Despite the majority of Australians wanting to be cared for at home in their old age, home care is hard to get, confusing and expensive, according to a new report.
"More money and better design could give Australians more dignity and better care in their old age," says lead author, Grattan Institute Health and Aged Care Program Director Stephen Duckett.
The report Unfinished business: Practical policies for better care at home says, "the Federal Government has made significant and welcome commitments to address many of the shortcomings identified by the Royal Commission".
"A new care-at-home program is being introduced from mid-2023," it reads.
"The number of Care Packages is being increased by nearly 50 per cent, care finders are being employed to help people find services, and small regional offices are being established.
"But despite committing more than $2.44 billion of additional funding each year to home care places, the government's response leaves unfinished business."
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The report found the government had no plan to boost the number, pay, and conditions of home care staff who had insecure work with high levels of casualisation, poor working conditions, and were underpaid for what they did.
There are workforce shortages, and high levels of dissatisfaction among workers, says the report which estimates about 58,000 carers will be needed just to meet the planned increase in home care places.
It is also highly critical of the My Aged Care service which it says is "transactional, impersonal, and insufficiently informative".
The report's recommendations are: Improve stewardship of the home care market, clear the waiting list, and expand and develop the workforce.