A Fair Go for Rural and Remote Australians
UnitingCare Australia is the largest network of service providers in the nation, and the major provider of rural and remote services.
As Chairman of the UnitingCare National Aged Care Network, I recently visited Kununurra, in Australia’s far north-west, with the network, to reaffirm the importance of services in such locations, and celebrate the opening of a new aged care service. Ruggedly beautiful, it is very remote.
Isolation increases costs, providing services over vast distances. There is no doubt about the importance of living in your own environment amongst family and community supports. Yet the logistics are significant, as is the difficulty in attracting staff. The need is beyond the additional support provided by government in such distant and remote areas.
The Australian aged care system aims to support older people who need some assistance to live independently, where and when needed. The bipartisan aged care reform process gives welcomed control, choice and a greater emphasis to services that support older people to remain living at home, yet there is still much to do.
Many thousands of older people cannot obtain the support they have been assessed for because there are not enough high level home care packages available. More than double the number of people actually receiving a home care package on any given day are waiting for a package. Recent data indicates that more than 104,000 older individuals are assessed for a home care package at a level of support they are not receiving.
The challenge for those living in remote Australia is even greater. Yet they are no less deserving of quality aged care, to remain in their communities, and on their land.
The sustainability and accessibility of quality residential aged care is also very important. Again, it is even more difficult in rural and remote Australia, where economies of scale cannot be achieved.
Those waiting for aged care support are encouraged to go to My Aged Care (phone 1800 200 422 or www.myagedcare.gov.au) and enquire. If you don’t have internet or phone access, this is very problematic. If there are language barriers, the problems are compounded.
Those living in metropolitan areas must not forget our fellow Australians, who are equally deserving of support, and awaiting a home care package.
I call on Federal Members of Parliament to support industry calls for additional rural and remote aged care packages and services for those older people requiring such support.