Australia is failing on funding, staffing and supporting older people to live at home, according to research conducted by Flinders University for the Royal Commission into Aged Care – and Denmark and Sweden are likely to have the best systems to replicate.

Both spend more than 4% of their Gross Domestic Product (based on OECD data) on aged care compared to Australia which spends just 1.2%.

Denmark and Sweden also fund their systems through local government with federal grants and local taxes with a focus on delivering care in the home – again, a contrast to Australia which has one of the highest proportions of people aged over 80 in residential aged care – around 20%.

Staffing in Australia is also at the lower end of the scale internationally, both for total staffing and nursing in residential care.

However, the Commission’s investigation into innovative models of care from overseas found there was little evidence to support many of them – so more research is needed.

Both papers – particularly the innovations paper – are essential reading though if you want an insight into the direction of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.

You can download both papers HERE.