Dec 18 2011
Spending on home care services could grow to up to $11 billion per year if industry deregulation plans are adopted by the Federal Government, according to a forecast from one of the country’s leading home care providers.
Trish Noakes, CEO and Founder, Just Better Care Australia, said deregulation could see home services account for up to 75 per cent of total care recipients, with more than one million people regularly accessing home within the next five years¹.
The Federal Government is currently considering endorsing recommendations from the Productivity Commission that were released in August 2011, with changes reflected in next year’s budget and the final decision supposed to be released before Christmas.
Just Better Care provides home care services to more than 2,350 clients per week, or more than 14,000 hours, in Queensland, New South Wales, ACT and Victoria; but with the growing ageing population, Just Better Care is looking to expand further to be able to provide the necessary care to help even more people to age in their homes.
According to Trish Noakes, the increased industry spending will translate into great opportunities for the for-profit home care providers to expand their businesses.
“We have seen a steady growth at Just Better Care, with a lot of business-savvy people interested in getting involved with our franchising model to take advantage of this boom. In a traditionally Not-for-Profit sector, franchising is a clever option for those looking to capture the grey dollar where other institutions are failing,” Trish continued.
Currently in Australia there are two million people over 65 years, with approximately one million of them accessing aged care services. In 2050, there will be 6.2 million over 65 years with around 3.6 million people accessing services (three million in home care and 600,000 in residential facilities) ¹.
The huge increase in the proportion of Australia’s aged population due to baby boomers becoming ‘greying boomers’ leads to predictions that by mid-century Australia will need almost one million aged care and community workers to be able to look after older Australians, both in residential and home care.
About Just Better Care
Established in 2005, Just Better Care is a provider of quality care choices enabling people to live independently with dignity and comfort at home. An Australian network of locally-owned agencies, Just Better Care offers a range of services including personal, palliative and dementia care, nursing, medication and wound care, as well as domestic assistance and outings for social support.
Just Better Care has 21 franchises across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT.
About Trish Noakes
Trish Noakes is the founder and director of Just Better Care, as well as a registered nurse, who has worked in community care since the early 1980s. She is passionate about ensuring the highest standards of care are provided to people who need support, and helping these people to live with the best quality of life they can. Trish has built a career around this intention, as well as providing business and employment opportunities to others who share her vision.
¹ Australian Bureau of Statistics, http://www.abs.gov.au/