Program fails as young still in aged care
Fewer than 140 young Australians with disabilities have been relocated in the past four years of a five-year program aimed at moving youth out of aged care facilities and into more appropriate care centres.
Fewer than 140 young Australians with disabilities have been relocated in the past four years of a five-year program aimed at moving youth out of aged care facilities and into more appropriate care centres.
The revelation was made late last week as a result of a study carried out by Summer Foundation, which aims to find creative and innovative solutions to enable young people in nursing homes to have a choice about where they live.
Federal and state governments agreed in 2006 to move about 700 people under 50 years of age out of aged care homes under the Younger People in Residential Care Program (YPIRAC).
However, it seems the efforts have been to no avail as Summer Foundation indicates many people under the age of 50 years are still residing in these facilities.
The study’s author and Summer Foundation chief executive, Di Winkler, tells mainstream media, although the lives of those who have been helped by the program had “enormously improved”, she claims it is “unlikely” to result in the long-term reduction in the number of young people in aged care.
“Without systemic change and sustained investment in alternative accommodation options, we will continue to deny young people the right to live in an environment that meets their social, emotional and developmental needs,” Ms Winkler says.
