Home care help arrives via govt grants

The government commits to a three-year investment in the Commonwealth Home Support Program for culturally-appropriate services.

As a result of two grant rounds ran by the Department of Health and Aged Care, 116 new Commonwealth Health Support Program providers, including 18 First Nations organisations, have been offered contracts to support delivery of services to guarantee extra support is available when and where older people in Australia need them most.

The rounds aimed to improve access to domestic assistance, allied health and therapy, community transport and home maintenance and expand culturally appropriate CHSP services for older First Nations people.

Ged Kearney. (Image supplied)

Additionally, funding has been offered to an existing 41 CHSP providers to increase availability of their most sought-after services and widen their delivery across new aged care planning regions and service types.

Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney said that historically there have been gaps in the provision of culturally appropriate aged care services.

“This investment demonstrates this government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring aged care service provision is holistic, safe and inclusive,” Ms Kearney said.

“Prioritising culturally appropriate aged care means a more inclusive, safe, and respectful experience for both elderly First Nations people and their families.”

The government has also pledged to provide a further $10 million in funding for CHSP providers to assist with the costs of transitioning IT systems to comply with the new Aged Care Act from 1 July 2025.

A grant opportunity for CHSP providers to apply for will be available up to $10,000.

Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said there would be new providers in every state and territory to support older people to access a range of services, including domestic assistance, allied health and therapy, community transport and home maintenance.

Anika Wells.
(Image supplied)

“Bringing on new CHSP providers to support more older First Nations people is part of the Government’s commitment to Closing the Gap and ensuring culturally safe and trauma informed aged care,” she said.

This three-year investment adds to the $4.3 billion Support at Home package, totalling $440 million from the government to support more older people to stay independent at home and in their communities for longer.

Mr Kearney said that older Australians made this country what it was and it was the nation’s turn to give back to them.

 “A home is so much more than just a comfortable space: it’s memories, independence, security, identity,” she said.

“Older Australians deserve to stay in their homes for as long as possible.”

Comment on the story below. Follow Community Care Review on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter.

Tags: Anika Wells, Department of Health and Aged Care, First Nations, funding, ged kearney, government, home care, policy,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement