Experts that can help find the home care services you need

Key points:

• A placement consultant can simplify your home care service journey
• Financial advisors can make you aware of how much home care will cost and what extra expenses you should expect
• Case managers identify what care you need and make sure it is implemented

The aged care industry can be really confusing to navigate by yourself, especially if you haven’t been exposed to it before.

When you add in stress around getting care you need and the cost of services you may require, it can be a really overwhelming process for you and your family.

There can be hard decisions to make and you may need to make compromises depending on your personal or financial position.

Luckily, you don’t have to struggle alone and try to figure it all out yourself. There are many specialists in the home care sector that can help you access the services and care you require.

These professionals can help you reach your personal goals when it comes to care and make sure you have as much choice and control as possible when organising services or placement.

Some choices that can be really difficult to face when organising care include:

• How to find a care provider that suits your needs
• The skill levels of carers
• Costs and fees
• Care philosophy and reputation of potential providers
• Care supervision
• Streamlining multiple services

If organising care is too difficult or confusing, and family or friends are unable to assist, then professional support may be your best option.

Specialists in home care can help reduce your stress, streamline the process, do most of the hard work, and handle the paperwork and documentation can include:

• Placement consultants
• Financial advisors or consultants
• Case managers

Placement consultants

There is so much information about aged care which can make it confusing to know what applies to your personal situation.

A placement consultant can assist you and your family in making the right decisions around home care. They can guide you through the home care process, costs involved, different options available, and identify the best quality care for you.

Benefits of an placement consultant can include:

• Saving hours researching or chasing providers
• Reduce stress of you and your family
• Streamline care provision
• Provide referral to financial and legal experts
• Ensure the best care for you
• Support the family with house decisions
• Provide backup during a crisis or last minute emergency
• Create good communication between you, your family, carers, and health professionals

A placement consultant can cover a range of roles and responsibilities on your behalf, like difficult conversations, care coordination, mediation, care advocacy, clinical assessment, care advice, crisis intervention, access to local resources, shortlist providers, and provide an independent voice when there is resistance to care.

Deciding care for an older loved one can be really emotional and complicated for family, and sometimes it can result in conflict. A placement consultant is removed from that emotion, and can suggest care in a holistic, client centred approach.

They are also able to take into account your preferences when finding a home care provider, including medical, cultural, religious or family needs.

The help consultants provide you isn’t only limited to home care, if you are transitioning into higher care needs, they can also help you find and move into an aged care facility.

Getting support and advice early into your aged care journey can make it a smoother process and help you avoid rushed or poor home care decisions.

A placement consultant has a lot of knowledge about the sector local providers, and that can be really beneficial when first accessing aged care services.

You can learn more about how a placement consultant can assist you in our article ‘How can a placement consultant assist me?‘.

Financial consultants

Keeping on top of your own finances can be confusing at the best of times, but imagine trying to figure out how you are going to pay for home care services, which can be expensive.

A professional in financial planning can be an important component to organising your finances and figuring out how you can afford the services you need.

A financial consultant, or advisor, can figure out what costs you may be facing depending on what home care type you opt for, including Government subsidies available for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) or a Home Care Package (HCP), and whether you can afford to shoulder the cost of private home care.

They can help you understand what costs you will need to cover and manage your home care funds, including the Government funding and what account that goes into, and how that money will be spent.

Professionals will also likely save you money since they know the system better, rather than if you worked it out yourself.

There will be a fee charged for a financial advisor or consultant services which can vary, so ask for a quote from different specialists to compare before deciding on who to go with.

When considering specialist financial assistance, ask questions about their ability to assist you in accessing home care.

Learn more about how a financial advisor can assist you in our article ‘What a financial advisor can do for you‘.

Case management

Once you have approval for Government subsidised home care services, or if you have decided to utilise private home care instead, it is time to start organising your care. However, it can be hard to organise all the different care you require.

A case manager may be the perfect specialist for you, as they can identify and implement the services you need through your provider so you reach your goals around health, quality of life and active participation in the community.

These focusses can be for the short or long term, and your case manager will work with you to understand what exactly you are looking for when it comes to home care.

Your case manager will work with you, your carer and family, as well as your service providers, to create and implement an individualised care plan that suits what you need.

Case managers that are health based tend to be nurses, social workers or allied health professionals, whereas you can expect community-based case managers to have skills around a range of disciplines, like social worker, behavioural science, allied health or nursing.

Generally, if you are provided with a Government funded Home Care Package, you will already be assigned a case manager through your service provider as part of your home care services.

Private case management

If you have more complex or multiple care needs and would prefer not to use a Government funded package, then a private case manager may be a better professional for you.

They provide the same services as a case manager, however, they are not as restricted by waiting periods.

A private case manager can provide support services and coordination across community and supportive care services.

Keep in mind, private case management is not subsidised by the Government, you will be paying for all the services you receive. You will need to enquire about hourly rates for private case management services and this can vary between professionals.

Your private case manager will provide you an invoice for all care services purchased on your behalf each month.

Depending on the case manager, they may offer a no lock in contract, which means the care can be organised one off, on service occasions, or on many ongoing visits, and you will only pay for what you use.

Learn more about how a case manager can assist you in our article ‘How can a Case Manager help me?‘.

What specialist do you think will best help you navigate aged care? Tell us in the comments below.

Related content:
How can a placement consultant assist me?
How can a Case Manager help me?
What a financial advisor can do for you