Aged care to ‘come home’ with $100m boost

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13 September 2007
CP100/07

Almost 4,000 new aged care places have been allocated by the Australian Government to help older people continue living in their own homes, the Minister for Ageing, Christopher Pyne, announced today.

“The Australian Government understands the desire of a growing number of older people to remain at home as they age. The places announced today are the first instalment of an estimated 32,000 new aged care places that will be allocated over the next three years.

“The allocations announced today include over 3,300 community care places, in the form of Community Aged Care Packages and Extended Aged Care at Home packages, that will provide the equivalent of both low- and high-level residential aged care services to people – but in their own homes.

“We’ve also allocated more than 670 Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia packages, which provide the equivalent of high-level residential care for frail older people with dementia who wish to – and are able to – continue to live at home.

“I am pleased to say that these new allocations include more than 2,400 places that provide for people with special needs - including almost 1,500 places in regional, rural and remote areas.

“Overall, these new places are worth $98.5 million a year. In addition $1.8 million in grants have been allocated to community care providers ” Mr Pyne said.

“The places are an investment made under the Australian Government’s $1.6 billion Securing the future of Aged Care for Australians reform package,” Mr Pyne said.

“We’ve raised the bar. As part of this package, the Government has increased the aged care planning benchmark from 108 to 113 places provided for every 1,000 people over 70 years or over, with the community care component increasing from 20 to 25 places by June 2011. Overall, the Government has increased the number of community care places from just 4,441 in 1996 to more than 42,000 by June 2007. This is an increase of more than 37,000, or nine times as many places as there were in 1996.”

Following a competitive assessment of applicants, the department has allocated the new aged care places to providers best able to demonstrate their ability to provide quality aged care services to the ageing community within particular regions.

During the 2007-08 financial year, the Australian Government has made available more than 10,700 new residential and community aged care places, as well as capital grants of up to $39.4 million.

The balance of the 2007 allocations, in the form of residential aged care places and capital grants, are expected to be announced before the end of the calendar year.

A summary table of the new allocations follows.

Details of the new community care allocations are available at www.health.gov.au/acar2007

Media contact: Adam Howard 0400 414 833

Note to Editors

Summary of community care place allocations - 2007 ACAR

Note: As at 13 September 2007, these places include 62 deferred allocations; the allocations are deferred pending finalisation of the relevant approved provider status application process. The deferred allocations comprise 35 Community Aged Care Packages in Queensland, 20 Community Aged Care Packages in Western Australia and two Extended Aged Care at Home and five Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia packages in Tasmania. As the approved provider applications are progressively approved, the departmental website, listing the details of the successful applicants in the 2007 Aged Care Approvals Round will be updated.