Retirement village and aged care reforms are imminent.

A final report on "Caring for Older Australians" by the Australian Productivity Commission is due this month, focussing on the regulation and public funding of retirement villages and aged care services. Some important reforms are expected to be recommended to the Federal Government which may affect your retirement plans or the support services available for older family members.

Proposals under consideration include the introduction of a compulsory insurance scheme to help broaden the aged care funding base. The Federal Government is investigating how best to improve the supply of affordable housing and aged care for older Australians as greater longevity and the retirement of the babyboomer generation is set to increase the cost to Government.

The draft proposals released to date include:
- remove restrictions on community care packages and aged care bed licences
- restrictions on accommodation bonds and uncap accommodation charges
- means testing of co-contributions for community and residential care
- maximum lifetime cap on co-contributions to prevent excessive care costs
- new Australian Pensioners Bond scheme - exempt from assets and income deeming tests
- new Government backed equity release scheme to fund care and also retain home ownership
- a proportion of accommodation to be available for the financially disadvantaged
- scheduled price regulation and indexation
- new flexible care system to replace care packages
- providers to receive case mix payments for delivering palliative and end of life care
- changes to Government block funding of care and support programs
- expanded use of health in-reach services to residential aged care and visiting multi-disciplinary health care teams
- availability of interpreter services and culturally appropriate assessment of care needs
- new national approach to home modification and maintenance services
- new building design standards for residential housing for older people
- new national policy framework for provision of cost effective housing to cater for an ageing population
- retirement village regulation to be nationally consistent and separate from aged care
- new Carer Support Centres to improve access to services and respite care
- improved employment conditions and training for aged care workers
- new regulatory agency "Australian Aged Care Regulation Commission" (AACRC) for accreditation and complaints, and with more effective penalties
- transitional arrangements to allow the sector time to adjust and minimise disruption

The Productivity Commission published a discussion paper earlier this year, and invited public submissions before the release of the final report to Government, which is now imminent.

We'll be watching these developments closely and we'll keep you posted. You can view more articles on the News and Information page on the Seniors Housing Online website, and sign up to receive regular newsletters at http://www.seniorshousingonline.com.au/