Recent changes to the Aged Care Act have made it a right for older Aussies to have accessible support, but the main web portal is letting many people fall through cracks says an expert.
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"My Aged Care [website] is the front door to the aged care system. If the door is hard to find or ... navigate (you're) challenged at the first step," Craig Gear the CEO of the Older Person's Advocacy Network said.
Mr Gear said trying to use the website to access government-funded aged care services relies on people being able to fill in forms and go through digital systems, which can be difficult for some older generations.
The Inspector General of Aged Care's final report of the government platform designed to be the single-entry point to the aged care system was published on November 27.
Mr Gear spoke to The Senior about the top flaws and issues with the My Aged Care system.
He said people of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds were being left out of important conversations because translation was not always as nuanced as natural language.
Issues with the website were raised in the report, such as complicated drop-down menus and pages which took users to dead ends.
The advocate said from speaking broadly to people who work with CALD communities, "what someone needs is that trusted person to walk alongside them".
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The CareFinders Program is a great example of having an extra level of individualised care for vulnerable older people who need intensive support, but it is "very targeted".
"There aren't enough of those services around to support people to have equity of access," Mr Gear said.
He said there have been improvements since the new aged care act, like working with seniors to make the website more intuitive and easy to navigate.
However, for many face-to-face interactions trumps a phone call or website, he said.
"We are dealing with people who need that extra level of support to have the options to speedily access aged care," Mr Gear said.
People from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) communities may face additional barriers such as a lack of trust in "mainstream" government systems, he said.
"Many people from the Stolen Generations have had very poor experiences with engaging with government services."
"We can't start assessments unless people can register to get the ... services they need to stay independent and living in their communities," Mr Gear said.
Better training to be more culturally sensitive and appropriate is necessary, he said.
Some of that training will involve working with staff of the call centre and a capability review, and funding to support rural and regional support workers.
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