Sep 28, 2020

Emergency leave for aged care residents extended to June 2021

 

The government has extended the time a resident can move out of an aged care facility without penalty during COVID-19.

Many families have made the decision to take their loved ones out of residential aged care during the pandemic due to the alarmingly high rates of infection occurring in these homes.

More than 2,000 aged care residents have contracted COVID-19, and 654 residents have tragically died.

In normal circumstances, aged care residents are only entitled to be away from their aged care residence for up to 52 days a year for ‘non-hospital’ reasons. This type of leave is known as ‘social leave’.

If a resident takes more than 52 days social leave, the government does not provide the resident’s subsidy to the aged care home for that person for the additional days.

The provider can then pass the cost of the government subsidy on to the resident. The government’s emergency leave arrangements prevent residents being charged for the additional days.

Emergency leave was first implemented in May, and was due to finish at the end of this month, but this morning the government has announced it will be extended until 30 June 2021.

CHSP emergency support available at home 

Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said, “Many permanent residential aged care residents want to temporarily relocate with family to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19, and the Australian Government supports that choice where appropriate.”

“By introducing this arrangement, we are giving senior Australians the option of staying with family for the duration of the emergency, without the extra worry about using or exhausting their normal social leave entitlements.”

For aged care residents who do choose to take emergency leave, emergency support at home is available through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), which can provide personal care, nursing services meals, social support, allied health and therapy services, unaccompanied grocery shopping and transport.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Extra $840 million to aged care sector to battle COVID pressures

The Federal Government has committed an extra $840 million to help the aged care sector deal with COVID-19 pressures on its workforce, but there are concerns the money will only tide it over until the end of the year. Read More

Elderly Couple Highly Distressed After Being Deliberately ‘Coughed-On’ By Youths

An elderly couple from the Hunter Region of NSW has been left “highly distressed” after they were deliberately coughed-on by a young man who was in a car full of friends. Police were told that a white Nissan Navara that was driving along Victoria Parade, Nelson Bay, slowed down before pulling up alongside the elderly... Read More

102-year-old woman discharged from hospital after beating coronavirus

As coronavirus cases increase across Greece, a 102-year-old woman, who contracted the infection in her aged care home, has beat COVID in record time. Read More
Advertisement