Understanding unmet aged care need and care inequalities among older Australians

Abstract

Abstract In Australia, numerous reviews and inquiries have documented concerns about inadequate access to, and the quality of, aged care. Despite those concerns, research is yet to appraise fully how care needs are assessed, prioritised, and met or left unmet. This paper asks two interrelated questions: (1) How should we conceptualise and measure unmet care need and care inequalities among older people? (2) What are the policy parameters for assessing needs, prioritising access to support and monitoring quality in aged care in Australia? Key insights from academic literature are used to critically review Australian policy documents describing rights, assessments, prioritisation, quality standards and performance indicators for the aged care sector. Using the concepts of care inequalities and care poverty, the paper develops a framework for understanding and measuring needs and unmet needs in aged care, and for encompassing fundamental and valued aspects of life for older people, their carers and their care network. The paper argues that the concept of care poverty opens the space to discuss what level of unmet need and inequality in access to aged care in any society may be considered intolerable.