SAP 101 - Australian Society, Systems & Policies: Aged Care Analysis

This report provides an overview of the Australian Aged Care Policy, focusing on its history, changes, and impact on the elderly population. It highlights the evolution of aged care in Australia, from the early age pension policies to the comprehensive aged care system governed by the Aged Care Act 1997. The report discusses the various reforms implemented to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the aged care system, including the introduction of home care packages and the establishment of quality agencies. It also examines the positive impacts of the aged care policy, such as improved healthcare services and the ability for older adults to live independently at home. The analysis concludes that the Australian Aged Care Policy is a dynamic and essential framework for supporting the well-being of older Australians, with ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing the quality and accessibility of aged care services.

ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET
Family Name: --- Given Name(s): Ravneet Kaur
Student ID: 1050082 Course: Bachelor of Community Services
Unit Code: SAP 101 Unit Name: Australian Society, Systems and
Policies S
Lecturer: Kris Rao Assessment Number/Title: Assessment 2 / Aged
Care Policy in Australia
Semester/Trimester and Year: 1st Year
Trimester 1, 2018
Word Count: 1072
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AgedCare Policy in Australia
Introduction
The primary aim of this paper is to outline and explain the
Australian social policy. Here is the discussion about the old aged
care policy which has been initiated in Australia to provide support
to the Australian old aged people. The impacts of this social policy
have been explained in the task widely. It is noted that services and
support to the old aged people in the country is rendered by the
ample of government programs and policies. Community, NGO and
charitable sector also provide ample of benefits to the old aged
people. Along with this, various policies have been introduced by
the Australian government to initiate, plan, evaluate and develop the
working of aged care system and sessions within the Australia. The
aged care policy explains the age of Australians who get the age
services and facilities that is 65. It also includes indigenous people
who is the age of 50 years and above. The Aged care act 1997 and
related aged care standards have established to provide facilities to
old aged people. Along with this, the Australian government
department of health is answerable for the functioning of aged care
act (De Bellis, 2010).
History of aged care policy
Aged care in Australia has undergone ample of
transformations in response to changing economic and demographic
situations. Aged care in Australia is the prerequisite of services to
attain the effective and distinctive requirements of older citizens in
country. It entails residential aged care and services provided in the
home including domestic assistance, individual care, nutrition,
home nursing and reprieve services. In Australia, the people who
are capable for the government to provide for the welfare of old
aged people would still be anticipated to contribute to the cost of
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AgedCare Policy in Australia
services if they are willing to afford it. In 1990, the government of
New South Wales and Victoria has initiated a policy to render age
pension to their old aged citizens who are more than 65 years of
age. An effective and unique age pension policy has been
introduced by Queensland in 1908. In 1909 the responsibility of
paying these pensions has been taken by the Commonwealth
government. The old age pension is paying to the old people who
are over the age of 65 years (Tayler, Ishimine, Cloney, Cleveland &
Thorpe, 2013). The pension is being provided to women over the
age of 60 years from 1910. In 1910, there were approximately
65,492 people getting age pension in Australia. In 1950 state
government was responsible for providing assistance to the old age
people. From 1960 commonwealth is also taking interest in
rendering facility of funding for nursing society and homes care
services for the old age people (Greve, 2012).
Changes and reason behind changes in Aged Care Policy
It has been noted that unique aged care policy has been
implemented by the Australian government to provide services to
people (Kudrna, Tran & Woodland, 2015). These policies also help
in securing the life of people across the Australia. Better health care
facilities are provided by the Australian government. Ample of
change have been done by the government in aged care to ensure
and analyze that system. It has been found that outmoded image of
aged care is interconnected with the occupied aged care however
most of the people want to live at home with their society and
family and they want to live independent and freely (Boudiny,
2013). The age care policy in Australia is recently world class. It is
noted that aged care reforms are being initiated in three phases over
10 years. The changes are being initiated so that aged care system
can be effective and sustainable, and it can be excellent scheme for
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AgedCare Policy in Australia
all the people. New supplements and home care packages
implemented in inhabited care and residence care as well in 2012-
2013 (Australian government health department, 2017). Along with
this, in 2013-2014 the Australian aged care quality agency was set
to provide various facilities to people and the aged care pricing
commission was launched. Changes need to be initiated in this
phase would be built in consultation with the aged care sector. It
also entails the expansion of a single quality structure that will
enhance and augment the focus on quality outputs for consumers.
By 2022, the vision and object of Australian aged care system
would be sustainable and appropriate in the near future and apart
from this, aged care system renders greater and excellent options
and flexibility for the consumers in the competitive market. The
Australian aged care system will also encourage and promote aged
care businesses to grow and invest and provides rewarding and
diverse career options (Australian government health department,
2017).
Impact of aged care policy
The ample of changes have been implemented by the
government of Australia. It has been analyzed that condition of
Australian aged people has been improved by introducing the aged
care policy in the country. Effective and dynamic health care
services are being provided by the government. Along with this, the
government also provides various facilities to aged people in the
country to live at their home (Cotter, Condon, Barnes, Anderson,
Smith & Cunningham, 2012). In this way, aged people live happily
and independently at their home. The aged care policy has a direct
impact on the aged health. With the help of aged care policy, the old
aged people have been able to get health care when they are
suffering from any disease and health issue. This health care
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AgedCare Policy in Australia
includes clinical services as well as nursing services. The policy or
approach also introduces quality indicators to analyze and identify
the quality of working of aged care policy with the help of the
quality indicators effectively and efficiently. The aged care policy
helps in the Australian community by giving full care of aged
people (Hughes, 2011).
Conclusion
It has been concluded from the above-mentioned analysis
that aged care policy of Australia is unique and dynamic and it is
well known policy in the country. The government of the Australia
is providing various facilities such as home care and clinical
services to the old aged people. It also offers various services to the
diagnosed people in the country. Various reforms have been
introduced to improve and enhance the conditions of the old aged
people. These reforms are useful to enhance and improve the aged
care system. The positive impacts of old aged care policy also have
been explained in the paper.
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AgedCare Policy in Australia
References
Australian government health department.,(2017). Ageing and aged care
[Online], Retrieved from https://agedcare.health.gov.au/ageing-and-
aged-care-aged-care-reform/why-is-aged-care-changing
Boudiny, K., 2013. ‘Active ageing’: from empty rhetoric to effective policy
tool. Ageing & Society, 33(6), pp.1077-1098.
Cotter, P. R., Condon, J. R., Barnes, T., Anderson, I. P., Smith, L. R., &
Cunningham, T. (2012). Do Indigenous Australians age
prematurely? The implications of life expectancy and health
conditions of older Indigenous people for health and aged care
policy. Australian Health Review, 36(1), 68-74.
De Bellis, A. (2010). Opinion piece: Australian residential aged care and
the quality of nursing care provision. Contemporary nurse, 35(1),
100-113.
Greve, B. (Ed.). (2012). The Routledge handbook of the welfare state.
Routledge.
Hughes, M. (2011). The productivity commission inquiry into aged care: a
critical review. Australian Social Work, 64(4), 526-536.
Kudrna, G., Tran, C., & Woodland, A. (2015). The dynamic fiscal effects
of demographic shift: The case of Australia. Economic
Modelling, 50, 105-122.
Tayler, C., Ishimine, K., Cloney, D., Cleveland, G., & Thorpe, K. (2013).
The quality of early childhood education and care services in
Australia. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(2), 13.
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