The number of in-home aged care packages in operation increased
by nearly 6,000 from 32,646 in 2005 to 38,564 in 2006 according to
a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
(AIHW).
The majority of the new packages, which provide services to
people who might otherwise require residential care, were Community
Aged Care Packages (CACP) which target people with low care
needs.
About 900 of the additional packages were Extended Aged Care at
Home (EACH) packages which target frail older people with high care
needs.
A further 600 were Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH
Dementia) packages which provide help for people who, due to
dementia, exhibit behaviours of concern such as agitation,
night-time restlessness or wandering.
'The EACH and EACH Dementia programs are still relatively new
and are mostly available in major cities and regional areas,' said
Ms Ann Peut, Head of the Institute's Ageing and Aged Care Unit.
The provision ratio for all operational packages increased from
17.2 per 1,000 people aged 70 years and over in 2005, to 19.9 in
2006, nearly meeting the 2007 planning target of 20.
The majority (63%) of the 31,803 Community Aged Care Packages
(CACP) recipients were aged 80 years and older an increase from 59%
in 2000. However, the strongest growth was in those aged 90 years
or older who accounted for 15% of package recipients in 2006
compared with 12% six years earlier.
Reflecting their poorer health status and associated need for
care services at younger ages, Indigenous care recipients are
considerably younger than non-Indigenous care recipients with 5%
aged under 50 years and only 44% aged 70 years and over.
'These figures can be compared with less than 1% and 90%
respectively for other Australian care recipients,' said Ms
Peut.
The report, Aged care packages in the community 2005-06: a
statistical overview, is a continuation of the series formerly
called Community Aged Care Packages in Australia.
It is the first in the series to provide information about the
carer support available to high care EACH and EACH Dementia package
recipients. It shows that 90% of EACH recipients and 97% of EACH
Dementia package recipients had a carer, most of whom lived with
the person they cared for.
The three packages covered in the report - Community Aged Care
Packages (CACPs), Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) packages and
Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH Dementia) packages - are
designed to provide care equivalent to residential aged care in the
care recipient's home.
21 June 2007
Further information: Ms Ann Peut, AIHW, tel. 61
2 6244 1108, or mob. 0419 296 053.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Aged care packages in
the community 2005-06: a statistical overview.