The Home Care Solution

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The Home Care Solution
Introduction
In Australia, as an older person you are faced with many choices. Choices such as
where and how to live as you age. At the heart of this decision is often the desire
to remain independent, with many studies showing up to 90% of seniors wish to
maintain a quality of life in familiar surroundings, in the comfort of their own home.
However, for many people, as you age you will need support and assistance in
your home to achieve this.
A guide to enable older people
to live independently at home
Table of Contents
Introduction3
The changing landscape 4
What is home care?
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Signs that home care is needed 6
Having the conversation about home care
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Where to begin to find home care services
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A team approach to care management
Complex care support including Dementia and Palliative care
Navigating government funded home care services
The HACC Program
Home Care Packages
Consumer Directed Home Care Packages
Transition Care
Veterans Home Care
Respite for Family Carers
Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)
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Home Instead Home Care Solutions Pathway
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Home care myths 16
Myth No.1: I have no say about who comes into my home and when
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Myth No.2: Home care will take away my independence
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Checklist of questions to ask a home care service provider
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Home care enhances lives 18
Resources19
Home Instead Senior Care Resources
Other links
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
At Home Instead Senior Care we recognise that seeking care is not an easy
decision to make; many people put off the decision until a crisis emerges. The
pathway to finding the right care can be confusing and stressful to navigate. It can
typically involve family, friends, professional carers, healthcare professionals, health
organisations and/or government departments. This guide provides a resource
to assist you in identifying the best home care solution for you, provides an
explanation about how care needs can be managed at home and details how to
find the best care pathway to suit your personal circumstances.
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Information in this guide is provided by Home Instead Senior Care and its Franchise Owner network
as general advice only and should not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific course
of action. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is correct as of the date of
publication. We recommend you seek expert advice from your local Home Instead office or a health
professional, about your specific situation. Publication date May 2015.
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The changing landscape
What is home care?
With the advancements in healthcare we are all living longer and Australia’s
population is rapidly increasing in age. By around 2020 the number of Australians
aged 65 years and over will exceed those aged under 14 years for the first time in
history. Moreover, the number of people of working age paying taxes to support
every person aged 65 years and over is projected to decline from 5 people in 2010
to 2.7 people by 2050. This demographic change is forcing all governments to
re-think policy and find sustainable ways to minimise the growing gap between its
expenditure and tax receipts arising from the ageing population.
Home Care is the term for supportive care provided to individuals to enable them
to live safely and independently in their own home, or wherever they call home.
Care may be provided by family members, friends, health professionals (including
nurses), or by professional carers. These services enable adults to retain their
daily routines, keep them safe at home and prevent unnecessary hospitalisation,
premature admission to a nursing or residential aged care home.
At the same time, the demand for aged care services continues to grow at record
rates, and seniors and their families are demanding greater choice, quality and
control over the services they receive to meet their individual needs.
1. Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), also known as
Personal Care or Personal Assistance Services, which includes eating, dressing,
bathing (showering), toileting, transferring, mobility and communication. They
are basic self-care activities that we all perform on a daily basis.
In response to these societal changes, in 2011 the Productivity Commission (PC)
recommended changes to the way aged care is delivered by governments around
Australia in a report titled ‘Caring for Older Australians’. The government system
of home care outlined in this guide reflects the way government has responded to
the PC report as of February 2014. Most notable are 3 important changes:
• The introduction of greater choice for older people about the home care
services they receive.
• The introduction of means testing of eligibility for home care services based
on a person’s income.
• The introduction of transparent home care budgets.
In broader terms, home care services required by older people typically involve
two types of care:
2.Assistance with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs),
also known as Home Helper or Home Support Services, are activities central
to independent functioning in the community and include driving (transport),
planning and preparing meals, housework, shopping, managing finances and
managing medication.
Whilst the above care services are important to maintain your physical well being,
companionship and daily social interaction is vital for maintaining mental and
cognitive health and a quality life.
These changes are having a substantive impact on the delivery of government
subsidised home care services in Australia and are explained in more detail later in
this guide. Yet even more change is anticipated as consumer groups and organisations
continue to advocate for even more control over the services they receive.
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
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Signs that home care is needed
Having the conversation about home care
For most families or friends there comes a time when they have to consider that
their ageing loved one needs more help to enable them to continue to live at home.
This need might also apply to an older adult recovering from an illness or surgery,
who needs help around the home to aid recovery and maintain their lifestyle.
However, the need can be just as much for emotional and mental support, as
well as physical assistance. A senior who loses a spouse can become depressed
and lonely to the point that their own health suffers. Or a widower’s increasing
forgetfulness can put him at risk of forgetting to pay the bills, or worse, to take
his medications. Equally a loved one showing signs of memory loss, or following a
diagnosis of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease can be challenging and have an
emotional effect on the person themselves and their family and friends.
The decision to consider home care services can be difficult and cause families
or friends grief. No adult son or daughter wants to admit that a parent, who
provided life and nurturing to them, is now in need of care that they struggle to
provide in return. Just because a person is having more problems at home does
not mean it’s time to recommend a move elsewhere. The aim of home care
services is to support a person to continue to live at home without them having
to move elsewhere.
These signs below may be an indication that it is time to call for help:
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Household bills piling up
Reluctance to leave the house and becoming socially isolated
Losing interest in meals
Declining personal hygiene
Declining driving skills
Burnt pots and pans
Signs of depression
Missed doctors’ appointments and social engagements
Unkept house
Losing track of medications
For more information about some of the reasons behind changes to seniors’
lifestyles visit Home Instead Senior Care www.caregiverstress.com
If you’ve noticed the warning signs, then it is time to start talking with your parents,
relative or older friend sooner rather than later (when a crisis has occurred), but how
do you bring up sensitive subjects related to ageing and the need for home care?
Approach your parents with a conversation. Discuss what you’ve observed and ask
your parents what they think is going on. If your parents acknowledge the situation,
ask what they think would be good solutions. If your parents don’t recognize a
problem, use concrete examples to support your case.
Remember you are talking to an adult, not a child. Patronising speech will put older
adults on the defensive and convey a lack of respect for them. Put yourself in your
parents’ shoes and think of how you would want to be addressed in this situation.
The first step in determining if care is warranted is to take the older person’s
needs and desires into account. It is not about what you think is best for them;
they need to be able to identify and articulate what assistance would benefit them.
Often seniors only want help from a son or daughter, which can put undue
pressure on a family. Most family carers can go into “crisis mode” to rally around
a loved one in the short-term, but this is simply not sustainable without adverse
effects on family, other relationships, health and work.
Adult siblings may also encounter sensitive situations when they have conversations
with their brothers and sisters about their parents need for assistance. Sometimes
it may be difficult to avoid family conflict unless the siblings identify an agreed care
pathway for their parents or understand that they will need to provide support or
respite where an individual sibling takes on the carer role.
To assist families through these
difficult conversations Home Instead
has produced three public education
guides called the ‘40/70 Rule’, ‘The
50/50 Rule’ and ‘When Seniors Say
NO!’ These guides provide real-life
family situations with ideas, strategies
and resources on how to address
many of these challenging issues.
When Seniors
Say ‘‘No!”
The 50-50 Rule
overcoming
resistance to assistance
SM
Tips for Siblings
Caring for Ageing Parents
The 40 -70 Rule
A guide to conversation starters for
families and their senior loved ones
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
7
Where to begin to find home care services
Complex care support including Dementia and Palliative care
People encounter aged care services in very different circumstances. Sometimes
it is through a planned approach with a family member or there comes a point
as you age when you realise that a little extra support will enhance your life and
increase your confidence to retain your independence at home. Other times it
may be when you encounter a more acute event such as a debilitating illness,
or incident which can only be overcome with extra support. Very quickly a
situation can become a crisis where immediate home care support is the only
realistic option if you want to return or stay home. The urgency of deciding
at this point, who to speak to and which services to engage, can be extremely
stressful and demanding.
It used to be that a medical crisis would require an older person to move into an
aged care home or hospital, but today, many older adults who suffer from a health
condition or have a chronic or life debilitating illness can, with support, still remain
living safely at home.
It is important that you obtain quality information and advice to assist you to
consider the best options that suit your needs and situation. Depending on your
circumstances there will be a number of options open to you.
Talk to your local Home Instead office; they can discuss your needs with you,
guide, advise and provide you with information and resources about a range of
different care options within the community. They will also be able to explain
the range of services provided by Home Instead Senior Care which can be
implemented immediately without assessment.
Alternatively, or concurrently, you may wish to discuss your needs with your family, a
health care professional such as a GP, hospital discharge planner or contact a friend
or colleague who you know may have encountered a similar situation.
Home Instead can take the lead in coordinating the team of care services required
to support a person who has complex high care needs or is palliative, right up
to the end of their life. A home based palliative care team may include family
and friends, nurses, GPs, medical specialists, allied health providers, counsellors,
spiritual leaders or other community organisations or individuals. Home Instead
can coordinate these services to ensure that practical assistance is always available
to support the individual through their illness and provide the family and friends
with personal time with their loved one or respite as required.
One of the most common reasons people require support at home is when they
are experiencing short term memory loss or following a diagnosis of dementia
including Alzheimer’s disease. Home Instead specialises in supporting people with
dementia to continue to live independently at home and maintain a quality lifestyle.
Home Instead’s unique dementia training program equips its CAREGivers to
understand and support people with dementia at home enabling them to respond
to changing situations and provide the appropriate level of care required.
The internet is also a great repository of information and a list of resources for you
to access are provided at the end of this guide.
A team approach to care management
In addition to personal care or home helper services, it’s possible that you or a loved
one may require other services to assist you to continue to live at home. These might
range from engaging a gardening service to arranging for an Occupational Therapist
visit to assess mobility issues and prescribe appropriate aids or equipment to enhance
safe mobility around the home. It may also involve visits from a nurse to provide
specific clinical care services. Home Instead regularly identifies and coordinates such
services for clients and their families and manages the communication between you,
your family and the health professionals or other services as required.
Most of these types of services commonly address a very specific need and will
typically be limited to providing short term contact with that person. In contrast,
the services provided by a Home Instead CAREGiver are centred upon building a
relationship with you to support your holistic, physical and emotional needs, and
to assist and encourage you to retain your independence in whatever way you can.
To this extent, your local Home Instead office will become a trusted resource for you,
enhancing your life or the life of your loved one and your family members, and work
with you to ensure your care needs are always being met, even when they change.
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
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Navigating government funded home care services
Home Care Packages
An important step in seeking home care services is to identify and understand
what government home care services are available and whether you are eligible
to receive them. Navigating the maze of services funded by various government
authorities is daunting. Your local Home Instead office is familiar with the specific
programs available in your city or state and can explain them to you, and because
they work closely with government funded home care organisations they will
advise you on the best way to access these programs.
Home Care Packages are specific care services provided to meet an older person’s assessed care needs.
These services are delivered by government funded providers that choose to enter into a tender process
for the available government funds. Funding is provided directly to the successful provider who manages
and distributes the funds through agreed care services.
The Commonwealth and State Governments fund a wide range of different
home care programs. The two key programs to support seniors are the Home
and Community Care Program (HACC) and the Home Care Packages Program.
There are also additional programs funded by the Australian Government to
support the needs of specialist groups such as Veterans and family carers. All these
programs have different eligibility criteria to access them and require some form of
assessment; many also have waiting lists.
The HACC Program
If you require a basic level of assistance or one or two services to help you stay living in your own home,
then the HACC program provides assistance primarily for people who are able to live and cope on their
own and do not need a high level of care.
The services provided under a home care package will be coordinated by the funded provider and
typically include personal care, social support services, house cleaning, basic home maintenance and/or
transport for shopping, appointments or social outings.
Clinical care services such as nursing or allied health services can also be provided in a home care
package as can aids and equipment required to maintain or re-enable independence. A funded provider
will work out with you the range of services you require to live at home and will document these for you
into a care plan for your agreement. Services provided under a home care package will be limited to the
amount of funding available within the package.
The eligibility criteria for accessing Home Care Packages includes a formal assessment conducted by a
member of an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT), or Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) in Victoria.
This assessment will usually take place in your home and identifies your care needs and level of package
required. From July 2014 you will also be required to complete an income assessment via Centrelink to
determine your eligibility. Only people on the aged pension or with annual income levels below a fixed
amount are eligible for government funded home care packages. You will never be denied a service
because you can’t afford it.
There are four levels of Home Care Packages:
The HACC program can provide the following basic level of services: domestic assistance, personal care,
home maintenance, home modification, nursing and allied health care and/or therapy, social support,
food services (meals on wheels), shopping and transport assistance for appointments or social outings.
The HACC program also supports centre-based day care for adults in their local community.
LEVEL 1: BASIC CARE NEEDS
To be eligible for the HACC program you must be 65 years or older (or 55 years or older if you are from
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent). In most states and territories the Australian Government
directly funds HACC services for older people through the Australian Government HACC program. In
Victoria and Western Australia, HACC is a joint initiative of the Australian Government and the State
Government. This means there can be differences in eligibility requirements so you will need to check
with your local HACC approved service provider.
LEVEL 3: INTERMEDIATE CARE NEEDS
Under HACC, you are only required to undertake a simple, basic assessment to find out what help you
need at home. A HACC representative will talk to you or your carer over the phone to assess your ability
to manage various daily living activities They will then work out what kind of assistance you may be
eligible for.
There is usually a contribution fee required for each service provided under the HACC program and
the amount you will be requested to pay will depend on your income and the type and number of
services you require. The fee may vary from service provider to service provider. You may also find that
service providers have waiting lists for specific HACC services so you may not be provided with services
immediately.
MORE INFO:
www.myagedcare.gov.au/home-and-community-care or phone 1800 200 422.
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
LEVEL 2: LOW-LEVEL CARE NEEDS
Equivalent to the former Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs)
LEVEL 4: HIGH LEVEL CARE NEEDS
Equivalent to the former Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) and
Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia packages (EACHD)
In addition supplementary funding is available for any of the four Home Care Package levels for people
who have dementia or cognitive issues, for Veterans with service related mental health issues, and for
people who require oxygen or enteral feeding on an ongoing basis.
Whilst the Australian Government pays for the Home Care Package you will be asked to pay a
contribution to the cost of your care. This contribution will be based on a financial assessment of your
personal income via Centrelink and will be discussed with you by the government funded Home Care
Package provider prior to the commencement of services.
Following assessment by the ACAT/S you will be referred to a government funded provider in your
area which has a vacant home care package at the level that you have been assessed as being eligible
for. There may be waiting lists in some areas for Home Care Packages. As an interim measure, Home
Instead can immediately meet your needs until a package is available.
The traditional framework for service delivery of Home Care Packages has been that care recipients are
directed by the provider about what care services they will receive (based on the assessment). There has
been no requirement to disclose how the funding for an individual package is being spent by the provider
and choice of services has been limited. This approach is changing with the introduction of Consumer
Directed Care Packages.
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Consumer Directed Home Care Packages
Veterans Home Care
As an outcome of the Productivity Commission report there is now a gradual introduction of a new way
of funding Home Care Packages which was introduced by the Australian Government in August 2013. It
is referred to as Consumer Directed Care (CDC).
Veterans of the Australian Defence Forces, or a war widow or widower, are eligible for home care
services from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). Services include domestic assistance, personal
care, respite care and safety-related home and garden maintenance. Limited, short term social
assistance may also be provided as part of the Coordinated Veterans’ Care (CVC) program.
The aim of moving to a CDC model is to give older people and their families greater control, choice and
flexibility about the type of care and services they receive, such as which home care service provider they
would like to deliver the care to them, and the day and services provided. Under the new CDC model the
government funded provider will establish a home care agreement with you which details how you have jointly
agreed that the funds be used. You can decide what level of involvement you wish to have in managing your
package of care services and you will be provided with a home care budget and regular financial statements
to ensure transparency in how the funding allocated to your care needs is being accounted for.
By July 2015 all Home Care Packages will be delivered on a CDC basis. In the interim, a mix of the
traditional and CDC Home Care Packages will be available. You will need to discuss this further with an
approved provider to ascertain what types of packages they have available and how much involvement
and decision making you will be allowed.
Whilst the funding will continue to be given directly to the Government funded provider, you can now
also elect to choose who delivers your care services. You are no longer restricted to only using the
services of the approved provider with the Home Care Package funding, although they will continue to
manage and administer the funding of the package for you. This enables you to choose your preferred
home care provider and to purchase additional hours of care to top up the amount of care you receive
in your Government funded care package as your care needs change. It also means that if you do decide
to purchase additional hours of care from a provider, you can have the same CAREGiver deliver both the
Government funded and private care services to you.
COTA Australia, the peak national policy body of older Australians, has advocated that Government should
look to build upon recent reforms and introduce a system which provides funding directly to the assessed
older person, who can then determine how those funds are managed and spent. Home Instead Senior Care
also advocates for this approach to simplify access to Government funding of home care services.
MORE INFO: www.myagedcare.gov.au/home-care-packages or phone 1800 200 422.
Transition Care
If you are in hospital and are ready to go home but need support to assist you in your recovery at home,
then you may be eligible for home care services under the Transition Care Program. You can only access
the Transition Care Program from hospital.
Transition Care provides short-term care that is focused on an older person’s individual goals to improve
their health and well-being and provides funded assistance for physical therapies or home care services
for up to twelve weeks following your discharge from hospital. It typically provides you with a package of
services based on what’s best for you and your situation, and how to help you become as independent as
you can be after you have been in hospital.
To access VHS services a comprehensive assessment is conducted, typically over the telephone, to assess
the range of services an individual may require. Following the assessment, agreed services will be written
in a care plan and sent to the entitled person and the VHC approved service provider. A small cocontribution is payable by the recipient to the approved provider for the home care services.
MORE INFO: http://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/home-and-care/veterans-home-care-vhc
or phone 1300 550 450.
Respite for Family Carers
Respite care or short-term care is support provided to family carers to provide them with a break from
the caring role or enable them to attend to their own everyday activities.
The Australian Government provides support for family carers through the National Respite for Carers
Program (NRCP). The NRCP provides access to a variety of respite services and is particularly focused
on supporting carers of people aged over 65, people with dementia or challenging behaviours, younger
people with disabilities, people with high care needs and people with terminal illnesses requiring end of
life care.
The assessment process for accessing NRCP involves a telephone call to your local Australian Government
Respite and Carelink Centres (CRCC). NRCP services can be provided in the home of the person you care
for, a community centre, a home of a friend or family member or a residential aged care home.
Support for carers can also be provided through other Australian Government funded home care
programs such as HACC and the National Carer Counselling Program.
If you are caring for someone and need help urgently, the NRCP also provide emergency respite services.
You will then be helped to find solutions for the future. Whilst the Australian Government pays for the
majority of these respite services you will be expected to pay a contribution to the cost of the care if you
can afford to do so.
MORE INFO: www.myagedcare.gov.au/caring-someone/respite-care or phone 1800 052 222.
Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)
From 1 July 2015, the following Australian Government programs will be amalgamated into a single
streamlined Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), supported by My Aged Care:
The eligibility criteria for accessing the Transition Care Program requires you to be over the age of 65
and to be assessed as eligible by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT or ACAS in Victoria) while
you are still in hospital. A hospital discharge planner or other health professional will advise and make
arrangements for the ACAT/S assessment.
• The Commonwealth Home and Community Care (HACC) Program
You will be expected to contribute to the cost of your Transition Care Package by paying a basic daily fee,
however, you will always have access to the services you need, regardless of your financial situation. You
will never be denied a service because you can’t afford it.
• The Assistance with Care and Housing for the Aged (ACHA) Program.
Home Instead Senior Care delivers transition care services for many of the government funded health
providers under the Transition Care Program.
Negotiations for transitioning HACC services for older people to The CHSP are underway in Victoria and
Western Australia. Older people in Victoria and Western Australia will still be able to access support
under the CHSP that was previously offered under the NRCP, DTC and ACHA programmes.
MORE INFO: www.myagedcare.gov.au/transition-care-program or phone 1800 200 422.
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
• The National Respite for Carers Program (NRCP)
• The Day Therapy Centres (DTC) Program
The CHSP does not currently apply to HACC services in Western Australia or Victoria, where the HACC
Program continues to operate as a jointly funded Commonwealth-State program.
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Home Instead Home Care Solutions Pathway
© M&S Warner Pty Ltd 2014
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
15
Home care myths
Checklist of questions to ask a home care service provider
Myth No.1: I have no say about who comes into my home and when
Having someone come into your home to provide care services to you can be
quite daunting at first. It can be even more of an imposition if you do not know
who is coming to assist you or what time of the day they will be arriving. Even
more confronting is if a different person comes to assist you each time.
On the next page is a checklist of questions to ask a home care service provider
to help you understand and control the services you receive.
Myth No.2: Home care will take away my independence
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to convince some older people that the opposite
is true and that a little assistance will enhance their independence. As people age
they are more at risk of falls or encounter other problems around the home. Falls
are a major cause of injury for older people and are the leading cause of injuryrelated hospital admissions in people aged 65 years and over.
A professional carer can help keep a person safe and independent at home.
Home Instead CAREGivers also provide transport for outings or even just to
the shops or hairdressers, to help an older person retain their local networks
and decrease their isolation. Professional carers can also assist people with
their home based activities or hobbies.
Myth No.3: All home care services are the same
Not all professional carers or home care service providers are the same. If you
engage a self-employed carer you will be responsible for background checks, hiring,
scheduling, handling performance issues and payment of their income tax and
superannuation. You will also need to hold appropriate insurances. It is unlikely
they receive ongoing training and in the event of sickness a replacement carer will
need to be found, probably at short notice.
If you engage a carer through an agency, clarify with whom your business relationship
is with; the carer or the agency? Who holds insurances and who do you pay for
the services received? Also enquire how the agency ensures the ongoing quality
of services being provided and identifies and manages changing care needs. Finally,
enquire whether the agency trains their carers. By engaging a reputable home care
service provider you will experience a professional carer who is comprehensively
screened, trained and fully insured. All employment responsibilities, including ongoing
training of the carer, will be the covered by the service provider.
Home Instead also guarantees service coverage, compatibility of CAREGiver,
develops a plan of care with you and follows a schedule to suit your personal
needs. Importantly, we build strong lines of communication between you,
your loved one and your family to develop a trusting relationship based on the
delivery of a consistently high quality of home care services.
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
Do you employ your own CAREGivers?
How have your CAREGivers been trained? Ask by whom and
what is the extent of their training? Does it include dementia
and Alzheimer’s training? Is there continuous education of the
CAREGivers?
How do you screen CAREGivers prior to employment (ie. reference
checks, criminal background checks etc.)?
Do you provide insurance for each CAREGiver?
Do you visit the client at home to set up services?
Can I choose the time and day the CAREGiver will visit?
Will I get the same CAREGiver visiting each time?
Can you guarantee back-up or replacement CAREGivers?
Can I change CAREGivers if they are not compatible?
Do I have to decide what services the CAREGiver will provide in
advance or can I decide at the time of the visit?
Can I contact you 24/7? Will the phone be answered for immediate
action?
Do you provide services in the evenings, weekends and overnight?
Do you have a recognized quality assurance program?
Do you manage the client’s care needs and will you identify and
coordinate additional services if required?
Do you communicate with family to keep them informed?
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Home care enhances lives
Resources
Many seniors need a little help to get their day started with assistance with
showering and dressing, preparing breakfast and taking medications. Likewise,
help before bedtime, or even overnight, can be an important safety net for older
people who may be more apprehensive at night.
Home Instead Senior Care Resources
Yet the companionship component of a carers’ role is equally as important as the
physical assistance provided by carers. Older people enjoy stimulating conversation
and one-on-one interaction. We should not underestimate how quickly an older
person living alone may become socially isolated. It is vital to human well-being
that each day of life has a purpose and that we have regular contact with other
human beings. A professional carer in addition to supporting an older person with
their daily living activities will engage them in conversation and support them to
participate in their favourite activity or pastime, or simply escort them to the shops
or out for a cup of coffee. Companionship based activities are vital in supporting an
older person to maintain their self-esteem and enhance their daily lives.
If an older person lives in, or moves to, a retirement village, serviced apartment or
a residential aged care home, a Home Instead CAREGiver can continue to assist
them in these settings and provide one-on-one companionship to keep them
active and motivated.
Home Instead takes personal responsibility for providing the best, most
appropriate in-home care and support. We can provide care services to assist you
immediately (we do not have waiting lists) and then we will help you to understand
the range of care options available to you as your needs change. Our involvement
relieves the pressure on family members with care-giving responsibilities, so you
and your families can have peace of mind knowing you are in safe, experienced
hands and are able to continue to live in your own home.
HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE : : HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
The following resources offer more information about home care or assisting older
people to continue to live at home:
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Home Instead Senior Care: www.homeinstead.com.au
Talking with Seniors - The 40-70 Rule: www.4070talk.com
Talking with Siblings About your Parents Care - The 50-50 Rule:
www.homeinstead.com.au/The50-50Rule.html
Dementia - A Resource Guide for Carers:
www.homeinstead.com.au/resources/DementiaaResourceGuideforCarers.html
Caring for Someone with Arthritis: www.homeinstead.com.au/resources/ArthritisandCaring.html
Caregiver Stress: www.caregiverstress.com
Intergenerational Living - Too Close for Comfort: www.makewayformum.com
Other links
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My Aged Care: www.myagedcare.gov.au
Alzheimer’s Australia: www.fightdementia.org.au
Australian Government Department of Social Services Ageing and Aged Care:
www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/ageing-and-aged-care
Carers Australia: www.carersaustralia.com.au
Council on the Ageing: www.cota.org.au/australia
Living Longer, Living Better - Australia Aged Care Reform: www.livinglongerlivingbetter.gov.au
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Home Instead Senior Care is a specialist, national
provider of high quality in-home care for older people.
We help with a range of personal and lifestyle needs while providing welcome companionship.
Our services include assistance with personal care, light household duties, meal preparation,
medication reminders, transport to appointments, shopping and social outings. We take personal
responsibility for providing the best in-home care and support to meet our clients’ needs and are
committed to addressing the individual and national challenges of Australia’s ageing population.
Established in 1994 in the United States, Home Instead now operates in 17 countries through a
network of 1000 offices.
In Australia, Home Instead operates in every mainland State, sharing resources and support
across State borders. We employ and train our CAREGivers to understand the challenges facing
people as they get older and provide specialised care through our unique training program to
support the needs of clients with dementia.
We understand that to you, it’s about finding trustworthy care for your ageing loved one. To us,
it’s about providing the highest quality, in-home care services to fit you and your family’s needs.
Contact us for a free no-obligation consultation where we can discuss the needs of your loved
one and provide you with information and advice to help you and your family find the right
care solution. Contact your nearest Home Instead office by visiting www.homeinstead.com.au.
HOMEINSTE AD.COM. AU
Each Home Instead Senior Care franchise is independently owned & operated. Quality Certified ISO 9001:2008
© M&S Warner Pty Ltd 2015 Head Office & Franchise Enquiries P: 07 3720 8400 info @ homeinstead.com.au