4 August 2011

Prime Minister Gillard sets scene for aged care reform today

But what do seniors want from the Productivity Commission’s final report?

Today, Prime Minister Gillard sets the scene for Monday’s release of the Productivity Commission’s long-awaited final recommendations into aged care reform.

Currently aged care is: a nightmare to navigate, dogged by staffing and bed shortages, crumbling under financial pressures and unable to meet the future demands of an ageing population.

As a progression from the Productivity Commission’s draft report released in January, older Australians want greater emphasis on:

1. Care - The draft Productivity Commission report was heavy on economics but low on care.
   
2. Staffing levels - Consumers report that quality of care is mostly determined by staffing levels and qualifications. Yet the system is currently chronically understaffed.
   
3. Staffing wages and conditions - Nurses in aged care are paid $300 a week less than nurses in hospital settings.
   
4. Alternative funding options - beyond the low-hanging fruit of the family home via bonds and reverse mortgages. A National Seniors-Access Economics survey of 3,292 people on nursing home funding options reveals reverse mortgages (or equity release), at 18%, are the most unpopular; incentivised savings accounts, at 58%, and long term care insurance (37%) are most popular.
   
5. An independent aged care ombudsman.

Julia Gillard will outline the government's aged care agenda at a Melbourne think tank later this morning.

Aged care stakeholders including consumer, union and industry groups will be briefed in a budget-style lockup by Minister for Ageing, Mark Butler, at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.

National Seniors chief executive, Michael O’Neill, is available to discuss aged care reform, the expectations of older Australians and the Productivity Commission’s recommendations.

Media: Sarah Saunders 0409 055 156

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With a quarter of a million members Australia-wide, National Seniors is the consumer lobby for the over 50s. It is the fourth largest organisation of its type in the world.