Aged care at home: What you should know
With the popularity of aged care at home growing and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) continuing to be rolled out, concerns remain for people with disability living in nursing homes.
Throughout Australia, more than 6,200 people with disability younger than 65 years old are living in aged care facilities.
A majority of those entering these accommodations developed their disability as adults, while 59% of the newly admitted were transferred from hospital settings.
This can see adults in their early twenties living with folks seeing out their last days in their twilight, creating a generational gap of commonality.
The social isolation is compounded by the fact that 82% rarely or never visit their friends and, heartbreakingly, 13% never go outside. This sad predicament leads to the mental health detrition of those involved.
The ability for those younger than retirement age to leave aged care and live more independently has been recognised as an area of advancement for the NDIS. The government spent $8 billion on the scheme last year and this figure is projected to grow to $22 billion per annum by 2022.
A recent Senate estimates meeting heard that roughly half (51%) of those living in aged care facilities had accessed their NDIS plan funding. The median value of 1,576 young people sampled living in aged care is $104,563 per year, but roughly $75,539 is swallowed by rent and fees for such facilities.
Another groundbreaking government incentive is the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), which allows older Australians to receive aged care at home.
The new system recognises a large number of Australians with such preferences. Like the NDIS, the programme has most significantly shifted key care decisions to individuals themselves, rather than being at the discretion of service providers as they were previously.
With the popularity of aged care facilities and retirement living facing a decline, in-home care is emerging as the way of the future with affordable and suitable services available for everyone in need.
The programme offers assistance across a range of areas including personal and health care, social support, transportation, meal preparation, yard maintenance, as well as in-home respite. It affords the elderly the opportunity to live their later years in the comfort of their own home.
Both the NDIS and the CHSP facilitate the opportunity for people with disability and the elderly to remain as independent as possible.
Orana is a well-established and non-profit organisation with more than six decades of experience enriching people’s lives. Our mission is to enable greater choice to the lifestyle you choose to live and we know how to support people.
After 65 years in the disability sector, Orana saw the community need and natural step of progression to branch into the aged care at home sector earlier this year. Our purpose remains the same – we help people to continue to be valued and productive members of the community.
With our prominent reputation and all our experience, you can be sure that your loved ones will be looked after and their needs met with our guidance.
Please click here to make contact for more information.
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