Conclusions

The last decade has seen substantial policy developments in the community and institutional sectors of aged care service delivery in Australia. The system which had emerged by- the early 1980s was a consequence of incremental change which took little account of the inter-relationships between different sectors of provision.1 In common with many other Western countries in recent years, Australia has come to recognise the importance of a more holistic approach to service delivery, which takes into account the impacts of changes in one sector of care on the functioning of related sectors. This interaction has been increasingly recognised and incorporated into the planning and evaluation process. In addition, questions as to what constitutes the best balance of care among domiciliary services, long-term intensive residential care, supported accommodation, short-term respite services, support for carers, and cash assistance have emerged as central policy issues