No place like home unless you need orthotic care
Unless action is taken, the exclusion of orthotists and orthoses from the Support at Home program will diminish rather than improve access to services to help older people remain at home, writes Diana Poole.
The Support at Home program is to replace Home Care Packages, aiming to streamline the process and improve access to services. Unfortunately, unless action is taken, the exclusion of orthotists and orthoses from the new program will have the opposite effect for some vulnerable Australians.
Certified orthotists and prosthetists are tertiary qualified professionals who must uphold stringent standards and participate in continuing professional development. We are entrusted with the privilege of keeping our clients as independent and mobile as possible.
We use our expertise to assess clients and prescribe, design, manufacture, fit and maintain assistive technology. We are an integral part of the healthcare team and work closely with other professions to plan and undertake interdisciplinary care.
The previous program supported older Australians to remain at home, rather than enter residential aged care. We ensure that clients with significant disabilities such as post-polio syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and post-stroke paralysis can live at home despite major mobility challenges.
This is possible because orthoses are accessible through the Home Care Package program. Orthoses allow older people to maintain independence and participate in activities such as personal care, cooking, cleaning, socialising and accessing their local community.
I am not only extremely concerned about the exclusion of orthotists from the new Support at Home program, but also that some orthoses have been left off the assistive technology list.
The assumption may be that state-based schemes will pick up the slack. However, many of these schemes have been underfunded for decades.
Older Australians – many of whom have had to survive on welfare because of their disabilities – have needed to fund large gaps of many thousands of dollars.
The introduction of My Aged Care and the National Disability Insurance Scheme was a monumental step forward, revolutionising disability care for Australian orthotic users. But this progress is in danger of being undone.
The proposed changes will not only impact the care and dignity of older Australians but exacerbate inequalities. I fear that under the new Support at Home program, we will move backwards, and more older Australians will find themselves unnecessarily in residential care.
Diana Poole is chair of the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association
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