The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety inquired into the issue of younger people with disability residing in residential aged care (RAC). The Royal Commission found RAC was not an appropriate place for a vast majority of younger people. No younger person should have to live in residential aged care. Many younger people living in residential aged care experience isolation, desperation and loneliness. The Australian Government responded to this by announcing a target of ‘no people under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by January 2025’.

This evaluation assessed the appropriateness, effectiveness and sustainability of Australian Government-funded initiatives introduced since 2019 to reduce the number of younger people in residential aged care and lessons learned to inform future policy considerations. The evaluation was guided by a theory of change.

Recommendations

The eight recommendations are outlined under the following headings:

• establish a case management approach
• improve current processes
• prepare for legislative changes.

Key findings

• There were gaps and inconsistencies in implementation that impacted appropriateness.
• The initiatives have contributed to reducing the number of younger people in RAC.
• The introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has increased the availability of age-appropriate accommodation and support for younger people with disability. 
• Several factors helped reduce younger people entering RAC but not to zero.
• Although there have been significant efforts to reduce the number of people entering and living in RAC, the target of ‘no people under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by January 2025’ is unlikely to be achieved.