The Australian government is committed to ensuring no younger person (under the age of 65) lives in residential aged care unless there are exceptional circumstances. The aged care system is designed to support the needs of older people and is not designed for younger people.

On 25 November 2019, in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s interim report, Neglect, the Australian government announced strengthened Younger People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) targets and an intention to develop a strategy to meet those targets.

The Australian Government’s YPIRAC targets, apart from in exceptional circumstances, seek to ensure there are:

• no people under the age of 65 entering residential aged care by 2022;
• no people under the age of 45 living in residential aged care by 2022; and
• no people under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by 2025.

The experiences and needs of younger people living in residential aged care, their families and carers, are central to the YPIRAC Strategy. The strategy recognises and prioritises the rights of people to determine where and how they choose to live. The strategy also recognises that a younger person’s preference to remain in residential aged care may change over time as they see clear pathways to age-appropriate accommodation.

The strategy will guide concrete actions to reduce the number of younger people entering residential aged care and support those already living in residential aged care to move into age-appropriate accommodation with the supports they need. The strategy builds on the 2019 YPIRAC Action Plan and will extend and improve upon previous initiatives.