The Morrison Liberal Government is delivering for senior Australians through a $537 million funding investment, responding to the three priority areas identified in the Aged Care Royal Commission Interim Report.
Liberal Senator for Victoria, Sarah Henderson, welcomed the major funding boost, which will deliver 10,000 new home care packages, improve medication management for aged care residents with dementia and facilitate getting younger people out of residential aged care.
“Delivering quality aged care is a priority for people so I’m very pleased our Government is providing more support in these three priority areas identified by the Aged Care Royal Commission,” Senator Henderson said.
“Families want the confidence to know that their loved ones will be treated with dignity and respect when they need care and the Morrison Liberal Government is committed to delivering it.”
The Government’s funding package includes the following measures;
- investing $496.3 million for an additional10,000 home care packages;
- providing $25.5 million to improve medication management programs to reduce the use of medication as a chemical restraint on aged care residents and at home and new restrictions and education for prescribers on the use of medication as a chemical restraint;
- delivering $10 million for additional dementia training and support for aged care workers and providers, including to reduce the use of chemical restraint; and
- investing $4.7 million to help meet new targets to remove younger people with disabilities from residential aged care.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said the new home care packages would support more seniors choosing to live independently.
“These 10,000 new packages will be rolled out from 1 December 2019 and will help more seniors to live in their own homes for longer. The additional packages are strongly weighted towards people with highest needs, as recommended by the Royal Commission,” Minister Colbeck said.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said new funding measures would also support stronger restrictions of the use of medication as a chemical restraint.
“There is a concerning over-reliance on the use of chemical restraint in aged care. To reduce the inappropriate prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs we will be providing nearly 200,000 more medication management reviews, plus delivering more education and training to aged care workers to better manage dementia patients so that restraint is only ever used as a last resort,” Minister Hunt said.
Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Stuart Robert, said the new package will help end the flow of younger people with disabilities into residential aged care.
“Under the package announced today, the Morrison Government will implement targets to end the flow of younger people under age 65 entering residential aged care by 2022 and assist in ensuring that no people under the age of 65 are living in residential aged care by 2025, except in exceptional circumstances,” Minister Robert said.
Full details of the Government’s Aged Care Royal Commission Interim Report response package is available here: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/response-aged-care-royal-commission-interim-report.
26 November 2019
Media contact:
Senator Henderson – Kerry Ridgeway 0408 316 298