Grey Power New Zealand has welcomed the Ministerial Advisory Group’s report on aged care, saying it provides an important opportunity to build a system that gives older New Zealanders the care, dignity and security they deserve.
Grey Power President David Marshall said the report correctly recognises that New Zealand’s aged-care system needs fundamental reform as the population ages and more people require support to live independently.
“We strongly support the report’s vision of a more integrated system, better support for people to age in place, improved support for carers and a stronger, more sustainable aged-care workforce,” Mr Marshall said.
“Older New Zealanders should be able to access the care they need without having to navigate a fragmented and confusing system. Care should be built around the needs of the person, not the boundaries between government agencies and funding streams.”
Grey Power particularly supports proposals to strengthen home-based care, improve respite and support for family carers, expand rehabilitation and recovery services, improve information sharing and strengthen the aged-care workforce.
It also supports establishing an independent Aged Care Pricing Authority to provide greater transparency and help ensure funding decisions better reflect the real cost of providing quality care.
‘Older people must not become the funding solution’
However, Grey Power is concerned about recommendations that would significantly increase the financial contribution expected from older people receiving care.
The report proposes lowering the asset threshold for residential care contributions to $100,000 and introducing stepped contributions for people with higher assets. It also proposes greater income-based contributions towards some care costs. Where a couple with one partner in residential care elects to exclude the family home from asset testing, the report proposes limiting the value of the home that can be excluded, with any value above that threshold included in the asset test.
“Grey Power cannot support a reform programme that solves the funding pressures in aged care by progressively asking older people to pay more for essential care,” Mr Marshall said.
“For many older New Zealanders, the family home is their primary asset and the foundation of their financial security in retirement. It is not a bottomless source of income.”
Grey Power supports the principle that people should contribute towards genuine personal preferences or additional services but says essential health and care services must remain accessible regardless of a person’s ability to pay.
“Older people should not face financial insecurity simply because their health and care needs increase as they age, says Mr Marshall.”
‘Sustainable funding is essential’
Grey Power has welcomed the report’s call for substantial increases in funding for home-based and residential care.
“The proposed funding increases recognise that quality care cannot be delivered without properly funding providers and the workforce,” Mr Marshall said.
“Investment in aged care is an investment in the wellbeing of older New Zealanders, their families and the wider health system.”
Grey Power also supports investigating a future social insurance scheme to help fund aged care for future generations, provided any model is carefully designed and subject to broad public consultation.
‘Older people must have a voice’
Grey Power says older people and their families must have a meaningful role in implementing the reforms.
“The report proposes a significant transformation of aged care over the next decade. Older New Zealanders cannot simply be consulted after the important decisions have been made,” Mr Marshall said.
“The test of this reform is simple: will an older New Zealander who needs care be able to get it when they need it, without being forced into financial insecurity.
Mr Marshall says that is the standard Grey Power will use to judge the Government’s response.
For more see Kāpiti GreyPower: https://www.kapitigreypower.co.nz/