May 2019 and around 127,000 people sit on a waiting list for a funded Home Care package. The list keeps growing, the delays keep growing.The old saying “dying to get “ plays out in the home care package space with over 16,000 people dying while waiting for their home care package to fund in the year to June 2018. 

Informal care, starting to seek help earlier and community networks are some ways to avoid being left exposed and at risk of early entry to residential aged care. Funding simply has not kept up with the number of new package assessments.

Early planning is so critical and this is often met with resistance. Patience is required, as is a staged approach to the type and timing of assistance. By having conversations about later life early, a framework can be developed to help create a safer home environment.