3. Staying at home
Topic 4 of 4
Your rights as a carer
As a carer, you also have the right to have your voice heard in the care and provision of services to your elder. You have the right to be included in the organisation of care in the home and be informed of any changes that may occur.
There are two significant aims with these rights:
- That your elder has the best quality of life possible
- That you, as primary carer, have the support and information you need to ensure appropriate and timely services are delivered.
Remember, it takes a village to make sure our elders receive the care they need. A team. Usually, you’re the one who coordinates this team.
For more information regarding carers rights in Tasmania, go to the resources section below and press ‘Tasmanian Carers Charter’.
Support Services
Home care is a great service that can bring new people, wellbeing and lots of laughs into your elders’ lives – and give you some well deserved time. It may seem like you are climbing Everest, but remember there are people who are here to help you with that climb. Here are a few final tips and tricks.
Select the headings to find out more.
Don’t wait for a crisis. Call My Aged Care (MAC) to get an assessment with your elder – even if they don’t use the services straight away.
If your elder does not like the idea (at all!!) come back to it another day but don’t let it slide because it can take a while to get services in place.
If none of the above works, call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737 (press 1 at the menu) for support, counselling, coaching or help to navigate the aged care system.
Use your trusty Notebook to remember the who, what, when and how of in-home care.
There are two main programs for help at home – Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Support at Home (SaH) – there may be a Centrelink form to be filled out if your elder is not known to Centrelink. There is help to figure out all fees and costs. The Aged Care Specialist Officer in Services Australia can work this through with your elder – on the phone or face to face. Call 1800 227 475 to make an appointment.
If your elder is a DVA recipient, they can get any or all of these packages. They are not excluded.
CHSP is the first step on the ladder of help at home. CHSP will be phased out in 2027 and will become part of Support at Home (SaH).
There are two extra funding Pathways – Restorative Care and End of Life Care as well as the Home Modifications and Assistive Technology Scheme.
- Become a ‘registered supporter’ with MAC (My Aged Care) for your elder. This will give you access to records on MAC as well as enabling you and the person you care for to organise and maintain help at home.
- Choosing a provider and deciding whether self-management is a preference with your elder can be difficult. Take the time to find a suitable provider, use the ‘Find a Provider tool’ on MAC as a basis for a short list or have a look at COTA (Council on The Ageing) to see if self-management will suit.
- You and your elder have rights. They are not for decoration, they are part of the Aged Care Act. Hold them up to the service your elder (and you) are getting.
- Your elder can change providers when and where necessary. It’s easy. Call My Aged Care to learn just how easy it is.
Wrap up
We have come to the end of ‘Staying at home’.
Select ‘Play’ to view Jean’s final message.
This will also give you the time you need to see your elder simply for pleasure and a catch-up, rather than only helping them with the cleaning, washing, shopping and cooking. It will also give you some time for your own life.
As carers, we often provide most of the care for our elders, which can make it appear that they don’t need any extra help and that they’re coping. But what happens if you can’t make it or need some time off? As my sister said to me, “Jean, if you keep filling in the holes, we can’t see where the holes are.”
If you are constantly meeting your elder’s needs, they will always say they don’t need any help—or don’t need any more help. Make sure your elder understands how much you are doing and how some assistance would help you as well as them.
You doing it all is simply not sustainable. In a crisis, it will end in tears. As they say, prepare for the worst day, not the best.
And just as a reminder, it not only takes a village to raise a child; it also takes a village to make sure your elders reach safe harbour at the end of their lives.
Home care packages are the foundation of your village. So get your village team together. Start now.
Module 3
Resources
MODULE 3
