Older people should be ‘shrewd’ accessing home care

When people enter the second half of life, they often begin to feel the need for support at home, such as cleaning and gardening, according to Ray Glickman, Amana Living chief executive.

Low level services like these can be purchased privately for a “good price”. But what many do not realise is that accessing government funded home care services available via registered providers can offer a better long term solution, Mr Glickman says.

“Entering the home care ‘system’ early on in order to access low level services such as social support and cleaning, rather than waiting until needs become more acute, can be a shrewd move,” he says.

The contribution paid by the client is the same, whatever services are used, and it is this fee that can deter people from accessing government funded home care if their needs are low. They perceive that gardening, for instance, can be bought more cheaply if they access it privately.

“What many don’t realise is that, from 1 July this year, the government’s contribution to home care accumulates,” Mr Glickman says.

“This means that if you only want a couple of hours of gardening now, the unspent funds will keep adding up. You then have a pot of money to draw on later down the track when you need it most. The sooner you start accumulating these funds, the better.”

The overall aim, according to Mr Glickman, is to continue living at home for as long as possible.

“Once clients consider that they may eventually need high level care at home, such as nursing, the cost of services – balanced out over time – seems much more attractive. With their accumulated funds, they are much more likely to be able to afford a service that can keep them at home for longer, which is surely what we all want.”

How a registered service provider can help

If clients are worried that the government contribution might not be enough to cover their needs, they should discuss this with their service provider. A good provider will help them to apply for the right level of care and get the most out of the funding available to them.

“Once a client reaches their funding ‘cap’, this will most likely mean they are ready to move to the next level of services with a higher government contribution, and they may also be ready to move to a retirement community,” Mr Glickman says.

“A service provider such as Amana Living can help, because we provide and have access to a full range of care and services for older people. We have deliberately brought our home care services and retirement housing into a single portfolio because of the close synergy between the two.”

Mr Glickman urges older people to be”savvy” when it comes to choosing a service provider.

“A private arrangement often won’t give you the support you need over the long term,” he says.

“It’s important that the provider is able to assess needs and adapt services to ensure clients remain as independent as possible. While a private supplier might offer this, it’s likely the family will have to instigate and fund the assessment.”

“A good registered service provider can manage your needs and wants over time, help with budgeting, arrange back up when a home care worker is absent, guarantee training and standards, carry out police checks and quality compliance, and organise insurance.

“If any difficulties arise, the provider can deal with those, leaving the client free to relax and live the second half of life, knowing that their needs will be taken care of as they change over time.”

Amana Living is a registered provider of home care services, with a team of experienced staff available to manage each client’s needs and wants. From 1 July, when consumer directed care comes into force, the team will also be ready to help clients receive the most out of the funds available to them.

Under consumer directed care, each client will have a budget which they can spend in any way they choose, within certain guidelines.