Official data shows older Australians are waiting 12 months for their correct level of Home Care Package, but a report by Anglicare Australia suggests older Australians are enduring even longer wait times to receive the care they need.
For people living in the community classified as low priority, it's taking 90 days on average to get an aged care assessment, meaning some older Australians are waiting up to 15 months from when they first register on My Aged Care to when they eventually receive the correct level of care.
Tens of thousands of older Australians' aged care needs are going unmet, according to the 'Life on the Waitlist Report' by Anglicare Australia, who are calling on the Government to release enough Home Care Packages to remove the waiting list before the introduction of Support at Home.
Anglicare Australia suggests the next MYEFO, which will likely be in either December or January, could present an opportunity for the Government to address this issue.
During the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, it was revealed that 28,000 people died while waiting for their correct level of home care to come through in 2018 and 2019.
Government funding did reduce the 102,081 wait list as of June 2020. But funding for Home Care Packages has fallen again, and as of May this year, 68,109 people had been approved for a Home Care Package but were waiting to access it, more than double the wait list of a year earlier.
With the just-announced aged care reforms not taking effect until 1 July 2025, there's little to indicate the situation will change before then.
Clearing the home care waiting list will prevent Support at Home from inheriting a waiting list that means it's "set up for failure".
You can download the report here.
