Dementia patients warned off seeking home care in case Australia’s aged care algorithm cuts funding
News Source
•Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:00:11 GMT
📰 What Happened
People with dementia were told not to apply for home care support. They feared the government's new aged care algorithm would cut their funding. Freedom of information documents show the warnings came just weeks after the tool started in November. The system decides how much money and priority older people get for home help.
Dementia Australia wrote to senior health staff on 8 December. It said it was still very worried about the tool. Other groups like Ageing Australia also raised concerns. They said assessors had examples of people being given the same or less support than before.
🔍 The Backstory
The government barred assessors from overruling the tool's decisions. This happened days before it began. That meant even wrong decisions could not be fixed easily. Health staff logged hundreds of cases where older Australians were under-assessed. Western Australia's top health official warned of catastrophic outcomes.
These home support packages help people stay out of hospital and out of aged care homes. Without them, some people get worse faster. The Commonwealth Ombudsman is now looking into the system.
🎯 Why It Matters
Older people may be denied the care they need because of a computer tool. This matters to any family with an elderly relative who needs help at home.
People with dementia were told not to apply for home care support. They feared the government's new aged care algorithm would cut their funding. Freedom of information documents show the warnings came just weeks after the tool started in November. The system decides how much money and priority older people get for home help.
Dementia Australia wrote to senior health staff on 8 December. It said it was still very worried about the tool. Other groups like Ageing Australia also raised concerns. They said assessors had examples of people being given the same or less support than before.
The government barred assessors from overruling the tool's decisions. This happened days before it began. That meant even wrong decisions could not be fixed easily. Health staff logged hundreds of cases where older Australians were under-assessed. Western Australia's top health official warned of catastrophic outcomes.
These home support packages help people stay out of hospital and out of aged care homes. Without them, some people get worse faster. The Commonwealth Ombudsman is now looking into the system.
Older people may be denied the care they need because of a computer tool. This matters to any family with an elderly relative who needs help at home.