This report shows how prolonged wait times for home care have an extensive impact on all areas of the community. In surveying aged care providers across the country, it has found that none are able to meet demand within their own communities, and that funding constraints are the key cause of this shortfall.

The results show the importance of the Government’s recently announced investment in the Support at Home program, which alongside other reforms, will greatly improve Australians’ access to the care they need. However, the report also shows that the Support at Home program should not be forced to inherit what the current system has been unable to provide.

The report calls on the Government to fund the release of the necessary amount of Home Care Packages to remove the wait list prior to the commencement of Support at Home. It is believed that this will stop the new system from being set up for failure by inheriting a waiting list that the new injection of funds will not be able to clear. Releasing new Home Care Packages, coupled with the reforms underway to the aged care system, will provide older people with the support and care that they need.