Wife and carer 'dumbfounded' by husband's aged care assessment

Graham Crossan and his wife Gaynor have lost an appeal for higher levels of funding. (ABC News: Kyle Harley) Graham Crossan is 80 and has late-stage motor neurone disease, but has lost an appeal for higher support funding. His wife Gaynor was shocked at the decision, which was based around a new assessment tool introduced last year. Critics says the federal government's Integrated Assessment Tool is failing older people, with a large number of complaints received. Link copiedShareShare articleMelbourne man Graham Crossan, 80, relies on his wife Gaynor to help him eat, move and even breathe. Graham is severely incapacitated with late-stage motor neurone disease and his 79-year-old wife is his primary, and often only, carer. Because he's over 65, Graham can't access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), but receives some funding through the federal government's My Aged Care program. Last November, the federal government began using an algorithm, the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), to determine aged care support. Graham was told he would need a new assessment and expected to receive the highest level of at-home care. Graham can't access the NDIS because he is over 65. (ABC News: Kyle Harley) But the algorithm deemed him ineligible for higher funding, and the results couldn't be overridden by a human. The couple appealed the decision, submitting a new report from a senior Occupational Therapist specialising in progressive neurological diseases, which supported his need for more help as the disease progressed. Last month, the Department of Aged Care again knocked him back. "They declined our request for review, they felt the initial assessment was correct," Gaynor said. She was left dumbfounded by the decision. Gaynor says she spends all her time looking after her husband, leaving little time to care for herself. (ABC News: Kyle Harley) "Quite honestly, I don't know what else would make them change their minds," Gaynor said. "He uses a [ventilator] between 22 and 23 hours a day … he will die if that ventilator malfunctions or is not being applied in a suitable way. "It needs at least two people to lift him. He cannot support himself. The Crossans' local federal member, Kooyong MP Monique Ryan, said it was the worst example she had seen of what she described as "Robo Aged Care". "The amount of financial support that his carer, his wife, is able to receive is manifestly inadequate for his needs," Dr Ryan told the ABC. "But what's going to happen, unless we can get some progress on his case, is he's going to have to move out of his home into residential aged care, which is not his preferred option or his wife's preferred option," she said. Monique Ryan says the amount of support the Crossans are eligible for is "manifestly inadequate". (ABC News: Matthew Holmes) In a letter to Mrs Crossan explaining its decision, the "system governor" said the "original assessment took into consideration the extent of (Graham's) impairments and functional limitations". It said, as there had not been "a significant change in (his) functional independents (sic) or needs met from what was considered in the original assessment" a higher level of funding was not available. "His needs haven't increased because they're already maximal," she said. "They couldn't be any greater than they are now and I can't say that anyone would argue that's not a reason to give someone as much support as you can." Dr Ryan said the algorithm clearly was not working. "We put the same rubbish in and we get the same rubbish out every time," Dr Ryan said. "The algorithm is inappropriate." There have been a large number of review requests, and some complaints, about the new algorithm. (ABC Central West: Melanie Pearce) The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has received 1,117 requests for review from the period from the introduction of the algorithm on November 1 last year to March 31 this year. The Department has finalised 606 of those, upholding 92 of the original decisions and amending 132. The rest were withdrawn or deemed to have been "submitted by people without legislative authority to do so". The Commonwealth Ombudsman also confirmed it had received a number of complaints about algorithmic decision-making, but said it would not make any further comment until the investigation was complete. Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler has announced a three-month rapid review of the Support at Home "prioritisation mechanism" but has defended the algorithm as improving the consistency and fairness of how in-home aged care is allocated. The typical life span from diagnosis of MND is 27 months and the minister said there would be a new fast-track process prioritising older Australians with MND for urgent funding. The member for Kooyong said those changes would not help people like Graham. "It doesn't really matter how quickly people are assessed if the assessment repeatedly gives them a level of service

Wife and carer 'dumbfounded' by husband's aged care assessment

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