What’s actually happening out there?

Recently a new government action plan to help get young people in aged care into their own homes or more suitable housing. Federal Minister of Social Services, Paul Fletcher announced how they’re planning to address and action this across the country, starting in July 2019.

So, what is their plan?

For young people in aged care, the action plan means the NDIS will:

• Fund support coordination to explore options outside of aged care
• Fund capacity building to help the person to leave aged care
• Fund assistive technology to enable the person to move out of aged care

The plan says that all young people in aged care will have access to the “NDIS complex needs pathway” by July 2019. NDIS participants in aged care should receive face-to-face planning and have access to a support coordinator.

For people with disability stuck in hospital and at risk of aged care, you can now expect that the NDIS will make eligibility decisions more quickly, and provide a more skilled NDIS planner who understands the health system. This hasn’t been seen before, and has previously becomes a tug of war between the health department and the NDIS funding responsibilities.

The NDIS will also speed up home modifications for people in hospital, and will fund bridging housing where home modifications are taking too long.

The plan also commits the government to looking at whether a specialist “plan implementation service” is needed for NDIS participants in aged care and in hospital. That might look like a special Local Area Coordinator who can help people with disability navigate the NDIS and housing and health systems.

Under the national action plan, the Morrison Government is committing to:

• Support those already living in aged care aged under 45 to find alternative, age-appropriate housing and supports by 2022, if this is their goal;
• Support those already living in aged care aged under 65 to find alternative, age-appropriate housing and supports by 2025, if this is their goal; and
• Halve the number of younger people aged under 65 entering aged care by 2025.

“This practical plan with concrete actions is designed to dramatically reduce the number of younger people aged under 65 needing to live in aged care,” Mr Fletcher said.

It will help address those not assessed, potentially eligible for SDA funding under the NDIS, and coordinate an appropriate SDA funding package.

Overall, a great response to a system trying to work, but lacking specialised services to manage the transition and new opportunity in the housing industry.

You can read the full “Young people in residential aged care Action plan” here.