The Federal Government has two in-home care programs for those who have been assessed as eligible for support:

• the Commonwealth Home Support Services program, which provides entry-level assistance around the home
• Home Care Packages, a four-stage extra support program that provides a set amount of funding for recipients or their carers to choose whichever external services needed at each stage under a “consumer-directed” care model.

Both are desperately in need of review and increased funding if they are going to meet the needs of a growing ageing population.

As of December 2017, more than 100,000 people were already waiting – sometimes more than a year – to receive approval for their Home Care Package.

In the meantime, those on waiting lists were receiving services at levels well below that which they had been assessed as needing.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, this has led to some older and infirm Australians going into residential aged care much earlier than expected.

Conversation starter

What have been your experiences with accessing in-home support and/or home-care packages? How has that process unfolded? Are you and your loved ones satisfied with this? What would you change?