Dementia Drives Shortfall for Aged Care
25 February 2011 at 11:19 am
The report by Access Economics warns that in Victoria alone 72,000 people may not have access to the aged care services they will require.
The report, Caring Places Volume 2, which is a follow-up to Caring Places Volume 1 released in August 2010, looks at how this will impact on every Federal electorate in Australia.
The shortages are for both residential care places and community care packages and the projections are based on current Government policy.
Ita Buttrose, President Elect of Alzheimer’s Australia says 60% of people in nursing homes have dementia, and the number of Australians with dementia will grow to almost 1 million by mid-century.
She says the under-supply of residential and community aged care places can be attributed in large part to the increasing numbers of those over 85 years and the growth in the number of people with dementia.
The report, commissioned by Alzheimer’s Australia, comes one month after the release of the Productivity Commission’s draft report on aged care reform.
Buttrose says the Productivity Commission’s report made a great start in recommending entitlement to aged care, increased consumer choice and flexibility of service.
However she says the organisation was discouraged to see that not one of the 42 recommendations dealt specifically with dementia and she urged the Commission to make dementia care the highest priority as they finalise their deliberations.
Volume 2 of the Caring Places report shows the numbers of additional aged care services that will be required across the States and Territories, as well as Commonwealth Electoral Divisions and Aged Care Planning Regions.
The top 6 electorates nationwide by projected aged care supply deficit by 2050:
1. Paterson (NSW): 2,943 community packages and residential care places short
2. Mayo (SA): 2,883 community packages and residential care places short
3. Lyne (NSW): 2,873 community packages and residential care places short
4. Flinders (VIC): 2,872 community packages and residential care places short
5. Lalor (VIC): 2,857 community packages and residential care places short
6. Fairfax (QLD): 2,850 community packages and residential care places short
The report is available at www.alzheimers.org.au
