The Federal Government provides senior citizens with a “home care package,” or a certain amount of money to pay for services that will allow them to maintain their independence in their homes. An impartial needs assessment organisation determines the amount of aid granted in an aged care package.
The money is not given to the person directly. Instead, customers are given a code to provide that can be presented to a prescreened service provider with whom they may negotiate the best use of the funds.
Various Package Options
A home care package might have one of four tiers:
- At the Level 1 Service Level, they help those with the most fundamental requirements.
- Those with moderate care needs can rely on the services provided in the Level 2 setting.
- People with intermediate care requirements are supported in the Level 3 setting.
- People with significant care requirements are supported at Level 4.
All HCP tiers offer the same comprehensive set of healthcare services. Level 4 of the Aged Care Package provides much more hours of care and services than level 1 of the package does.
Eligibility
Home Care Packages provide a greater degree of assistance for those with more complicated requirements than the essential assistance offered by the Commonwealth Home Support Programme.
An ACAT/S (Aged Care Assessment Team or Service) evaluation is required before a person may get a home care package. When the elderly can no longer take care of themselves, the ACAT can assist them and their caregivers in deciding on the most appropriate level of care.
A team member will meet with you to determine what kind of care you require and how well you cope at home. This person might be a doctor, nurse, social worker, or another type of health professional. They’ll figure out what kind of care you need and which services can provide it.
The ACAT will send you a letter outlining the subsidised services you’ve been approved for and possibly connect you with regional groups that may deliver them.
Which services are available, if any, exactly?
All the services included in Aged Care Packages can be adjusted to fit your needs. Supportive care and services are coordinated at home by your provider according to a plan the two of you create together. Household help with cleaning, vacuuming, and ironing will help you with chores like washing clothes, taking care of hair and bathroom habits, making repairs, and keeping the house and yard in good shape. They will also do home modification, i.e., installing safety aids like Alastair lifts and grab bars for the bathroom.
Meal preparation, delivery, and storage services, as well as community and day centre meal delivery, are all examples of food services. Medication reminders and assistance are two more examples of services.
Things that are not included in your package.
All of the assistance you get at home should be of a caregiving or housekeeping nature. No matter what package you have, there are some things you can’t use package money for.
You cannot use your package money for the following:
- Paying for housing, such as a home purchase, mortgage repayment, or rent;
- Paying fees for other types of care funded by the Australian Government;
- Make home modifications or purchase capital items that do not assist with your care needs.
Paying for treatments and commodities already covered under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is possible.
