14. Long-term care
The disability care system in Australia does not support the goals of enhanced social and economic participation that underpin the National Disability Strategy. There are high levels of unmet demand for disability services, as well as an expected decline in the number of people who are willing or able to provide long-term care for family members with a disability. There are increasing numbers of people with disability living longer because of improvements in medical care.
Disability services across Australia are poorly resourced and not sufficiently coordinated to meet the long-term health care and support needs of individuals with a serious disability. There is little consistency in the level of access that people with a disability have to appropriate levels of care and aids across Australia. The historical reliance on informal carers has also substantially shifted costs on to families.
Individuals with a disability, and their families, are entitled to have consistent access to long-term essential care and support, based on their level of need.
This care and support should be comprehensive, and include a coordinated package of services such as accommodation support, employment support, rehabilitative care, aids and appliances, and respite care, as required to meet the needs of each individual.
Long-term care and support should be provided to individuals with a disability to a level that ensures that their health and medical welfare does not deteriorate as a result of inadequate care. Further, access to specific services and assistance should be based on individual decision-making and choice to reflect individual circumstances.
Reform to the funding and financing of the disability service system should be a priority to ensure that essential long-term care and support is reliably available to those who need it, on an equitable basis.
The next Government must reform the current system of disability support services across Australia to better meet the needs of people with a disability.
The next Government must:
- Implement a national disability insurance scheme to provide long-term care and support to all Australians with a serious or profound disability who need it;
- Agree on, and establish, appropriate models for sustainable financing arrangements that can reliably meet demand into the future; and
- Significantly expand the capacity of the disability service delivery sector so that Australia is ready to effectively meet the increased demand for disability services that will result from the introduction of a national disability insurance scheme.
* For a full pdf version of the Key Health Issues for the 2010 Federal Election click here
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Foreword – AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce
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I think that would be great
a national disability program would go a long way in helping the people of Autstralia (provided we can afford it)
The government needs to
The government needs to increase the number of medicare rebates for allied health services for all children with a disability. It's ridiculous to think that children with long term needs can only access five [5] services per year when in fact they need weekly, [50]services.
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