Anika Wells speaking at a panel discussion . Picture : Arsineh Houspian / NewsCorp Australia .
Next great test
Ageing population to hit Australia ’ s aged care sector .
By Eleanor Campbell
Aged care providers will buckle under Australia ’ s ageing population unless swift action is taken to meet an oncoming wave of demand , the nation ’ s aged care minister has warned .
Anika Wells told the Melbourne Institute Outlook conference that demand for aged care services in Australia will rise by nearly 10 per cent annually over the next 20 years .
Wells said providers , who have undergone a period major upheaval and transformation over the past two years , are at the precipice of their greatest challenge - the “ boomer generation .”
“ This is not a rogue wave , but a rising tide that swells for a decade or more before it peaks ,” Wells said on Wednesday .
“ Estimates suggest demand for high levels of care , including residential care , will surge by 5-9 per cent every single year as the boomers age .”
In 2021 , approximately 4.31 million people in Australia were aged 65 and over .
This number is projected to grow to 6.66 million by 2041 , an increase of 54 per cent , according to the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research .
As the first of the generation born between 1946 and 1966 turns 80 within the next four years , the aged care system is under a ticking time clock to meet changing care quality expectations , Wells said .
“ At a certain point , some will have to look to residential aged care , and they will expect a level of care they have worked hard over a lifetime to secure .”
“ Unless we seek innovative models of care , embrace creativity , technology and international best practice we will not be prepared for the greatest impact on aged care this century .”
In the government ’ s federal budget , around $ 27 billion was set aside to reform in-home and residential care services .
This included funding for increases in the number of care minutes allocated to people living in nursing homes , as well as access to 24 / 7 registered nurses by 2023 .
In its budget media release , the health department said addressing workforce issues was its “ biggest priority ”.
This prompted Labor ’ s investment in 20,000 extra university places and 180,00 fee-free TAFE places – with at least 15,000 of vocational education degrees reserved for aged care .
In a recent interview with Aged Care Insite , former ACCPA chief and longtime sector advocate Paul Sadler said a pay rise was “ absolutely critical ” to fix the sector ’ s workforce attraction and retention issues .
“ The big issue for the system is how we are going to afford the cost of the ageing population and the increasing costs of aged care ,” he said .
“ The government will need to start making difficult decisions on how to raise more revenue for the sector .” ■
Industry pass
Can an aged care ‘ passport ’ cut training costs ?
By Elise Hartevelt
A new program allowing aged care workers to carry proof of previously completed training may save providers time and money .
Currently , aged care workers must finish up to 30 government modules online to demonstrate they ’ ve understood quality and safety standards .
Yet , when somebody takes up a new employer , they often can ’ t produce evidence they ’ ve done the mandatory training .
As a result , the sector spends over $ 8 million yearly on repeat training for new employees , according to Ausmed Education , a company that designs educational software .
“ It ’ s costing a provider at least $ 120 per employee going through an introduction , which can take up to a couple of days that they would have otherwise spent working or learning ,” Ausmed ’ s marketing chief Will Egan said .
“ We hope this passport frees up time that can go towards more relevant education for these employees .”
The ‘ Aged Care Industry Passport ’ is an online certificate for the aged care workforce demonstrating they ’ ve done the eight core modules necessary to work in the sector .
After a worker completes eight training items , Ausmed issues a digital certificate that people can use as proof when changing employers .
The program was the brainchild of Samantha Hewitt from McKenzie Aged Care Group , who noticed employees often redo the compulsory training because they can ’ t prove they ’ d done them at their previous job .
She joined forces with Ausmed Education and aged care providers St Basil ’ s and Juniper to create the passport over three months .
After its launch on the 12th of October , they have since signed up over forty providers and have at least 5,000 aged care workers across Australia using the certificate . Egan said considering the sector ’ s high resignation rate of 30 to 60 per cent a year , the passport may free up time for workers and employers by avoiding repeat training .
“ When you have a large part of your staff turning over every year , doing the same training at another employer , you ’ re losing valuable time and money ,” he said .
“ Especially in an industry where budgets are already really tight .” ■
12 agedcareinsite . com . au