2 days ago
Calls for urgent home support packages after aged care reform delay
The government is under pressure to fund at least 20,000 new at-home care packages for older Australians who need additional support, after the implementation of sweeping sector-wide aged care reforms were postponed.
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."
