Strong leap in demand for community care

Posted November 23rd 2010

by DPS

A new census by the Department of Health and Ageing, the 2008 Community Care Census, casts new light on the needs of Australia’s care recipients, their carers, and the type of services they receive.

In releasing the details, the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler said, “The 2008 findings reflect a shift in policy following the 2002 census, including a commitment to growth of care in the home as an alternative to residential care”.

He said the findings provided a more holistic view of clients, their relationships with carers and their passage into and through various types of care.

Community Aged Care Packages (CACP), Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACHD) programs are targeting older people with complex care needs who wish to continue living in the community.

The census found:

The number of CACP clients grew by more than 10,000 since 2002, with most growth being in the older age groups. There were around 18 packaged care recipients aged 70 years and over for every 1,000 people in this age group.
The average hours of assistance provided was 6.5 hours per week, 16.2 hours per week and 17.5 hours per week for CACP, EACH and EACHD programs respectively.
Care recipients were most likely to require assistance with activities related to independent living, with more than 90% requiring assistance with housework and shopping. More than 95% of higher care recipients (EACH and EACHD) required assistance in other areas, such as getting to places out of walking distance. More than 95% of EACHD recipients also required assistance with medicines, travel, handling money, and with memory and organisational skills.
In 2008, 63% of CACP recipients lived alone compared to 32 and 24% of care recipients in EACH and EACHD programs respectively.
Around 58% of total care recipients were reported as having a primary carer (55% for CACP, 79% for EACH, and 87% for EACHD).
Nearly half (47%) of National Respite for Carers Program care recipients were reported as receiving assistance from other programs. The most common other programs through which services were delivered were the Home and Community Care Program (43% of all instances of assistance provided) and packaged care (22%).

Mr Butler said, “The release of this publication is opportune, as its findings can assist the Productivity Commission in conducting the most comprehensive inquiry into aged care in decades.

“The findings will also inform reforms to the aged care sector as the Gillard Labor Government takes on full policy and funding responsibility to build a more seamless national aged care system.”