AGED care in Far North Queensland will get a boost today with news that the Coalition Government will provide an extra $649 million per year to create 9911 new residential aged care places, with 59 of those in Leichhardt.
“Improving access to aged care services and getting more beds up and running for local elderly is a priority of mine, so I welcome the news of this funding through the 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round,” said Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch.
“In the Cairns region, the new Kewarra Beach Aged Care facility will receive funding for 14 residential care places at their new facility, including 6 respite beds. This is going to help meet the demand for aged care services in the Northern Beaches given the growing population in the area.
“The Mercy Place Woree facility is going to benefit from funding for 45 residential care places, including 13 beds for dementia patients, 8 beds for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with dementia, and 16 beds for people from a diverse linguistic background in this case, Italian and Pacific Islander.
“This funding, which is worth a total of $3,864,500, means the two facilities will be able to provide new aged care services or expand their current facilities.”
With our rapidly ageing population, the Australian Government is committed to providing a sustainable aged care system that meets the needs of our older Australians.
“Leichhardt is one of many rural and remote regions across Australia that will benefit, with 27.4 per cent of all residential places allocated to non-metropolitan areas,” Mr Entsch commented.
The new residential aged care places follow the announcement of 475 Short-Term Restorative Care places made available through the 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round in February 2017. Twelve of these packages were allocated to Leichhardt, which will help up to 78 local elderly people.
These Short-Term Restorative Care places, worth an estimated total expenditure of up to $34.7 million a year, provide flexible aged care options that will help older people remain in their own homes for longer after injury or illness.
“Australians want greater choice and control over the care they receive and these changes do exactly that,” Mr Entsch said.
Information about the 2016?17 Aged Care Approvals Round outcomes, including details of the successful approved providers, is available on the https://agedcare.health.gov.au/2016-17acar/results
