Evaluation of the consumer - directed care initiative - Final Report
2.2 Community aged care and respite environment
Table of contents
- Executive summary
- Glossary
1 Introduction
2 The consumer-directed care initiative- 3 Evaluation of the consumer-directed care initiative
- 4 Profile of participants and the supports they accessed
- 5 Implementation and operation of the initiative
- 6 Impact of the initiative for CDC participants and their carers
- 7 Impact of the initiative for CDRC participants and the people they care for
- 8 Impact on providers and the broader service system
- 9 Cost assessment and cost-effectiveness of the initiative
- 10 Key findings
- 11 Lessons learnt and strategies for consideration
- Appendices
- References
The Australian Government funds community aged care and respite services to assist frail older people, and the carers of frail older people, to remain living at home:
- Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) are individual packages of care and services for frail older people requiring support wishing to remain living in their own home. CACPs provide an alternative to low level residential aged care.
- Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) packages provide a higher level of support and assistance that is an alternative to high level residential aged care.
- Extended Aged Care at Home, Dementia (EACHD) packages target people living with dementia who experience behaviours of concern and psychological symptoms associated with dementia which impact on their ability to live independently. This is an alternative to high level, dementia-specific residential care.
The National Respite for Carers Program (NRCP) commenced in 2004. It provides funding for Commonwealth Carelink and Respite Centres, which provide information and support to carers as well as referral to respite services. The program also funds direct and indirect respite services for carers (direct services include in-home, centre-based and residential respite services; indirect services include other services not directly related to caring, but which give carers assistance with or relief from their caring role). NRCP services particularly target carers of people living with dementia (including those with challenging behaviour), carers of frail older people, carers of younger people with moderate to profound disability, and people with terminal illness.
There are several identified special needs groups for community aged care and NRCP services identified in the Aged Care Act: people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, financially and socially disadvantaged people, and people living in rural and remote areas. Additional special needs groups for community aged care are people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, veterans, and people who lived in care during their formative years (care-leavers or ‘Forgotten Australians’).