Will $2.8 Million Investment Make “My Aged Care” Portal Better for Older Australians?

My Aged Care has been a challenging experience for many users seeking help and assistance in navigating the aged care sector.

The online portal is the main entry point to the aged care system in Australia. According to the Department of Health “My Aged Care aims to make it easier for older people, their families, and carers to access information on ageing and aged care, have their needs assessed and be supported to find and access services”.

The aim of My Aged Care was to provide older people with streamlined access to quality aged care services. However, this has not been the case for many who find that there is a lack of information and difficulty in getting help.

To improve the system, the Government will invest $2.8 million in detailed business case planning for a major project to further develop and improve My Aged Care.

Continuing modifications of My Aged Care aim to make it even more responsive and benefit the more than 1.2 million older people, their families and representatives who use it each year.

Some complaints have even included the confusing or inadequate information on the government’s portal.

Though the provider organisations are listed on the My Aged Care website, many have not provided further information about costs or services, or even a web address.

Instead of making the process easier, many people have had to phone several different providers to compare services and costings.

My Aged Care is also used by more than 2,000 aged care assessors, 3,500 service providers and thousands of healthcare professionals.

The Government have acknowledged that further My Aged Care improvements are required to keep pace with the increasing demands of our growing ageing population.

The business case will take into account input from consumers, service providers, assessors and health professionals, with the aim of making the website and information service more functional, through:

• Faster and better-integrated connections to providers, for people assessed as in need of care
• More efficient processes for health professionals and service providers, aimed at helping to reduce cost pressures
• Improved consumer choice, through more online self-service options
• Maintaining a stable ICT platform so My Aged Care can continue to service increased demand

This investment builds on the Government’s recent $20 million My Aged Care investment, to help speed up aged care assessments and respond to consumer and sector feedback.

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