A new report on the programs that help people who might
otherwise go into residential aged care by providing them with help
in their own homes, shows that by 30 June 2007 there were almost 22
community care packages for every 1,000 people aged 70 and
over.
The Australian Government plans to increase the number of
packages to 25 care packages per 1,000 by 2011.
The report, Aged care packages in the community
2006-07, released today by the Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare, looks at three different aged care packages and the
types of clients they serve:
- Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) for people eligible for
low-level residential aged care, which (as at 30 June 2007) had
almost 38,000 operational places.
- Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH), for people who need
high-level care, which (as at 30 June 2007) had 3,300 places.
- EACH Dementia, a more flexible package for people with
behavioural problems or psychological symptoms associated with
dementia (1,300 places).
Women made up the majority of care recipients for all three
programs, particularly for the CACP program (71%). EACH recipients
had the youngest age profile, with 7% of recipients aged less than
65 years and only 53% aged 80 years and over, while CACP recipients
had the oldest age profile (65% were 80 years and over).
'At the end of June 2007, almost 35,000 people were receiving
help from a CACP, almost 3,000 people were getting help from an
EACH package and around 870 people from an EACH Dementia package,'
said Ann Peut, Head of the AIHW's Ageing and Aged Care Unit.
'However, over the course of the year, higher numbers of people
actually received help from these packages,' she said.
Around 50,000 people received a CACP at some time during
2006-07, and around 4,600 people and 1,340 people received help
from EACH and EACH Dementia packages, respectively.
This reflects the relatively short periods of assistance used by
many people. Around half of CACP recipients and three-quarters of
EACH recipients used assistance from their package for less than 12
months.
The majority of those leaving a care package did so to enter
residential aged care. EACH Dementia recipients were more likely to
enter residential care (63%) than CACP recipients (47%) or EACH
recipients (43%).
A higher proportion of EACH recipients no longer received
assistance from their package because they died (37%) than EACH
Dementia (22%) or CACP recipients (18%).
Thursday 14 August 2008
Further information: Ms Ann Peut, AIHW, tel.
(02) 6244 1108, mob. 0418 271 395.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. (02) 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for the availability of Aged care packages in
the community 2006-07.