Waiting lists for older people who need home care have blown out again. Twice as many people are now waiting for a Commonwealth Home Care Package as last year. Home care packages help older people with more significant needs to live independently at home and in the community.
Four levels of care are available. Level 1 provides up $10,000 per year for services such as allied health, social support and transport with limited assistance for housework and meals. Level 4 provides up to $60,000 per year for personal and social support and a range of health services for older people with complex health, personal and social needs living at home.
An aged care assessment is required to get a package. Packages are means tested and users are expected to contribute a daily fee, income tested fees and additional fees for services not covered by their package. But the federal government caps the number of home care packages it provides.
When demand exceeds supply, waiting times blow out . In December 2023, 270,000 older people had a home care package – an increase of 14% since December 2022. But demand for home care packages continued to grow much faster than the increase in the number of packages.
The number of people on the waiting list increased from 30,000 to 51,000 . That would not be a problem if waiting times were acceptable. But they aren’t.
Once older people are assessed as eligible, it takes around one to three months to get a level 1 or 2 package, but more like 12 months to g.
