If you or one of your loved ones are in need of a little bit of extra support at home, it can be difficult to know where to begin.
For many elderly Victorians, a home care package is typically a solution to providing this support.
As a home care package provider ourselves, we wanted to show you how you can apply for a package in six easy steps.
When you engage us and our case managers, we will work with you and your family every step of the way to ensure the process is a smooth one.
We will always take the time to listen to you and your needs, so we can adequately support your want for living independently.
Also, we know this can be a difficult time for you as you transition into this new phase of your life, so you can take comfort in knowing we will support you every step of the way.
Our goal here is to help understand what particular home care services you need and answer any questions you or your family might have.
Considering Your Needs
The first step in applying for a home care package is ensuring you meet the criteria which are:
– Are over the age of 65
– Still living in your home
– Require some assistance in living independently
Requesting Assistance
The second step involves us assisting you in making a referral for an assessment on your behalf with My Aged Care.
Of course, you’re more than welcome to request this assessment yourself.
If you do opt to contact them yourself, be sure to get in touch with us so we can assist you with planning your assessment.
It’s worth noting that in the meantime, we can organise any necessary services you might require with private funding and advise you on what other funding might be available to you during this period.
If Accent Home Care is your preferred service provider, be sure to advise My Aged Care of this when requesting your assessment.
The advantage of this is that when a home care package does become available, we will be informed of this also and can start working on your home care plan.
The Assessment
Now is the time to start thinking about the in-home help you might require so you can discuss this with My Aged Care during your assessment.
The goal of this appointment is to determine if you are eligible for a home care package and which of the four service levels will best support your needs.
– Level 1 – basic level of support
– Level 2 – low-level of support
– Level 3 – intermediate level of support
– Level 4 – high level of support
The Outcome of the Assessment
The outcome of your assessment will be sent to you via a letter from My Aged Care.
The letter will outline whether you are eligible for a home care package and the level of care you have been approved for.
Three months prior to you receiving your home care package, you will also receive a “readiness letter” from My Aged Care which includes important paperwork for you to complete.
Accepting Your Home Care Package
Once you’ve been able to access your home care package, you’ll receive a letter outlining all the finer details of the assigned level of care.
It’s important to know that you will have 56 days from the date when you’ve been assigned your package to accept the funding and begin using your home care services.
Creating the Plan
Once you’ve been assigned your home care package and chosen Accent Home Care as your provider, you’ll be assigned a case manager who will work with you and any family members to create your individual care plan.
There is much to consider in this plan and you’ll need to consider things such as what you enjoy doing, what things will help improve your day-to-day life, what support do you require to stay safe etc.
From here, the care plan will be confirmed and you can now relax and start using all the assigned home care services to your advantage.
If you would like to find out more about how we can support you in living independently, please contact us to leave an enquiry or call us on (03) 8720 1338.