Consumer directed respite roll-out begins
Ageing minister, Mark Butler has handed over the first contracts for the trial project in Melbourne.
A respite centre in Melbourne has received the first contract under the Commonwealth Government’s Consumer Directed Respite Care initiative.
The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler handed the contract to the Eastern Metropolitan Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre last week.
Announced in May by former ageing minister, Justine Elliot, the program provides funding for 200 consumer directed respite care packages.
Under the program, carers will receive an individual budget of $4,200 to put towards their chosen respite services.
The program will be administered by 16 Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres around the country.
The federal government’s consumer directed care pilot will also see more than $13 million going towards 500 innovative care packages.
The consumer directed packages will be equivalent to existing Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs), Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH D) packages.
“This initiative will fund selected community aged care providers to deliver innovative service models that will provide care recipients and their carers with greater control over the design and delivery of the care and services they receive,” Mr Butler said.
“Consumer directed care has been shown to improve the quality of life and independence of care recipients.”
Mr Butler used the occasion to restate the government’s commitment to recognising and supporting the needs of carers.
