The Federal Government has allocated $57 million over four years for the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program (HACDSP), aimed at improving outcomes for hospital patients with dementia who may have their discharge delayed.

Under the HACDSP, HammondCare's Dementia Support Australia will provide practical, in-person dementia behaviour support and advice to hospital and aged care staff, and to the participant and their family or carers during their hospital stay, when transitioning out of hospital, and following hospital discharge for up to three months.

The HACDSP will support participants moving into residential aged care and who are returning to receive home care in the community.

The aim of the HACDSP is to ensure the transition into aged care is successful for the provider, the older person and their family and carers: in blunt terms, they don't go back to hospital.

"The HACDSP will also undertake prevention activities aimed to reduce avoidable escalation of behaviours in hospital, coordinate sector support activities and develop region specific solutions to discharge barriers," a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Aged Care told The SOURCE.

Early operations have begun in Hobart and Adelaide, with Dementia Support Australia beginning to receive referrals from Royal Hobart Hospital and for patients across local health networks in Adelaide.

Further locations will be onboarded "in coming months", according to the spokesperson. In total, the HACDSP will eventually operate in 11 locations across all States and Territories.

The Program will support "all eligible referrals received from hospitals in participating locations".

Other Federal Government programs aimed at helping older people transition from hospital or preventing avoidable admissions include:

• The Transition Care Programme which provides short term care, for up to 12 weeks, to help older people recover after a hospital stay
• The Short-Term Restorative Care Programme which provides support for up to eight weeks, to help older people continue to live at home rather than go into care
• The Government is also spending $610.4 million through state-proposed initiatives aimed at improving supports for older Australians at risk of or currently experiencing delayed discharge from hospital

Find more about HACDSP here.