Aged care challenges in the home

November 8th 2023 | Categories: Aged Care |

However, a crackdown on what the funds can be used for and a shortage of support workers can make it challenging to understand the funding available. If you are approved for a Home Care Package you will be assessed at one of four levels. These levels acknowledge the different types of care needed. Current annual funding for packages is $10,271.10 for level one (someone with basic care needs); $18,063.85 for level two (low care); $39,310.50 for level three (intermediate care); and $59,593.55 for level four (high care).ⁱ It can take up to six months for a Home Care Package to be assigned following the initial assessment. Once assigned, a provider must be chosen to design a package of aged care services that is best and most appropriate for you – within the home care package guidelines. Providers charge care and package management fees, which were recently capped at a combined 35 per cent of the package funds.

Income tests apply

The packages are income tested, with part pensioners paying no more than $6,543.66 a year and self-funded retirees paying no more than $13,087.39 a year in fees. Full pensioners do not pay an income-tested fee. Older Australians can apply for a package directly, or through their GP, via the government’s My Age Care aged care gateway. Due to the high demand for Home Care Packages, you may be offered a lower-level package while you wait for the one you are approved for. You may also be given access to the entry-level government support known as the Commonwealth Home Support Program – where individual referral codes are allocated to you to access interim support such as cleaning, transport or personal care at highly subsidised rates. A revised manual released earlier this year by the Department of Health clarifying what a Home Care Package can be used for is presenting additional challenges for some package recipients looking to maximise what they can get.ⁱⁱ Generally, a requested support or service must meet an individual’s “ageing-related functional decline care needs”. The main categories of care and services you can get from a Home Care Package are services to keep you:

• well and independent (nursing, personal care, food),
• safe in your home (home maintenance, goods and equipment) and
• connected to your community (transport and social support).

Exclusions and inclusions

One area that is becoming more difficult for those with Home Care Packages is gardening – which is one of the most popular subsidised service requests. Once regular pruning and possibly some new planting was an approved service, but now only minor or light gardening services can be provided and only where the person was previously able to carry out the activity themselves but can no longer do so safely. For example: maintaining paths through a property or lawn mowing. Other exclusions causing angst amongst recipients are recliner chairs (unless they support a care recipient’s mobility, dexterity and functional care needs and goals); heating and cooling costs including installation and repairs; whitegoods and electrical appliances (except items designed specifically to assist with frailty, such as a tipping kettle). With an aging population, it is no secret that there is a shortage of support workers. While there are government programs to try and fix this, a backup plan is needed for when support workers call in sick or are unavailable and no replacement can be found.  

You may also be interested in our articles:

• Star ratings for Aged Care help make family choices easier
• Guide to aged care at home
• Starting the conversation about aged care
• 12 tips when discussing aged care options with loved ones this Christmas

What you need to knowThis information is provided by Invest Blue Pty Ltd. (ABN 91 100 874 744). The information contained in this article is of general nature only and does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. Therefore, before making any decision, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice regarding those matters and seek personal financial, tax and/or legal advice before acting on this information. Read our Financial Services Guide for information about our services, including the fees and other benefits that AMP companies and their representatives may receive in relations to products and services provided to you.

_{i https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/help-at-home/home-care-packages}
ii https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-04/home-care-packages-program-inclusions-and-exclusions-faqs-for-providers-version-1.pdf