Anglicare Australia has told a Senate Inquiry that older Australians cannot afford to keep waiting for the care they need.
Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs Inquiry into Aged Care Service Delivery, Anglicare Australia’s Executive Director Kasy Chambers said that the home care wait list has now blown out to over 87,000 people. Some are waiting as long as 15 months for support.
“These long waits mean that tens of thousands of older Australians are going without vital care,” Ms Chambers said.
“We hear from people who are pushed into residential care before they’re ready, or end up in hospital as their health deteriorates while they wait. That is cruel and unnecessary. Time is the one thing older Australians don’t have.”
Anglicare Australia has welcomed the Government’s new Support at Home program, due to start in November. But Ms Chambers warned that the new system is being set up to fail if the existing backlog isn’t cleared first.
“Our message is simple. If the new system starts with a massive waiting list already on the books, it will be weighed down from day one,” Ms Chambers said.
“We are calling on the Government to release more Home Care Packages to bring down the wait list before Support at Home begins.
“We are also calling for a clear schedule for the more than 80,000 packages promised in the first year of the new program. Our Network is ready to deliver, but we need to know how many packages are needed and where. A roadmap would ensure older people and their families have certainty.
“This is a critical investment that will help older Australians get the care they need, when they need it, and where they need it. Clearing the wait list before the new system begins is the best way to set it up for success,” Ms Chambers said.