Showering costs to be covered in aged care backdown
Aged care residents will not have to pay extra for help with basic tasks such as showering and dressing after the government backtracked.
Changes to aged care that came into effect in November have required some beneficiaries to pay more for basic support services.
Although the reforms aimed to improve the levels of care provided, those using Home Support packages had additional charges for services such as shower assistance.
This meant that in some cases, older residents had to choose between getting help with showering or taking fewer showers at the expense of other care costs.
Health Minister Mark Butler will detail reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, as well as changes to aged care measures, in a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday.
Aged Care Minister Sam Rae said shower support will now be classed as clinical care and payments will no longer apply.
“Obviously, older people have made it clear that they want to shower, they want dressing and management of incontinence to be treated as clinical care, and that’s the change we’re making,” he told ABC TV on Wednesday.
“We have always said that as we implement these generational changes we will listen to older people and respond to their experiences with the new system.”
The changes to aged care packages stem from the royal commission’s recommendations for the sector, delivered in 2021.
As part of the revamp, more tiers of home care have been introduced to ensure needs are more closely met and also to enable wealthier Australians to pay more for services.
Mr Rae said changes needed to be made even though the program had been in place for less than six months.
“This system has been in place since November. Now is the time to start making adjustments to achieve better outcomes for older people,” he said.
“Elderly care takes up a significant part of the budget. It is a $40 billion system annually and needs to be sustainable.
“Of course, Australians need to have sustainable systems when it comes to social care.”
Aging Australia chief executive Tom Symondson has welcomed the decision to cancel payments for help with showering.
“Sweeping reforms will always have unintended consequences and we have been clear from the beginning that shower co-payments need to be continually reviewed to ensure the best possible outcomes for older people,” he said.
“The growing evidence that older people are reducing the number of showers or giving up showering altogether due to cost is particularly worrying. This is the worst possible outcome.
“Showering is not just about hygiene and health, it’s also about basic human dignity.”
