Record number of older Aussies receiving support to stay at home

MORE older Australians than ever are receiving taxpayer-funded support services and clinical care to remain in their family home for longer, new figures show.

MORE older Australians than ever are receiving taxpayer-funded support services and clinical care to remain in their family home for longer, new figures show.

New data reveals 77,918 older Australians were supported by home care packages at December last year — a 12-month increase of 13.5 per cent or 9261 places.

The latest Home Care Packages Program report shows three-quarters of people listed for home care were receiving Federal Government support either through packages or the home support program — such as domestic assistance and home maintenance, transport, meals-on-wheels and nursing services.

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More seniors are receiving help to stay at home for longer. Picture: Thinkstock

The Opposition has sharpened its attacks on the Turnbull Government since the May Budget for an ever-growing queue of senior citizens waiting for home care packages.

Labor criticised delays in releasing the official waiting list, claiming 105,000 older Australians were waiting for a package, with the average wait time for a high level package blowing out to more than a year.

The new data shows that as March 31 — 54,281 people in the queue are either in or have been assigned a home care package, albeit a lower level of care than requested.

A further 53,635 people in the queue have not been assigned a home care package but half of them — 27,817 — are accessing other Commonwealth-funded support services.

Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt says enabling older Australians to stay at home is critical to their independence. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright

Federal Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said the government was focused on supporting older Australians by boosting their financial security, helping those who want to work longer and giving them more choice in their care.

“More older Australians than ever before are being supported to stay in their own home for longer,” Mr Wyatt said.

“As our population ages, we are seeing demand for support increasing every year. That is why in this year’s Budget we committed to a record $5 billion aged care boost, including $1.6 billion for additional high-level home care packages.”

He said the total number of home care packages would rise from about 87,500 now to 151,000 by 2022 — including 34,000 more high-level packages.

Thousands of older Australians receive taxpayer-funded support for care in their homes.

Mr Wyatt said the aged care reforms and home care transparency revealed the “glaring inadequacy” of Labor’s previous Living Longer Living Better regimen.

“Under Labor, older Australians were subjected to unbearable delays in assessment and service delivery for home care support,” Mr Wyatt said.

Opposition ageing spokeswoman Julie Collins has said the Turnbull Government promised the world to older Australians but should apologise for “overpromising and under delivering”.

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