By Callum Ludwig
Older residents of the Yarra Ranges in need of support at home are still finding themselves without the help they need.
Many residents have been assessed and are eligible for a variety of different services offered under Home Care Support such as garden maintenance, shopping assistance or respite hours for carers, but there are no local providers available.
Yarra Junction resident Margaret Baker recently had an assessment and was eligible for help in her garden and home and said she is devastated but is even more worried about people who might be worse off than her.
“I’ve got two metal knees, two metal hips, I’ve got severe arthritis and my shoulders have now gone, so I applied for help, I desperately need help with domestic duties, but there’s just nothing available because there’s no registered providers,” she said.
“I’ve worked all my life, my husband’s worked all his life, we’ve never taken benefits, we’ve never taken government handouts, and now when we need it, it’s not available.”
Casey MP Aaron Violi raised the issue in Parliament in June, naming another four residents in the local area who have also not been able to access their home care packages.
Ms Baker said she wanted to encourage local businesses to investigate the scheme and get themselves registered.
“I think a lot of these places haven’t applied to the Commonwealth or haven’t applied to My Aged Care to have their businesses registered and I think that’s a question we need to ask.
“They’ll pick up a lot of work if they’re registered through these organisations, when the lady came to me she said ‘I’ll bring up who’s available in your area for cleaning’ and there’s not one person registered to help me out.”
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) understands that recent senate estimates show that 68,000 people are currently on the waiting list for home care packages.
Yarra Ranges Council’s O’Shanassy Ward Councillor Jim Child has known Mrs Baker for many years and said they’ve got to make sure residents are being looked after.
“I just want to get it resolved as soon as possible and I’ve said to the team, if we know a shortcut around this so she can get engaged with someone, we’ve got to do that because one thing Yarra Ranges is that we’ve been there for the residents through the transition, whereas a lot of other municipalities have stepped away,” he said.
“Anyone that comes to us that’s having a problem with this, we’ll work with them because Margaret’s identified a real problem at the moment and I just couldn’t believe it.”
Yarra Ranges Council, under the direction of the Federal Government, has stepped away from providing services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), ceasing the delivery of their last offered services in July 2024.
Director of Communities at Yarra Ranges Council Leanne Hurst said they understand this is challenging, however they also understand the Australian Government’s goal is to ensure that resources are allocated to essential activities for the most vulnerable people, which they are supportive of.
“Our Information Navigation Officers will be in touch with the community member to discuss options for support with domestic cleaning, gutter cleaning or garden maintenance, as the national aged care reform progresses to support those most vulnerable in the community, people wanting entry-level services such as domestic assistance and gardening/gutter maintenance are increasingly finding themselves not eligible for Australian Government-subsidised aged care services or can be waiting up to 12 months for these services to become available,” she said.
“We know there are a large number of community-based small businesses in the Yarra Ranges that can support these needs and the local economy, and we encourage people to consider them as alternative solutions, or make private arrangements with friends and family where feasible.
“We encourage our community members to call our Information and Navigation Officers on 1300 368 333 to discuss how to navigate the aged care system and alternate solutions to subsided services if they are not eligible or waiting for assessment and/or service availability.”
The Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care advises older people who are unable to access specific services due to lack of a Registered Home Care Package providers in their area to contact My Aged Care at www.myagedcare.gov.au or free call 1800 200 422 for advice.
A department spokesperson said the department is about to roll out more than $400 million over three years to increase services available through CHSP, including in a number of rural and regional areas.
“Alternative options for care and support include: Short-term entry-level aged care services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), if available and older First Nations people may be able to access aged care services through the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program,” they said.
“If there is a provider in area that can deliver the services, but is not a registered aged care provider, a person could: pay privately for those services, or request that provider either become a registered HCP provider or subcontract to a registered HCP provider, consider state-based aged care services or visit primary care for any health-related issues, including hospitals, GPs and allied health practitioners.”
The Australian Government has taken steps to address the issues, though there is still time before the effects of funding and the new Support at Home program to take effect. The 2024-25 Budget included $21.6m for a regional, rural and remote focused home care workforce support program with a goal of bring 4000 more workforce members to the sector while ‘viability supplements’ are also available for providers of home care packages in MM 4-7 locations, including $531.4 million in additional funding provided to support the delivery of 24,100 home care packages in 2024-25.
The department spokesperson said research undertaken, including as part of the Market Strategy and ongoing analysis of supply gaps, will help the Government to determine where to focus effort and resources and ensure future investment in all types of Government funded aged care is appropriately targeted.
“The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority is currently undertaking a costing study that will consider the need for rural and remote loadings on the subsidies paid under Support at Home,” they said.
“In addition to the subsidies received for services delivered, Support at Home providers operating in thin markets, such as rural and remote locations, are expected to have access to supplementary grants, recognising the higher costs faced in these areas, this mixed funding model should remove financial impediments to service delivery in these locations.
“Under Support at Home, the department expects to have access to real time data about the services being delivered on the ground, which is not available under the Home Care Packages program, this would allow the department to investigate and respond to service gaps in areas where services that people are being assessed for are not being delivered.”
The CHSP will be phased out in favour of the Support at Home program from no earlier than July 2027.
