Older Australians are facing significant delays accessing the Support at Home program, with new data showing long wait times and widespread reliance on interim funding. At Senate Estimates, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing confirmed that 93% of packages issued since November provide only 60% of the services older people have been assessed as needing.
More than 220,000 seniors are now stuck in the system — over 113,000 waiting for assessments and another 107,000 waiting for a package allocation. Many are left with insufficient support as their care needs increase.
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) says the situation is unacceptable. CEO Craig Gear reports advocates are overwhelmed, handling hundreds of calls daily about rising prices, reduced services, complex agreements, and uncertainty around when full funding will arrive. He warns that older people feel worse off under the new program and that transparency issues remain, including inconsistent provider pricing.
OPAN is calling for urgent action: faster processing times, clearer pricing, quicker reassessments, and a firm commitment to limiting interim packages to a maximum of 10 weeks. Without meaningful improvements, confidence in the aged care reforms will continue to erode.