Aged Care in 2015 - A quick look back on the year that was

The aged care sector has seen important changes taking place in the last few years. There have been program updates and changes to the sector, with reforms in machinery of government and policy shaking up ‘business as usual’ in the sector.

The Australian Ageing Agenda recently published a post on the highs and lows of the aged care sector in 2015, gathering thoughts from various leaders in the sector.

We take a look at some of these thoughts on key milestones in 2015 and what worked well:

• Choice and control measures in the 2015 budget. From February 2017, funding from the government will follow the individual rather than the provider, putting more control in the hands of the customer. As the full implementation continues to be rolled out, changes are already taking place among providers to prepare for the wave of changes.
• The shift of aged care from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Health. This move will greatly benefit people suffering from dementia, a disease which is the second leading cause of death in Australia. Many people with dementia do not currently access aged care services, and this machinery of government change will ensure that policy and debate will champion the cause of dementia sufferers.
• Increased industry engagement and consultation in government departments. People in the sector have commended this improvement in 2015, and expressed hope that the increase in discussion and sharing of information will steer the industry through a period of change.
• The readiness of the sector for Consumer Directed Care (CDC). Transitions are never easy, but 2015 saw the CDC being mandated to all home care providers as of 1 July, and the home care sector in general saw a smooth transition to the new model of care.
• Greater strides towards healthy ageing. Healthy ageing and wellness promotion programs were championed amongst residential and community services in 2015, and this saw reduced frailty and an improvement in quality of life.

Su grew up dreaming of being a journalist, dodging bullets and gunfire with a camera thrust in front of her reporting from a war zone. Having realised that she is not really as agile as she thought, she has settled for dodging cockroaches in metropolitan Sydney as her adrenaline fix. Su is inquisitive and loves a good challenge, which is why she has chosen to produce conferences at Akolade. In her spare time, Su likes to read, drink green tea, and fantasise about making the world a better place; getting rid of the need for war journalists entirely.