The Conversation Australia NZ’s Post

In a country like Australia, we all expect that when we get old, we’ll be able to rely on a robust aged care system. But aged care providers can’t find staff and a crisis is brewing. If the problem isn’t fixed, there are serious risks to quality and access to services for older people who need support. There are also broader social, economic and political consequences for undervaluing the rapidly expanding health and social assistance workforce. #workforce #agedcare

In light of the Aged Care Taskforce's Final Report, the key question arises: will older, more affluent Australians be willing to pay higher fees for accommodation and daily living expenses to support the aged care system? With the projected tripling of Australians over 80 in the next four decades, this is the proposed answer to facilitate improved care and attract increased investment to a market that must adapt to an aging population. https://lnkd.in/gPc9_p5v

🔍 Major Overhaul for Australia’s Aged Care System Announced 🔍 Australia is on the brink of significant reforms in its aged care system, with a new Aged Care Act set to replace the outdated 1997 legislation by 1 July 2024. This long-awaited update comes in response to the growing needs of Australia's ageing population, which now benefits from subsidised care services for approximately 1.5 million older individuals. The reforms aim to address the challenges of a system that has become a complex patchwork of amendments over the last 25 years. Key Highlights of the Upcoming Reforms: Rights-Based Approach: The new act will focus on the rights of older Australians, consolidating and simplifying the current fragmented legal framework. Increased Transparency and Protection: The introduction of a complaints commissioner and enhanced whistleblower protections aim to foster a safer environment for both aged care recipients and workers. Streamlined Access: A single-assessment process will replace the current multifaceted assessment system, simplifying how older individuals access the care they need. However, there are still critical aspects of the reform, such as fees, payments, and the prioritisation of care needs, that remain undefined. The challenge lies in ensuring the new act provides a robust yet flexible framework capable of sustaining high-quality care without overcomplicating the system. As these reforms unfold, the aged care sector is poised for a transformative shift that promises to make aged care more accessible, transparent, and responsive to the needs of Australia’s elderly population. Stay tuned for further updates and insights into how these changes will shape the future of aged care in Australia. Read more about the reforms here: https://lnkd.in/gbmrTmEV #AgedCareAustralia #HealthcareReform #ElderlyCare #InnovationInCare

Changes are coming for Australia’s aged care system – here’s what we know so far   Following the report generated by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Australian Government is now rewriting the Aged Care Act of 1997, with a view to the new Act commencing in July – less than five months from now. The proposed Act adopts a rights-based approach to caring for older Australians, and consolidates and simplifies multiple pieces of legislation. Here’s what we know so far about the changes that are coming: https://lnkd.in/gtmKdSw7 #agedcare #agedcareaustralia #changes

Earlier this year, an independent taskforce made 23 recommendations to save aged care in Australia so that everyone can age with dignity. In less than a week, the Federal Government will decide whether it will put these common-sense proposals into the Budget - and for the Opposition to support them too. These recommendations – including asking those who can to make a small contribution to their accommodation costs – are fair and reasonable. It will mean the difference between an aged care system where all older Australians receive high quality care, whatever their income, and an under-funded system that condemns our parents and grandparents to lower standards, less choice, and poorer outcomes. This is the chance to get aged care right, for all of us. #agedcare

The challenge Australia provides care to over 1.3 million older people, which will expand to 1.8 million within the next decade – life expectancy is increasing, and population growth is slowing, creating a perfect storm of shrinking workforce and fewer taxpayers to care for a growing population who are living longer. We are faced with a quandary that demands viable, scalable, and sustainable answers to care for our loved ones and, in time, ourselves.  The Government spends more on aged care services than it does on Medicare, and more than double what it spends on Job Seeker. The current aged care business model is in crisis, with 63% of aged care homes running at a loss, and appropriate at-home care unavailable to many older people every year due to workforce and skill shortages.  https://lnkd.in/gVkWAtAz

It’s an #agedcaretax in disguise. Don’t fall for the spin today when you read about the long delayed (because it’s unpopular and needed to wait until after a by election ) aged care taskforce report. As Charles Maskell-Knight says below, and I’ve been warning for close to a year, this announcement from the aged care taskforce report released today is simply a wealth tax on boomers. But it’s a very, very foolish government in a cost of living crisis who think they can get away with an aged care tax by stealth. Taxing super, changes to rads and home care , and user pays with no guarantees on actual care delivered. Anne Ruston a year ago called this an aged care tax and pointed out that 16 people, many with significant ties to aged care providers, chaired by the governments own minister is hardly a reliable or democratic source of information for government to act on. Especially when you read the background financials that it’s based on which have large questions around their validity and independence from consultants with possible conflicts of interest working for providers and Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care The report mentions that older people are increasingly wealthy. Really ?????? Where exactly are all these wealthy older people and kids? National Seniors Australia showed 90% of older people are feeling the pinch financially. How can they (or their kids or grandkids) afford user pay and to lose superannuation to fund any type of “extra” care. Rents are up. Houses unaffordable. 22.5% older people are in poverty, one of the worst countries in the oecd for older poverty. Women don’t have as much superannuation , especially older women. Homelessness is rising in this population especially. And safety nets in aged care aren’t well defined or accountable enoufy to actually make sure that there is any minimum level of care. Is allied health and dental an extra? We can’t afford this aged care tax. And we won’t stand for it. There isn’t any of this to pay for ndis. And taxpayers have already paid $8 billion more to have care go backwards. More aged care funding doesn’t equal more quality aged care. Anika Wells and Anthony Albanese. Stop trying to override the royal commission recommendations and what aged care advocates like Older Persons Advocacy Network, COTA Australia, Aged Care Reform Now, Aged Care Justice have been trying to tell you on behalf of older people. And keep your hands off giving our kids inheritance to greedy providers to fund age care that won’t even be delivered. #noagedcaretax #agedcaretax #stealthagedcaretax #agedcaretaskforce #agedcare #anacc #residentialagedcare #homecare #alliedhealth #olderpeoplemattee #advocacy https://lnkd.in/gtjYe8ee

In a society that frequently relies on the young helping the elderly, what will happen when there are more elderly people than young Australians? Dementia is already the second-leading cause of death in Australia. And the number of Australians living with this cruel disease is going to double by 2058. It’s also already the leading cause of disease burden for women aged 65 and over. Our ageing population is the main reason why dementia is expected to increase so sharply, and it presents a profound challenge for Australian families and our health system. A big part of the challenge is that as more people get older, there are fewer working-age Australians to pay taxes to fund the health system and social welfare programs or to work in the system themselves as doctors, nurses, aged care workers and allied health professionals. So that’s the problem — but what do we do about it? We need a clear roadmap from the government that outlines a significant investment in the health system, and a policy direction that doesn’t solely rely on the panacea of migration. #healthcare #ageing #NDIS 

The number of older Australians accessing home care has grown by 200,000 in the past 10 years ⬆️ "Ensuring dignity and security for older Australians means allowing people to choose the care that’s right for them – including staying in their own home," Treasurer Jim Chalmers said at the budget announcement in May. With more Australians choosing to age at home, how can we future-proof Australia’s care and support sector? In a recent article with Aged Care Insite, Mable's CFO Emma Clark said that over the ten years Mable has been in operation, it has seen more and more people wanting to exercise their right to choose. "The benefit really comes down to the fact that (with Mable) the clients get choice. "The client gets to choose who is actually coming in, what they're doing and when they're doing it, and it can be someone that they can forge a personal connection with," Emma said. We've just released a White Paper that examines the positive outcomes associated with allowing those who need care to dictate how, when, and where they receive it. It also examines the differences between traditional providers and unregistered online providers. Download Mable's White Paper here: bit.ly/3xPGMr3.