Aged and Community Services WA executive Stephen Kobelke (pictured) said the allocation of funding for beds in the state has been a ‘hash-up’ for the fifth year in a row.
Through residential aged care centres and home care packages in the 2012-13 Aged Care Approvals Roundm Federal Ageing Minister Jacinta Collins funded 13,610 new aged care beds.
The lowest number was allocated to the Northern Territory. 28. WA came in second lowest with 811 new beds in aged care homes and a further 80 beds for home care packages: 10% of the country’s total annual aged care funding of $505million.
Regional areas with high-density elderly populations would suffer most said Mr Kobelke. Amana Living’s Ray Glickman agrees, saying that the government had not done enough to make the building of aged care facilities viable.
“While the situation in Mandurah hasn’t reached crisis point yet, the issue of bed shortages is widespread, and will affect all areas of the state in the not too distant future.”
