Aged Care Minister denies changing home care rules, accused of misleading Aussies

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has denied the government made changes to the Home Care program that has left thousands of older Australians out of pocket in what they describe as a matter of “life and death”.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has been accused of misleading older Australians, after she denied the federal government had made changes to the Home Care program, following revelations by The Daily Telegraph that thousands of older Australians were now out of pocket.

Ms Wells said in a statement on Tuesday, reports the government had changed the rules for what home care recipients can claim are “incorrect and misleading”.

The Daily Telegraph revealed that residents on home care say they can no longer access services that had previously been approved. This came into effect after the release of an updated operational manual on January 13, which excluded items such as non-PBS medication, assistance with pet care and access to allied health services to people with non-age related illnesses.

Northern Beaches couple Dot Waterhouse, 70, and her husband Chris, 72, said the changes have made it much harder to live at home.

Mr Waterhouse, who has severe Parkinson’s disease, needs several non-PBS medications such as Acidophilus, which is $30 a bottle. The couple will now have to pay over $800 a year on medications that used to be free.

Chris and Dot Waterhouse at home in Wheeler Heights, Chris is on a Home care package which will no longer pay for essential medication he needs for his advanced Parkinson's disease. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Ms Waterhouse said any assistance to access the supplements stopped immediately without warning. “It was absolutely overnight,” she said.

“People with Parkinson’s have huge problems with their gut health, it can be life and death.

“These were supplements that my husband must have and the specialists require him to take.”

“The whole thing is just ridiculous, these are not people rorting the system, these are people who are elderly and sick trying to stay in their homes.”

In a further statement, Ms Wells said providers who previously approved these now excluded services should not have done so.

Federal minister for aged care Anika Wells has denied the changes. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“Several providers have, in reviewing their business practices, identified services they have been offering that should not be funded under the Home Care Package program,” she said.

Ms Waterhouse said many of the new exclusions such as non-PBS medications were approved by all providers until the release of the manual.

“Is the Minister accusing all providers of cheating the government?” she asked.

“This is insulting to the many excellent providers doing their best to support people like me and my husband.

“This poorly thought-out, hurtful document is undermining all the great changes for aged care the government did when it came in last year.”

Shadow Minister for Aged Care Anne Ruston said Ms Wells was “attempting to mislead older Australians and aged care stakeholders by downplaying the panic caused by information posted on the department’s website”.

“By posting information without appropriately consulting stakeholders about access to items within existing Home Care packages, the government have caused havoc and confusion for both aged care providers and consumers,” she said.

Other residents on home care slammed Ms Wells on Facebook, after she denied the government had changed the scheme.

“Already providers are changing things and reducing care in many ways,” wrote one user.

“This could become your Robodebt moment if you don’t start responding to people who are directly affected by these matters.”