Sep 26, 2022

More Home Care Packages isn’t enough to fix aged care sector

26_9_22 home care packages

By June 2023, 40,000 more packages will be available to allow older Australians access to affordable care services and remain at home for longer.

While the release of the next round of Home Care Packages will allow more older Australians to access services and supports at home, there is some concern that the ongoing workforce shortages may impact this rollout.

Ian Henschke, National Seniors Chief Advocate, said the organisation has welcomed the additional packages, but there is still a shortage of workers willing to go into the sector, meaning there would be no one to do the work required to care for older people at home.

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) released research that estimated the sector was losing 65,000 direct aged care workers per year.

Mr Henschke said the Federal Government’s priority should be on facilitating paid traineeships, particularly for older people who still wish to work, to combat workforce shortages.

“The Government has to do more and put a bigger emphasis on training and paid traineeships,” Ms Henschke said. 

“We [National Seniors] recommend a national mature age traineeship program to attract quality mature age home care workers.

“Most people over 65 still wish to work about two-to-three days because of the rising cost of living and are likely to have more empathy if they have had to care for their own parents.”  

The Federal Government introduced changes to the Age Pension at this month’s Jobs and Skills Summit to allow pensioners to earn an additional $4,000 for this financial year without losing their pension.

This decision was welcomed by National Seniors, but Mr Henschke said it was not going to be implemented long enough to see any benefits. 

“How do we get the workers [for home care services] and the training?” he said. 

“This is a systemic problem that requires a systemic solution.” 

Older people need to get assessed

Even with ongoing staffing issues in the aged care sector, older Australians should be preparing early and getting assessed so they can access the soon-to-be-released Home Care Packages.

Simon Lockyer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of national home care provider, Five Good Friends, said the release of these new 40,000 HCPs should be considered by every older Australian who needs help to live independently at home.

He recommends older people to undergo an assessment and put in a Home Care Package submission as soon as possible.

“Research proves, for every hour of home care service a person receives, it reduces the risk of entry into residential care by 6%,” Mr Lockyer said.

“Depending on which service you’re suited to and where you live it can take up to 12 weeks to have your aged care needs assessed.

“It currently can take up to six months to establish eligibility and which Home Care Package funding is available to you, and we expect these wait times to lengthen as demand grows.”

For more information on Home Care Packages, visit the My Aged Care website. 

Leave a Reply

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

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Why Aged Care Will Change for the Better After COVID-19

All industries have been impacted in some shape or form due to COVID-19, but few have felt the impact quite like the senior, or aged, care industry. The combination of a population at a unique risk to the disease, as well as our initial lack of scientific understanding of the disease, have led to a lot of loss, and uncertainty about how well these facilities can protect their residents. Read More

Aged care ‘serious risk’ warnings have more than doubled this year

The number of ‘serious risk’ notices that have been issued so far this year by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency is already more than twice the number issued last year. A ‘serious risk’ notice is issued if an aged care home fails to meet one of the industry’s 44 standards, and the chief executive of the... Read More

Aged care residents experience the value of play through theatre classes

Playing up happens every Saturday morning for residents at Uniting’s The Marion aged care facility in Leichhardt, Sydney. Read More
Advertisement