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Living Longer. Living Better – Supporting Carers

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May 2012

Key Points

The Australian Government is funding more respite care and counselling support for carers. An additional 6,500 carers will benefit in 2012-13, rising to nearly 16,000 additional carers by 2015-16.

Existing arrangements for accessing respite care and other support are complex and difficult to navigate, and do not provide the level of access and flexibility that carers need. The Government will work with consumers and providers to make respite care services more flexible and available, wherever people live. These new arrangements will become part of the Government’s new Home Support Program and will offer innovative, flexible models of care and support.

The Government is establishing a network of Carer Support Centres to complement the new My Aged Care website and the national call centre. The Carer Support Centres will provide information, education and training, counselling and appropriate referral to other services for carers. They will also manage emergency respite, but will work with carers to address their needs in a planned way, reducing their need for emergency support.
The Government will provide $54.8 million over five years to expand and reform carer support services including to:

• expand both emergency and planned respite care currently funded under the National Respite for Carers Program;
• increase carer counselling; and
• establish a network of Carer Support Centres around Australia.

Implementation arrangements:

Additional funding for respite and carer counselling services will be provided from 1 July 2012.

In 2013-14, the Department will conduct an open, competitive process to establish the network of Carer Support Centres, with the Centres themselves commencing operations from 2014-15.

Over the next two years, the Government will work with consumers and providers to streamline existing respite care programs. This will become an important component of the new Home Support program.

Improving support for carers

The Government is delivering on its commitment to make aged care reform a second term priority, with a reform package that provides $3.7 billion over the next five years.

Carers play a critical role within the aged care system, and in the broader disability support system, providing most of the care received by older Australians. In 2009, there were around 2.6 million informal carers in Australia. Supporting carers is essential to enabling older people to remain living at home longer.

Research reveals that carers have the lowest health and well-being of any group. Demand for carer counselling and respite services far outstrips supply.

These reforms build on existing Government investments which include:

• a projected more than $2 billion over the next five years for respite services in the home, in centres, and in aged care homes; and
• more than $35 million over five years for carer information, support and counselling services.

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