knew we had a platform to do something meaningful,' Ms Nolan said. 'These results are bittersweet. We're proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously but we know there's still work to do. Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference.'
The Australian
11 hours ago
- The Australian
Shane Warne: How spin king is saving thousands of Aussies
Shane Warne will be remembered as one of Australia's all-time sporting greats – but his greatest legacy may be saving thousands of lives. The spin king died suddenly of a heart attack while holidaying in Thailand in March 2022. His death shocked the nation and untold millions of cricket lovers across the globe. But it also spurred the launch of the Shane Warne Legacy, which over the summer rolled out a national heart health screening initiative. The foundation hopes that Warne's untimely death can be a catalyst for change and help Australians identify the warning signs. Spin king Shane Warne. Photo: AP/Themba Hadebe. As part of the initiative, over 76,000 Australians were screened at pharmacies across the country and the Boxing Day Test. The results of the Monash University-led study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, have revealed that seven out of 10 Australians screened had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 'They identified thousands of Australians at risk, many of whom hadn't had a blood pressure check in the past year,' Dr Sean Tan said. 'Meeting people where they are, whether that's at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes.' The checks found that just shy of 69 per cent of people had a risk factor for heart disease such as elevated blood pressure, being overweight or obese, or smoking. Shane Warne's daughters Brooke and Summer Warne with one of the check up machines at the MCG. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw It also found half of the people with high blood pressure hadn't had a check in the last year. Helen Nolan, Warne's long-time personal assistant and now the CEO of the Shane Warne Legacy, said she hoped the leg spin great's death could be lead to change. 'Shane was loved by Australians from all walks of life and we knew we had a platform to do something meaningful,' Ms Nolan said. 'These results are bittersweet. We're proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously but we know there's still work to do. Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference.' Steve Zemek Court reporter Steve Zemek began his career in his native Queensland before moving to Sydney with Australian Associated Press in 2014. He worked as an NRL journalist for five seasons, covering the game all over Australia and in New Zealand before making a career pivot towards court reporting in 2019. He joined NCA NewsWire in mid 2020 as a Sydney-based court reporter where he has covered some of the state's biggest cases. @stevezemek
