Over the last thirty years, policy direction, and consequently program development, has been influenced by a small number of underlying principles. These include that many older Australians: prefer to live in the community rather than in residential care; prefer to ‘age in place’ rather than change residence when care needs change; and want aged care services to be flexible and accessible.

Since the early 1980s the Australian Government has implemented a range of reforms that have increasingly moved the focus of care provision from residential aged care (RAC) to include a wide range of community-based aged care services. Exploring how Australians access these programs and move between them is an important part of understanding the complex needs of older Australians and how the aged care system is meeting them.