Waiting times for Aged Care Packages: The need to know

Aim To establish local waiting times for access to Aged Care Packages (ACPs). ACPs are federally funded and designed to support older people to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. Access to an ACP is via the Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS) process. Initial investigati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australasian journal on ageing 2014-03, Vol.33 (1), p.26-28
Main Authors: Griffiths, Maria, Russell, Robyn, Brunker, Gillian, Boccalatte, Margaret, Goldstraw, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged Care Assessment Service
Aged Care Package
Follow-Up Studies
Health Services for the Aged - organization & administration
Humans
National Health Programs
Needs Assessment - organization & administration
Prospective Studies
Queensland
Retrospective Studies
Time Factors
Waiting Lists
waiting time
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Summary:Aim To establish local waiting times for access to Aged Care Packages (ACPs). ACPs are federally funded and designed to support older people to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. Access to an ACP is via the Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS) process. Initial investigations suggested that significant waiting times existed locally. Methods Analysis of ACAS data was undertaken retrospectively and prospectively to identify type of ACP and date of approval. Date of provision was obtained from ACP providers. Results Two hundred and eighty‐five ACPs were approved, but only 35 were provided. At up to 12 months after approval, 88% of the cohort were still waiting to receive an appropriate package. Conclusion Long waiting times exist, which has implications both for the individual and the care/health sectors. It is suggested that monitoring waiting times should be a requirement for the future.
ISSN:1440-6381
1741-6612
DOI:10.1111/j.1741-6612.2012.00641.x