The aged care algorithm deciding support for older Australians
Using expert analysis, evidence revealed by bureaucrats at Senate estimates, and documents obtained under FOI, Four Corners reveals the fullest picture yet of the secretive algorithm affecting the lives of tens of thousands of older Australians and their families.
The aged care algorithm used to determine support for older Australians was introduced in November and has faced controversy ever since. This algorithm, known as the Integrated Assessment Tool, was assessed by a human clinician for the first time on Audrey Staniland, a 96-year-old woman. Despite her age and health conditions, the algorithm decided that Audrey should maintain the same level of funding she had received for nearly a decade.
The government has resisted requests to disclose information about the algorithm's design. Experts argue that the algorithm's flaws, such as the timing of certain questions and the fact that most responses are not considered, lead to inadequate assessments. The algorithm works in a step-by-step process, starting with a functional score based on daily activities, followed by a score on whether those tasks are being met, and finally considering compounding factors like frailty and cognitive problems.
Despite the algorithm's complexity, it is statistically flawed, with a single point in a person's score potentially resulting in a loss or gain of almost $40,000 in annual funding. Audrey's daughter, Jan Helgeland, has appealed the decision, but received no response from the department.
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