Home care under threat: Haines

FEDERAL member for Indi Helen Haines has joined other independent MPs and Senators to raise concern over the Federal Government’s postponement of 83,000 new home care packages for older Australians. The Home Care program - available to people aged 65 and over who require ongoing care to remain living independently at home - was due to roll out on Tuesday, 1 July but has been postponed until November due to a lack of service suppliers. The package provides coordinated care and services for older Australians with age-related care needs to allow them to live safely and independently at home, offering a range of tailored supports, including help with daily activities, clinical care, and home modifications. The package requires participants to apply online through My Aged Care for the funding and then approach a private company provider who manages the care required. Packages are offered at four levels, from three to four-and-a-half hours per week for a subsidy of $10,588, to up to 25 hours ($61,440). Euroa resident Ewen Cameron is currently on Level 3 which provides him with enough support to complement that given to him by his two daughters and two sons. Mr Cameron's support is provided through Simply Helping on Binney Street, a care provider with about 50 clients on their books, and for whom he has much praise. "I can't speak highly enough of Simply Helping and the job they do," Mr Cameron said. "I'm very worried about this government making it very difficult for the package system because it really provides a wedge in a section of the aged care problems that Australia's got." Mr Cameron said the biggest advantage the package had was giving him confidence. "You know that there's going to be a meal prepared for so many days in a week, and then I'll get somebody who cleans the house once a fortnight. "If you need something done, there's a package and you can go to the provider and say 'look, I'd like to do this'. "The aim of the thing is obviously to keep people in their home." Waitlists for a Level 4 package can take 12 to 15 months. Dr Haines said that such a context means a six-month delay would be ‘consequential’. “In my electorate, people have approved packages but are waiting months for care because of a lack of providers,” she said. “While the sector acknowledges this delay as a frustrating but necessary step, we need more home care packages now to bridge the gap until November.” Dr Haines was joint signatory last week with nine other parliamentarians in an open letter to the government. The letter said research showed longer delays in appropriate home care support resulted in higher risk of injury and hospitalisation and earlier entry into residential aged care. “We also can’t delay the rollout of a pricing framework that fairly reflects the travel costs to deliver care in rural areas.” The parliamentarians have called on the government to at least fund 20,000 new packages to commence on 1 July 2025 under the current scheme. While some care providers in the electorate struggle with meeting demands, Euroa's Simply Helping has no such challenge, but due to the delayed rollout, their typical growth of 3-4 new clients per month has stalled. Mr Cameron has praise for his carers and can name them all, singling out Annie who does a ‘magic job' with house cleaning. “Annie's got granddaughters and so we generally have a bit of a chat,” he said. The support allows Mr Cameron to spend time with family, and a weekly lunch with his brother at the Seven Creeks Hotel is always looked forward to. As a former federal member for the seat of Indi – and coalition whip during the Howard years – Mr Cameron said he also enjoys the time he gets to read the daily newspapers to keep his finger on the nation's pulse. “Well, at 95, it’s a battle to keep it there but we’re succeeding so far.” He also lauded this masthead. "You've got to have the Gazette every week - they'll drive down here and chuck it in the driveway and I've got to go and pick it up. "It's worth picking up though; it keeps me in touch."

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