If targets for reducing housework support for the elderly in Otago are met, monthly hours allocated will drop by more than 3500 between now and the end of the year.
The target figures are shown in a report which will go to the Otago District Health Board today The reductions are part of a drive to bring the board spending on the elderly into line with national averages in the next three years.
The board says it has been delivering more services than it is being funded for and is exploring ways it could eventually save about $6.6 million a year.
Housework support has been a particular focus because the hours have been growing faster than would have been expected, even allowing for a reduction in the number of people receiving residential care.
The figures, from the planning and funding department, show that the average number of hours of housework support allocated monthly in the nine months to the end of March was 26,121.
Under the targets, the hours for June are set at 25,994, dropping monthly until December, when the target is 22,411 hours.
Last December, 24,856 hours were used.
The amount of personal care allocated to the elderly in their homes in future will also be reduced by 95 hours a month between June and December.
For the nine months to the end of March, the average number of hours used monthly was 16,846.
This month, the target hours to be allocated totals 16,723 and by December 16,628 hours will be allocated.
Last December, the personal care hours were 16,663.
The department says needs assessors have been asked to make a case for extra help they may require to manage the level of assessments, reassessments and reviews required.
