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Living Longer. Living Better.

Living Longer. Living Better – Aged Care Reform Package

Overview of the Aged Care Reform Package

Printable PDF version of Overview (PDF 39 KB)

May 2012

The Government is building a better, fairer and more nationally consistent aged care system.

The Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package provides $3.7 billion over five years.

$955.4 million to help people to stay at home through:

• an integrated Home Support program
• more Home Care packages with new levels of packages
• greater choice and control through Consumer Directed Care available across all new Home Care packages
• fairer means-testing arrangements for Home Care packages

$54.8 million to help carers access respite and other support.

$660.3 million to deliver better residential aged care through:

• more residential care facilities to be built
• supporting the viability of services in regional, rural and remote areas
• trialing Consumer Directed Care in residential aged care
• strengthening means testing for residential care by combining the current income and asset tests
• establishing a new Aged Care Financing Authority
• improving the Aged Care Funding Instrument

$1.2 billion to strengthen the aged care workforce.

$39.8 million to support consumers and research through:

• empowering consumers through advocacy
• better connecting the lonely and socially isolated
• improving the knowledge of older people’s care and support needs

$80.2 million to ensure better health connections through:

• complex health care
• multidisciplinary care
• service innovation

$268.4 million to tackle the nation’s dementia epidemic including:

• a new Dementia Supplement in home and residential care
• improved hospital and primary care
• increased focus on people with younger onset dementia
• reducing the time between symptoms and diagnosis

$192.0 million to support older Australians from diverse backgrounds through:

• more aged care places for Indigenous Australians
• supporting veterans with mental health problems
• training staff to be sensitive to the needs of diverse groups
• helping homeless older people stay in the community

$256.4 million to build a system for the future through:

• a new Aged Care Reform Implementation Council to drive the development and implementation of aged care reform
• establishing a new Aged Care Financing Authority
• a new Gateway to aged care services to help older Australians be more informed and better move through the system
• streamlined quality regulation
• increased powers to handle consumer complaints

This package is in part offset through means testing and redirected funding.

Further Information
For more information please visit: www.agedcareaustralia.gov.au