Home sweet home? Community care for older people in Australia

Abstract

Community care provision for older Australians is growing in places and options, based on older people's preference to stay in their own homes, coupled with its cost efficiency compared to long-term residential care. Australia's aging population, cultural diversity, and dispersed population in rural and remote areas presents significant challenges in meeting these care needs. The objective of this review is to provide a critical overview of community care services in Australia, from its origin in the 1940s through to the current array of programs that deliver care. Barriers to access for these programs, growth in funding and expenditure, evidence of client satisfaction and the problems of workforce provision are presented. It is not clear how the growing future demands for care programs, resulting from greater client expectation, increasingly complex care needs and a diminishing workforce of paid and unpaid carers, will be met. However, the economic burden is anticipated to be manageable. Despite seemingly well-structured programs, the current multiplicity and rigidity of services means care provided is sometimes unsatisfactory at the point of delivery. It remains to be seen therefore if services can be expanded, modified and developed to address current deficiencies and meet future demands. The reality of timely and equitable care for all older Australians living in the community is elusive at present. The ongoing rationing of residential care beds coupled with people's desires to stay in their own homes means community care is here to stay. The future inevitably presents huge challenges to those planning, implementing and providing care in this setting.