Home Care vs Residential Aged Care: Home Care the Top Choice for Elderly Australians During Pandemic

A recent report by the Productivity Commission into aged care services has highlighted that the total number of Home Care Packages for the financial year 2020/21 increased to 236,554. Residential aged care stayed the same at a total of 243,117, clearly showing that elderly Australians (especially during the pandemic) prefer to receive care in their own home.

The number of Home Care Packages being used is an increase of 61,562 when compared to the previous year, after the government invested an additional $1 billion to the aged care sector.

What is Home Care?

Home care allows an elderly person to receive the care and support they need in the comfort of their own home, without having to move into a specialised aged care residence.

Support can include help with daily tasks (showering, dressing, grooming), help with household tasks (shopping, cooking, cleaning), wound care, medication management, transport, nursing care and 24/7 support.

A government-funder Home Care Package can cover some or all the costs of in-home care, depending on the level of Home Care Package allocated.

Prestige InHome Care is an accredited Home Care Package Provider. CEO Nick McDonald says, “There are so many benefits to receiving care in the home. You’re able to maintain your independence; you receive a care plan that’s tailored specifically to your needs and delivered when and how you want it; and you experience one-on-one care from a carer or nurse, to name a few. 

And if your Home Care Package doesn’t cover all the services you need or want, or you’re waiting for your Home Care Package to be approved, what people don’t always know is they can choose to cover the cost of these services out of their own pocket, instead of going without, or needing to consider alternative solutions, like residential aged care.

The challenges the pandemic has presented since 2020 has also left many family members worried and/or apart from their loved ones in residential aged care facilities. I and many other leaders in the home care sector hope and continue to lobby for the federal government to continue to invest further in the home care sector to allow more Aussies to return to or remain within the comfort of their own homes.”

Click here to find out more about Prestige InHome Care