Older Australians living in aged care should pay for their everyday expenses if they can afford to, in order to ensure the sector remains sustainable, says a peak industry body said. Source: The Australian.
In a submission to a government taskforce looking into how to ensure adequate funding for aged care, the Aged Care Industry Association said well-off Australians should cover “a significant portion, if not all” of the costs of their care just as they would if they were living independently.
Some of these costs include food, utilities, laundry, transportation, personal care items, and household and garden maintenance, as well as accommodation costs such as rent or mortgage payments.
The peak body said the Commonwealth Government must be accountable for the money it spends on aged care.
“To meet the growing demand in the aged care sector, it’s imperative that the contributions from government and consumers are not just sufficient to cover costs but also include room for aged care providers to achieve the profits that build investor confidence in the sector, that underpins growth and redevelopment of what is aged building stock,” the submission reads.
“Without adequate revenue, aged care providers face challenges in maintaining, let alone enhancing, the quality of care they provide.”
The Albanese Government is looking into how it can find the right policy settings to ensure the sector remains viable, with Australia’s population projected to age rapidly over the next four decades.
Earlier this year, Catholic Health Australia, Council on the Ageing, Aged & Community Care Providers Association and leading aged care financial analyst StewartBrown for Labor to raise the means-testing threshold for housing wealth in a bid to underwrite the financial viability of the sector.
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said the Government would consider all options from the Aged Care Taskforce when it reports by December.
FULL STORY
Aged care user-pays push for ‘well-off’ (By Jess Malcolm, The Australian)
