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Analysis of the Economic Policy with aged care service delivery in Australia

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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Health care issues and need for older people today and in future ............................................. 4
Burden of disease ................................................................................................................... 5
The dementia ‘epidemic’ ........................................................................................................ 5
Economic policies for healthcare of aged care services ............................................................ 6
Health promotion for the older age group in Australia .............................................................. 7
Economic Policy as quality care of older people towards the future ......................................... 8
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 9
References: ............................................................................................................................... 10

Introduction
This report is an in-depth analysis of the care of the older people in Australia and the
consequences of the economic policy in health care for older people. It is known that in each
continent the people tend to the age group and in this age there is huge need of the proper
care and health. So health care is always a need of the people either young or old but in older
ages this becomes necessity. In Australia there have been always improvements in the care
services for the elder people. (Productivity Commission, 2005), the private and government
communities are present there to help of the elder people in case of health related problems.
Australian Government has established a department of health and ageing to provide the
affordable and cost effective health care delivery to the older people. Also the government
fund too many of the aged care homes that are owned privately and providing the service.
These all policies are making a very good health care environment for the aged people.
The services are available both for home and health care center, so ages people can be cared
any places if they are unable to go then their health can be cared at home as well. The good
thing in Australia is that the promotions and awareness for the older people health care
delivery are quite enough among the people and local government as well as officials. In
Australia the ageing population is not considered as in a negative way, but it is considered as
the phenomenon of reflection of the political, technological and economic successes. This is
not considered as crisis but based on the ageing population, there have been initiated a
number of effective solutions so that economic, social adjustments can be done instead of
adopt crisis mode of ageing people (Somme D et al, 2003) Generally, it is said that in old
ages the only thing that is need for the older people is care and their health. In old ages the
health creates most of the problem because of the lack of the power in body. To ensure that,
there should be any issues to the older people, the health care services have been provided to
the older people at home if they are unable to come to the health care centers. (Ferrell B.
1995) The Australian government is investing a lot to facilitate the health care services with
affordable and cost effective. There seem to have the future development in the health care
providing facilities and other related activities which will benefit to the older people. Also
the economic policy in delivering the health care services for the older people plays an
important role.
The economic policies for the improvement of the quality of the health care services delivery
in Australia for older people have been discussed in detail in this report. How in today’s
world health care of older people is taking care and also what will be future scenario for the
care of the health of older people in Australia. What will be the effect of the economy on the

health care services? All these answers have been discussed in the report.

Health care issues and economic policy need for older people today
In Australia it can be seen that the picture of health related activities for older people is
positive. From the earlier researches and collected data, it is observed that life expectancy of
the people in Australia is higher and also day by day it is increasing because of the improved
health delivery services in Australia. Also the death rate is lower over time in Australia which
implies the growing improvement of health care services for old aegis. According to
Australian Bureau of Statistics, in an Australian health care survey, the older age people
accepted that they had very good or excellent health at this old age. This shows that current
trend of the health care services in Australia for the older people. The below graph illustrates
that for what ages people the care is needed at what percentage. It has been seen from this
figure that at the older ages the high care is needed in comparison to the younger ages.

This can be observed from this graph as well as from the Australian statistics bureau that in
Australia there is a health progress over the age of people. But there are some health related
issues like developing of the chronic diseases over the time. Based on the implications of the
current trend of the health of older people in Australia, the future health care implications and
facilities can be imagined. (Access Economics, 2003). The current trend of health related
issues for older people, with the expenditure and demand of good health services, can be
viewed in future health related issues and demand of good health care systems. There have
been found in the survey that lots of people still have some disabilities and need health care
support in older ages.

Burden of disease
In Australia, the burden of disease is due to the heart disease and stroke in older people
(Mathers, Voss & Stevenson, 1999). Because of the heart disease and stroke, the burden of
disease on the older people is around 33%, which is followed by dementia, obstructive
pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. More than this the main problem is due to the
cardiovascular diseases which accounts for 65 percent problem of disease burden on the older
people. The problem happens because most of the Australian people use high liquor. In
Australia, according to the AIHW 2004, dementia is the most effective cause for the highest
level of problems in the older people with their age, and due to this the profound disability is
around 95 percent.
Another disability problem or health condition in the older people is the mental and
behavioural disorders, which is almost is 60 percent in Australia. The other problems include
eyesight problems, around 58 percent, stroke problems around 55 percent and there are many
diseases by which the older people in Australia suffer a lot.
The dementia ‘epidemic’
In Australia, the most contemporary health related issue in older people is the increase in
prevalence of dementia in the Australian society. This is generally, described as a syndrome
that is associated with various range of diseases that include brain issue, memory, language
perception, cognitive skills and personality (Korczyn AD et al, 2007). It has been oversexed
from the surveys and analysis that after the age of 65 years, the likelihood of living of the
older people occurs with dementia after each five years. Due to this the people whom age is
around 85 and more are affected greatly and this percentage of the people is almost 25
percent (Kiel D et al, 1998).
From the above discussion, it can be observed that even though the health of the people of
older age in Australia is good or excellent as reported but there are also some problems to the
older people regarding their health (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). This examines
that there is need of the health care activities to improve the problem of health related
diseases among the older people. These consequences can also be visualized in future, even if
the growth of improvement is high over the time. The Australian government tried to
improve the facilities in health care sector to address the existing health issues through the
National Health Priority initiative.

Economic policies for healthcare of aged care services
While analyzing the recent trend in health care services and the accrued cost for the health
treatment in Australia, and the community support, it has been found that economic policies
effect much. The ageing will alter established economic and social connection, which will
affect both the economic growth and availability of recourses within the economy (Somme D
et al, 2003). Because of the economic policies in health care domain, the facilities and health
care services availability is growing rapidly which is affecting the life expectancy of the
people. It has been discussed above that the ageing population is increasing and fertility rates
are decreasing. As growing ageing population are reducing the government tax, and this
increasing the problem for the government to invest much amount on health care issues. For
the ageing people the cost to live in society also include the raised rates of hospital
utilization, fees of medical consultants, and other allied health services. In case of economic
policies, the economic rationalists are defined as the ratio of the number of people who are
able to support to the number of people who need help or dependent on these supporting
people.
The ageing people also influence health resource distribution and due to that the economic
policies get affected. The economic weight age can clearly understood from the report
published by Australian Aged Care Reform Strategy Unit in year 1996 that there was
subsidies for the payment to the nursing homes or health care institution’s medical
consultants for the health improvement and take of the older people in Australia. These socioeconomic policies didn’t much improve the level of funding needed for the health care
services and care for the aged people but this economic policy cover the basic needs in health
care for the aged services. (Scherer SC. 2001).

This economic policy increased the gap in

the health care servicing need a little bit. In Australia today, the research and statistics explain
that the current economic policies are inadequate to cover the most of the health care service
need to the ageing population. Instead of this, there is huge improvement in the health care
of the ageing population in Australia and that is continuously improving day by day. These
issues have been raised in the newspapers through media to have the public awareness about
the situation of the older people facing because of the economic issues and also due to the
aged care services.
So these issues have been taken in to account by the government sincerely, knowing the fact
that ageing population will be a drain on the national budget, some public health care policies
have been introduced in Australia to reduce the economic burden. Also some private or grant
health care institutions or care homes encouraged to help to the older people.

Health promotion for the older age group in Australia
Health promotion in Australia is also necessary to let the older people know about the health
care delivery and services. To provide choice of health care related services to the older
people in Australia, it is necessary to have a holistic social approach that can be adopted by
the health as well as aged care service providers. As the increasing aegis population, need to
have all the information about the health related activities either home based or medical
institution or aged care services based. (Scherer SC. 2001). If the person is too old then this
does not mean that this person is ill, but these people need to have such information. The
older people have perception that health is a important and positive attitude of their life.
Whatever the older people do such as social activities, physical activities, the older people
want to fit and healthy all time. Health is the ability and opportunity for a person to live life
with happiness and satisfaction, then why not at the old age? Of course, it is for everyone at
any age, so the needful information to live happy, these older or aged people should have.
In Australia, the government has made a system for the aged people that they will be
compensated for the medical or health related issues if they belong to the National or state
government and this will help them to update the entire medical or health related activities
through their life. The government and local authorities also made a system that for 40-50
older people in Australia, have one medial nurse or care person to inform or take care of the
people. (Mann AH et al, 2000) For other people, the local authorities and government
officials also have other facilities so their health also can be take care. Therefore, in Australia,
for the older people the process of health or health facilities are better than other countries.
This situation must be addressed as soon as possible, if older people are to be offered
opportunities to receive the level of support needed to return to states of wellness and
wellbeing.

Economic Policy as quality care of older people towards the future
Quality of all the health services and facilities all depend on the economic availability. The
increasing number of the aged people in Australia as observed through the Australian Bureau
of Statistics, there is need of the huge medical or health care related services and facilities to
cover all these issues for the older people in Australia. Even though the health of the older
people is good enough there as shown in surveys and the result of increasing life expectancy
and decreasing death rate, but there are lots of older or aged people who have burden of
diseases need proper health care. To fulfil these health care related issues, there is need of
finance to carry out the activities. (Pocock NA, et al 1999) Therefore, it can be said that
without right economic policy the quality care of the older people cannot be done.
Older people need to have better social life, better health care system, proper housing, proper
retirement plans, and proper future planning, all these depends on the correct and beneficial
economic policies. To lift the older people life style and to live in peace without any health
problems, there is need of proper aged care services and health care related facilities.
(WorralI et al, 1993) Many communities and societies are helping to the older people to lift
their life style. These all indicates that in future, there is need of number of right economic
policies to avail all these better services. There is also need of the new technologies for the
health care related activities which can help in support to the aged people in taking care of
their health and related issues. Therefore, economic policies play an important role in
improving the quality of the health and care of the older people.

Conclusion
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics it has been observed that there are some
problems in the economic and social aspects in Australia but even though the recent survey
shows that most of the older people has good or excellent health trend till yet and at the older
age they are happy with their health. This shows the decreasing death rate and the increase in
life expectancy. The Australian Government announces some economic policies in health
care sector to improve it but still the burden of disease is on the older of people. Based on this
current trend of health care and the economic factor for the older people indicates the future
consequences as these problems will be still there even though the increasement in the
healthcare technology and services offerings to the older people. The above report concludes
that even being good health care services, there are some existing diseases in the older people
so for that there is need to improve the quality of the health and life care of the older people.

References:
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