About the initiative
Aged care homes are not appropriate places for people under the age of 65 years to live.
The number of younger people living in residential aged care has reduced from more than 6,000 in 2017–18 to 880 in June 2025 (excluding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 to 64 years).
In response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, we work to ensure that no one under the age of 65 is accessing aged care services, unless they are eligible.
Eligibility for aged care services
Under the new Aged Care Act access to Australian Government-funded aged care services is limited to people with care needs who are either:
- aged 65 years and over
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and aged 50 years or over
- homeless or at risk of homelessness and aged 50 years or over
- already living in an aged care home or accessing aged care services.
Before you aged care, people who meet eligibility must be provided an opportunity to consider alternative services that may be available to meet their care needs.
Meeting our goals
We are taking several actions to help meet this target:
- Ability First Australia (AFA) established a national network of Younger People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) System Coordinators. The coordinators engage with younger people aged under 65 years living in, or historically at risk of entry to, residential aged care to find suitable accommodation and supports.
- The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) supports younger NDIS participants to find suitable accommodation and services.
- The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports on progress on reducing the number of younger people living in residential aged care.
Who we work with
To help younger people explore suitable accommodation and other supports (such as personal care or domestic assistance), we work with:
- state and territory government
- aged care and disability support providers
- NDIS planners
- AFA YPIRAC System Coordinators.
We contribute to the YPIRAC Joint Agency Taskforce to reduce the number of younger people accessing aged care services. The taskforce includes officials across the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing portfolio.
Learn more
Read how we support younger people accessing aged care services.
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