FOR most Australians, growing older does not change where they want to be at home, surrounded by familiar faces, family, friends and the community they know.
But for more than 200,000 older Australians waiting for home care support or an assessment, getting the help needed to stay there is proving increasingly difficult.
Ageing Australia has called for an urgent review of the Support at Home system, warning older people are being left without the care they need to remain safely and independently in their own homes.
The peak body said more than 200,000 people were currently waiting for a home care package or assessment, while another 50,000 were receiving only a portion of the funding they had been promised.
Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said the situation was unacceptable and called for more packages to be released to tackle the growing backlog.
“It is heartbreaking to watch older people crying out for support they so desperately need and deserve,” Mr Symondson said.
“As a society we are judged on the way we care for older people and in these cases the system is certainly failing them.”
The organisation renewed its calls following a Four Corners investigation highlighting the experiences of older Australians struggling to access adequate assistance through the new Support at Home system.
Mr Symondson said the concern went beyond lengthy waiting lists, with questions also being raised about whether package values reflected the real cost and level of care many older Australians required.
“It’s simply not good enough,” he said.
“We need an urgent review of wait lists, wait times, and package values, as well as an urgent release of more packages to clear the backlog.
“Home care shouldn’t be rationed as it is currently, as the Royal Commission so clearly stated.”
At the heart of the debate is a simple wish shared by many older Australians – the opportunity to remain at home for as long as possible.
“People overwhelmingly want the opportunity to age in their own homes close to family and community,” Mr Symondson said.
“Ageing in the community, supported by the right services, is better for the older person, better for their families, and better for the system.”
