Aged Care in Australia

The aged care industry has hence been marked by changing in the trends of demand for care as well as policies governing the care financing and management. These trends have brought in new business models all aiming to adopt to the changing trends in the industry. Significant challenges have also marred the aged care sector with elder abuse, poor quality of care or missed care being among the most common. This assignment will explore the aged care in Australia with a specific focus on the structure of aged care in Australia, the existing competitors and their business models, existing changes and trends impacting the sector and conclude by reviewing the ethical concerns in elderly care in the country. Introduction Aged care refers to the offering of services which are aimed to meet the health needs of the elderly in Australia.

The services that can be provided through in-home care services include allied healthcare services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing aid among others. The funding for in-home care can be provided through two packages that make the in-home care services affordable for the elderly. The home-care package provides various levels of care services access. Level 1 of the package caters for the basic healthcare needs of the elderly patient, the increasing levels increase the complexity of the care services that are provided to the patient (Gilkes, 2018). Level 2 care needs package provides low-level care needs, level 3 provides intermediate care, while level 4 provides for the high care needs for the elderly. The Australian aged care sector has over 900 companies that provide aged care services mainly residential care services to over 200,000 elderly persons.

The key players in elderly residential care services providers in Australia include Bupa, Opal, Allity, Regis, Estia and Japara. Bupa is the biggest of the top aged care providers in Australia. The market recorded an estimated profit for the year 2018-2019 period of over $1. 7 billion with an annual growth of 5. d. The changing landscape of aged care in Australia has attracted new entrants into the aged care business with more refreshing business models (Nusem, Wrigley and Matthews, 2015). The business models are integrated into not only providing the traditional health services but having a system that offers additional benefits to the elderly. The integration of the new business models which include enhancing the satisfaction of care, the inclusion of technology in care among others as well as focus on one revenue stream/ generating interventions for the elderly.

Group homes are one example of the new players with which is another in aged care provision in Australia and has adopted a new business model which aims at recreating a home environment for the aged patients in care (Group Homes, n. The entry of new providers leads to the development of more innovative business models and patient-care approaches. The increased number of elderly people requiring care in Australia has expanded. The increased demand for services will impact the current hybrid system of aged care that incorporates the government funding partly the care for residential aged care. Increased numbers are likely to reduce the ability of the government to partly fund the costs of care. This trend will lead to reduced funding and the need for self-funding for services.

Five Victorian health services have been accused of elder abuse in Victoria. Elderly abuse defies the ethical principle of nonmaleficence as provided by nursing care ethics. The nursing care code 4 of practice, provides for nurses to respect the dignity of the patients under their care (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2018). Elder abuse goes against the provision for respect for the patient's dignity. Code of Ethics and Guide to Ethical the Code of Ethics and Guide to Ethical Conduct for Residential Aged Care Conduct for Residential Aged Care provides that the care providers in aged care ought to act in the best interest of the patients. The aged care business has also been impacted by changes in the policy landscape requiring consumers to manage their own finances, increased demand likely to reduce funding for elderly care among others.

The services provided in Australia’s elderly care are not without blemish. Elder abuse, poor quality of care provision and lack of effective involvement of the patients to deliver a patient-centred care are among the standout ethical concerns in aged care in Australia. References Australian Government (n. d. gov. au. Available at: https://www. pc. gov. d. [online] Bupaagedcare. com. au. Available at: https://www. [online] Ausmed. Available at: https://www. ausmed. com/articles/home-care-packages/ [Accessed 8 Dec. Group Homes (n. Missed care in residential aged care in Australia: An exploratory study. Collegian, 24(5), pp. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2018).  Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia - Professional standards. [online] Nursingmidwiferyboard. Exploring aged care business models: a typological study.  Ageing and Society, 37(02), pp.