Aged care must be COAG priority
The Campaign for Care of Older Australians (CCOA) has urged government leaders to make aged care its top priority at next week’s COAG meeting.
The Campaign for Care of Older Australians (CCOA) has called upon State and Territory leaders to restore the aged care system to good health by making it a priority at Monday’s COAG meeting.
CCOA has written to governments asking them to take action at next week’s meeting and deliver the right outcomes which will adequately address the current deficiencies in the aged care system.
“Aged care is on the sick list and won’t get better until governments treat the illness, not just some of the symptoms,” CCOA said.
“Current care subsidies and capital funding arrangements do little more than provide a drip feed for aged care services. Without an increase in funding and without funding that is needed, the problem will only worsen as the same services struggle to provide care and support for greater numbers of older people.
“Aged care needs radical treatment to restore it to good health now.”
CCOA said that although the Prime Minister’s proposals made good head way to addressing the main issues confronting residential and community aged care services, much more reform is needed.
“Victorian Premier John Brumby acknowledged the serious deficiencies in the aged care system during his Canberra address today,” the group said.
“He correctly stated that new beds are not being built because the federal funding formula is not right. We have asked Mr Brumby and his counterparts across Australia to support better outcomes for older people which can, in part, be achieved through the right terms of reference for the long awaited Productivity Commission inquiry into aged care.
“The terms of reference must include setting and maintaining realistic funding levels for all the care people need as they age, including user contributions for those with a capacity to contribute to the cost of their care and accommodation. Without these measures there will not be enough aged care services to support the rest of our hospital and health care system.
CCOA advocate that the Productivity Commission inquiry must now firmly establish a “sustainable system which really is geared to deliver access and choice to older people and their families”.
“Older people deserve access to high quality services; the ability to exercise choice in how their needs are met and not to have to spend a day longer than they need to in hospital.”
CCOA comprises 11 national organizations, including Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA); Aged Care Association Australia (ACAA); Catholic Health Australia (CHA), and eight other church and charitable groups that provide community and residential aged care, and housing.
