At Freedom we deliver our home care services on a Consumer Directed Care (CDC) basis. According to myagedcare.gov.au this means that:

 

• you get more say in the care and services you access, how it is delivered and who delivers it to you

• you will have conversations about your needs and goals

• you will work in partnership with your service provider to develop your care plan

• you agree to the level of involvement you will have in managing your care package

• you will have a greater understanding about how your package is funded and how those funds are spent through your individualised budget and monthly income and expense statement

• your service provider will monitor and provide you with ongoing formal reviews to ensure that your package still meets your needs.

 

If your needs change you can have a reassessment to see if you need to change your package.

 

What is a Home Care Package?

 

If you want to stay in your own home as you get older, but need some help with things like cleaning and preparing meals, or with transport so you can go shopping or attend appointments, a Home Care Package may help you. A Home Care Package provides a co-ordinated package of services tailored to meet your specific needs. We will work in partnership with you to identify your goals and needs and the best ways to deliver those care and services so you can live a more active and independent life.

 

How do I know if a Home Care Package is right for me?

 

Ask yourself these questions:

 

• am I an older person who needs some help to stay in my own home?

• am I finding some aspects of living at home hard?

• do I manage most of the time?

• am I a younger person with a disability, dementia or other special care needs that are not met through specialist services?

• do you think if you don’t get some help at home, you might have to go into an aged care home before you’re ready?

 

If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you may be eligible for a Home Care Package. 

 

Am I eligible for a Home Care Package?

 

There are no minimum age requirements to be eligible and there are no citizenship or residency restrictions on accessing a Home Care Package. However, the packages are not intended for visitors to Australia or people requiring temporary or short-term care.

 

In some cases, younger people with disabilities, people with early onset dementia, or people with special care needs, may be able to access a Home Care Package – if you have been assessed and approved by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). However, this should only occur where there are no other care facilities or care services more appropriate to meet your needs.

 

What types of packages are available?

 

There are four levels of Home Care Packages which can give you the care and services you need:

 

• Level 1 supports people with basic care needs

• Level 2 supports people with low-level care needs 

• Level 3 supports people with intermediate care needs

• Level 4 supports people with high-level care needs.

 

Each package level is funded at different amounts paid by the Australian Government to the service provider that delivers care and services to you.

 

What is an Home Care Package income-tested care fee?

 

The Australian Government subsidises a range of aged care services in Australia, however people with higher incomes may be asked by their service providers to contribute towards the cost of their Home Care Package.

Depending on your income, you may be asked by your service provider to pay an income-tested care fee.in addition to a basic fee. The maximum basic fee is 17.5% of the single person rate of the basic Age Pension. This works out to be $137.76 per person, per fortnight (from 20 September 2015 to 19 March 2016).

 

The amount we may ask you to pay will vary with your financial circumstances; however, there are limits in place. 

 

You cannot be asked to pay an income-tested care fee if you have a yearly income below the following thresholds:

 

• individual person – $25,487.80

• member of a couple but now separated due to illness (individual income) – $25,019.80

• member of a couple living together (combined income) – $39,561.60.

 

You can use myagedcare.gov.au's Home Care Fee Estimator to help you estimate what costs you may be asked to pay. 

 

What is a Home Care Agreement?

 

Once you’ve decided that a Home Care Package is right for you, you will be offered a Home Care Agreement. The Home Care Agreement is an agreement between yourself and Freedom Home Care, setting out what the package will provide, how your package will be provided, and how much it will cost.

 

What is a Care Plan?

 

A care plan is part of your Home Care Agreement. We will work with you to help work out what care and services you need. Personal goals are important in developing your care plan. Your goals can guide your choice of care and services to best support your needs. A goal could be something like maintaining a healthy lifestyle, or achieving independence in mobility.

 

Identified care needs are the areas of your life where you have been assessed as needing extra care and support. Care needs may be identified when you are assessed by the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) and through discussion with you during the care planning process.

 

During the care planning process, we will take into account any support you already have in place, such as carers, family members, local community and other services. Your Home Care Package is intended to meet needs that are not already being met by these other supports.

 

As a guide, your care plan may include:

 

• the exact types of services you will receive

• who will provide which services

• how much involvement you will have in managing and coordinating your services

• when your services are delivered.

• when your services are delivered (for example, which day of the week)

• how much you will pay.

 

What is the Package Budget?

 

All care and services provided to you through a Home Care Package must be able to be paid for within the package budget. We look after the package budget and will administer it on your behalf. 

 

Your package budget is made up of:

 

• Australian Government subsidy (and eligible supplements)

• the basic daily care fee which all consumers receiving a Home Care Package can be asked to pay

• your income tested care fee (if you’ve entered into Home Care after 1 July 2014) which you may need to pay depending on your assessable income

 

Any unspent funds, must be rolled over from month to month and year to year for as long as you remain in the package. Once services commence, we will give you monthly statements to show you how your budget is being spent under the package and the balance of funds.

 

Can someone help me with creating my care planning?

 

You can have another person, such as a carer or family member, with you to help co-design your care.

You have the right to call on an advocate that you choose to represent you when talking with a service provider. An advocate can help you by:

 

• establishing or reviewing the Home Care Agreement, care plan and individualised budget

• talking and negotiating with your service provider about fees and charges

• talking about any concerns you may have.

 

If you need help, an advocate can be made available through the National Aged Care Advocacy Programme (NACAP) by calling 1800 700 600.

 

What are my rights and responsibilities?

 

You have a right to be looked after properly, treated well and given high-quality care and services. We follow the guidlines set in the Charter of Care Recipients’ Rights and Responsibilities for Home Care (the Charter) and the Home Care Standards.

 

The Charter outlines your rights when receiving care, including the right to:

 

• be treated with respect

• be involved in deciding what care will meet your needs

• have a written agreement covering everything you and your service provider have agreed to

• have your care and services reviewed

• privacy and confidentiality of your personal information

• be given information on how to make comments and/or complaints about your care and services

• have your fees determined in a way that is transparent, accessible and fair

• be given a copy of the Charter.

 

The Charter also outlines your responsibilities when receiving care. This means you need to:

 

• respect the rights of care workers

• give enough information to the service provider so they can develop and deliver your care plan

• follow the terms and conditions of your written agreement

• allow safe and reasonable access for care workers at the times agreed in your care plan

• pay any fees outlined in your written agreement.

 

Under the Home Care Standards, we need to:

 

• give you information about your services

• speak with you about any changes to these services

• respect your privacy and dignity

• handle your concerns or complaints fairly and confidentially.

 

The Standards also make sure you are able to choose someone to speak on your behalf (an advocate) in the case of any concerns or complaints.

 

Both of these documents are available from Freeodm Home Care on request.

 

 

For futher information on the above topics and others visit myagedcare.gov.au