FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HOME CARE REFORMS UNDERSCORES NEED

The Turnbull Government must use today’s first anniversary of the introduction of home care packages to address the growing crisis in Australia’s aged care system.

 

The latest publicly available figures on the waitlist for home care packages reveal more than 100,000 older Australians are languishing in limbo waiting for care.

 

This includes close to 79,000 older Australians waiting with high needs, many with dementia. The Turnbull Government is failing the task of caring for older Australians.

The Government’s home care package changes, as part of the Living Longer Living Better reforms, were meant to put older Australians at the centre of their care, meaning they could make decisions based on their needs rather than being told what they need.

 

Instead of doing its job and improving care options it is becoming clear the Government is now failing older Australians.  

 

The Minister for Aged Care has now known about this urgent situation for a year but has done nothing of substance to stop the growing list.

                                                                                 

The Government committed at MYEFO to address this issue in May’s Budget, but for older Australians waiting for care this will be too late.

 

Without intervention the waiting list will continue to grow, with more and more vulnerable older Australians forced into limbo without care.

 

Labor has repeatedly called on the Turnbull Government to fix this crisis as the waiting list continues to grow.

 

Older Australians waiting for a home care package deserve better.