‘Saving’ home care for QLD seniors
The federal government has stepped in to ‘save’ home care services for Queensland’s northside locals. About 3,500 northside seniors who risked losing their vital home care services such as cleaning, nurse visits and transport, will continue to receive help in their homes as a result of additional funding.
The federal government has stepped in to ‘save’ home care services for Queensland’s northside locals.
About 3,500 northside seniors who risked losing their vital home care services such as cleaning, nurse visits and transport, will continue to receive help in their homes as a result of additional funding.
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Senator Jacinta Collins, yesterday visited Medicare Local in Brisbane, announcing the federal government would provide $17 million over the next two years to guarantee Home and Community Care Services that the Queensland government recently walked away from.
“It is disappointing that the Newman government is pulling out of these services as well as residential aged care, given our rapidly ageing population,” Senator Collins said.
“The top priority is the health and wellbeing of older Australians receiving care and these people deserve to know their home care is guaranteed.”
Under the new funding arrangement, the Metro North Brisbane Medicare Local has contracted eight local community care providers to provide the services, taking over from the Queensland government’s Metro North Hospital and Health Service.
This ensures our seniors will continue to receive the full range of home support services including help with household activities like preparing meals, cleaning, ironing and lawn mowing as well as home visits by a nurse and transport.
The Medicare Local has also partnered with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health which, for the first time, has established an integrated network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care providers in southeast Queensland to coordinate care for Indigenous people.
