Older citizens will be given more support and options to live their golden years with dignity.
Following a ground-breaking agreement with the Coalition, the federal government will help Australians live at home for longer and improve conditions and protections for people living in aged care facilities.
A $5.6 billion reform package will be the biggest improvement in aged care in 30 years, according to Premier Anthony Albanese.
“It’s about looking after the generation that looked after us,” he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
“We will deliver historic reforms to aged care to ensure the sustainability and quality of our aged care system and support the growing number of older Australians who choose to retain their independence and remain at home as they age.”
A $4.3 billion package called Support at Home will come into effect from July and is expected to help 1.4 million Australians live independently at home with support before entering an aged care facility by 2035.
You will provide nursing support, occupational therapy, and daily tasks such as cleaning, showering, dressing, and shopping.
The government will pay the full cost of clinical care services, while individuals will make means-tested payments for services related to daily living and independence.
Reforms have been announced to help Australians live at home for longer and improve conditions and protections for people residing in aged care facilities (file image)
Anthony Albanese has announced a $5.6 billion reform package that he says will be the biggest improvement in aged care in 30 years.
A new lifetime contribution limit of $130,000 will apply to non-clinical care costs.
Those who use the Support at Home program could also receive $25,000 in assistance to spend their final three months at home, rather than in a hospital.
Over the next four decades, the number of Australians aged 65 and over is expected to double and the number of those aged 85 and over is projected to triple.
But residential aged care providers are struggling to stay afloat and a task force report found the sector would need $56 billion to upgrade facilities and build the additional rooms needed to meet projected demand.
The Labour government will introduce reforms to ensure that aged care providers can attract investment and keep facilities open.
Laws will be introduced to protect the rights of Australians living in aged care facilities, along with a regulator with investigative powers.
The rights of older Australians to aged care will be enshrined in laws that providers will be obliged to uphold.
New quality standards for elderly care will be implemented to improve the sector and promote higher quality care.
The number of Australians aged 65 and over is expected to double over the next four decades
The agreement on elderly care will establish a principle of not harming people already in care facilities.
With the changes, annual growth in government spending on elder care will moderate from 5.7 percent to 5.2 percent.
For every dollar each person contributes to senior care, the federal government will contribute an average of $3.30 for residential care and $7.80 for in-home support.
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said the changes would lead to more services for older Australians.
“Our reforms will create better, safer care and help reduce fear of a system that has been neglected for too long,” he said.
Aged care providers have welcomed the reforms, although some have suggested the new legislation should include criminal penalties for serious harm and negligence.