Seniors Card 2011 Victorian Seniors Festival State Government of Victoria, Australia

Services

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Aged Care Services

If you are an older person, have ageing parents or care for an older person, assistance is available to support older people to maintain their independence at home for as long as possible, and facilitate access to good quality residential services where and when they may be needed.

There are many services available so it can be confusing to know what is out there, who is eligible and most importantly how to access these services - this section will help you find all the main services available, where to get more information and how to access them.

Home and Community Care

Senior lady being assisted with her fruit and vegetable shopping

The Home and Community Care (HACC) Program offers a range of services to support frail older people, younger people with disabilities and their carers.

These services provide basic support and maintenance to people living at home and whose capacity for independent living is at risk, or who are at risk of premature or inappropriate admission to long-term residential care. Services available include domestic cleaning, home maintenance, delivered meals, day care, assistance with showering and other personal care requirements.

This program is funded jointly by the Commonwealth and Victorian governments in conjunction with local governments across Victoria.

HACC services are provided by local councils, community health centres and some community organisations including Aboriginal and ethno-specific organisations.

What type of help is available in my home?

  • A home carer can come to your house to help with cleaning, washing clothes, shopping and cooking. (Home Care)
  • A personal carer can come to your home and help you with having a shower, getting dressed and eating. (Personal Care)
  • A volunteer or worker from Council or other food services agency can deliver meals ready to eat or re-heat to your home or sometimes to a community venue. (Delivered Meals and Centre Based Meals)
  • A home maintenance worker can help with small jobs around your home to improve your safety such as installing handrails, changing light globes and checking smoke alarms. (Property Maintenance)
  • A registered nurse can give you advice about managing health problems such as diabetes, incontinence and arthritis. (Nursing)
  • A trained volunteer can visit you at your home and spend some time with you. (Volunteer Co-ordination)
  • You can be linked up with other people for regular chats over the phone. (Telelink)

What type of help is available in my community?

  • Planned Activity Groups are designed to help you keep well and active. Activities include participating in physical activity exercises (eg. strength training, walking groups, tai chi, aqua-aerobics), arts and crafts, dancing and relaxation programs, talking with friends and receiving advice on nutrition, health and wellbeing.
  • An allied health professional can provide advice and treatment in relation to problems you may have with movement (Occupational and Physiotherapy), foot care/walking (Podiatry), diet (Dietetics), speaking and communicating (Speech Pathology).

For more information on the program visit Home and Community Care (HACC) and see the HACC program brochure.

To inquire about services in your area ring your local council's Aged and Disability Services.

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Personal Alert Victoria

Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) is a personal monitoring service that responds to calls for assistance and is funded by the Victorian Government through the Department of Health. PAV enhances the confidence of frail, older people and people with disabilities, who are isolated and vulnerable, to live independently in their own home by providing contact 24 hours a day.

To be eligible for PAV you must be assessed by one of the designated PAV assessment organisations. For more information about assessment please contact:

Mt Eliza Personal Assistance Call Service - Ph: 1800 451 300 or contact your local council.

Personal Alert Victoria Information Sheet

This information assists potential clients and nominated contacts by describing how PAV operates, how to access the service and the eligibility criteria. It is available in 13 languages other than English.

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Victorian Eyecare Service

Older lady reading the newspaper and having a discussion with an assistant

The Victorian Eyecare Service (VES) provides subsidised eye care for permanent residents of Victoria who hold a Pensioner Concession Card. This program is funded by the Victorian Government.

A full description of the service and a list or service locations can be viewed on the Australian College of Optometry website

Who is eligible?

Permanent residents of Victoria who:

  • hold a Pensioner Concession Card in their own name, and their dependants under the age of eighteen years or
  • have held a Health Care Card in their own name for at least 6 months continuously, and dependants are under the age of eighteen years.

For all enquiries about the VES, please contact the Australian College of Optometry on 9349 7400.

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Aged Care Assessment Services

Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS) are independent teams who assist frail older people and their carers identify what kind of care will best meet their needs. Assessment teams are multi-disciplinary and can include health professionals such as medical officers, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. They conduct comprehensive medically based assessments for those needing community services or aged care residential services. They assess for all restorative and potential care options.

For an older person to access Commonwealth funded residential care, residential respite, Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs), Extended Aged Care in Home (EACH) packages or flexible care, they must first be assessed as eligible by an ACAS.

Click here for information regarding location and telephone numbers of ACAS Services.

Aged Care Packages

The Commonwealth Government funds aged care packages for services to assist people with low to high care needs to live at home. An aged care package provides funding for a range of services that are individually planned and coordinated. To be eligible for an aged care package a person must first be assessed by an aged care assessment team.

Community Aged Care Packages

The Community Aged Care Packages (CACP) program provides a planned and managed package of community care for you if you have complex low-level care needs but can still live in your own home. To be eligible to receive a package, you must be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Service.

See Being Assessed for Aged Care.

For more information about aged care packages, see Community Aged Care Packages.

Extended Aged Care at Home

Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) is a program that provides you with high-level care at home if you need more assistance than a CACP can provide. EACH packages are also individually planned and coordinated for you.

For further information, see Extended Aged Care at Home.

Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia

If you or someone you care for needs assistance because of behavioural problems associated with dementia, including periods of changes in behaviour, the Extended Aged Care at Home - Dementia (EACH D) program can provide high-level care through an individually tailored package.

For further information, see Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia.

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Dementia Services

Daughter kissing father

Dementia is a progressive disease that can affect a person's memory, thinking, orientation and comprehension. An increasing number of Australians have dementia. Dementia can cause great changes to a person's life as well as to the lives of the people around them. The Victorian Government funds services to support people with dementia, their families and carers.

Services that can be of assistance to people with dementia and their families include: help with daily domestic tasks, providing a break for carers, as well as social opportunities, information and counselling.

Statewide services to support people with dementia and their families and carers are funded by the Victorian Government. These services are:

Support for carers of people with Dementia program

This program provides flexible and innovative support, respite, counselling, education and leisure. This program meets individual and immediate needs which cannot be met by other services, and is provided by carer respite services and other carer support agencies.

For further information, see

Support and Links Program

Counselling, support, information and referral services. This program is delivered by Alzheimer's Australia Vic (AAV).

For further information, see the AAV website, ph: 9815 7800 or call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.

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Cognitive Dementia and Memory Services

Cognitive Dementia and Memory Services (CDAMS) provide a specialist diagnosis service for people concerned about memory loss or changes to thinking, located in metropolitan and rural Victoria.

For further information, see the CDAMS section of the Sub-acute Care Services website.

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Aged Persons Mental Health Services

For information on services for people with severe behavioural difficulties associated with organic disorders such as dementia, visit the Aged Person's Mental Health Services website.

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Accommodation Support Program

The Community Connection Program (CCP) assists people with complex needs who are homeless or living in insecure or low-cost accommodation who may be having difficulty negotiating their way around health services.

If you think this program could be of assistance to you or someone you know please call a service in your area. You will find a list of service providers on the Victorian Department of Health's Community Connection Program page.

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Sub-acute Ambulatory Care Services

Sub-acute ambulatory care services, include

  • community rehabilitation centres
  • home-based rehabilitation or therapy services and specialist clinics

extend and complement inpatient services such as Rehabilitation and Geriatric Evaluation and Management.

Sub-acute care in the community is usually as a person-focused, interdisciplinary model of care, which is oriented towards flexible service delivery in a range of care settings. Its aim is to improve and maintain a person's functional capacity and maximise their independence.

Community rehabilitation services

A community rehabilitation service is a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary service enabling clients of all ages who are disabled, frail, chronically ill or recovering from traumatic injury to achieve and retain optimal functional independence and facilitates the client's reintegration into the community.

The service is time-limited and delivered according to a case plan that is based on goals negotiated with the client and his or her carer(s).

The rehabilitation service can be delivered at a centre (for example, a Community Rehabilitation Centre) or at a person's home.

Accessing community rehabilitation services

The coordinator of the community rehabilitation service can be directly contacted by clients. In most cases a written referral from a medical officer is preferred.

Services provided

Community rehabilitation centres provide a variety of therapies by health professionals which will help people to live independently in their own homes. Most community rehabilitation centres offer the following services:

  • Consultative Medical Service
  • Nursing: health advice, education, counseling and monitoring
  • Physiotherapy: group and individual treatments aimed at restoring and maintaining the client's maximum movement potential
  • Occupational Therapy: group and individual treatments, activities of daily living and home assessment
  • Social Work: to assist clients and their carers with the management of problems related to family, finances, accommodation or socialisation
  • Speech Pathology: develop effective communication for persons with speech disorders
  • Podiatry: diagnosis and treatment of foot and lower limb disorders
  • Dietetics: individual nutrition programs.

For further information see Sub-acute Care Services or contact your local community rehabilitation centre.

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Residential Aged Care Services

Laughing older woman being offered a flower

Residential aged care is for older people who can no longer live at home. This may be due to frailty, disability, illness, the death of a partner.

Most people choose to live at home and there are many supports and services that can assist older people to do this, however when it is no longer possible to manage at home, residential aged care services provide older people with continuous supported care.

Aged care homes are owned and operated by individuals and organizations that have Commonwealth Government approval to provide residential care.

For information about how to find suitable residential aged care or other services, call the National Aged Care Infoline on 1800 200 422 or visit the Aged Care Australia website

Regulation of residential aged care

Planning, funding and regulation of residential aged care facilities is the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government.

For more extensive information about the regulation of aged care, visit the Australian Department of Health and Ageing website

Entry to residential aged care

Entry to residential aged care services is through the Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS). This service will assess the needs of the person to determine their eligibility and provide approval for a place in a residential aged care facility.

To assist people considering long term residential aged care, see

Levels of residential aged care

Aged care homes provide varying levels of support ranging from daily tasks and personal care to 24-hour nursing care.

Residential aged care can be offered as either permanent or short-term care, referred to as respite care.

If less care is required than is offered by aged care homes independent living units or retirement villages offer supportive communities with a range of services for older people. They are regulated by State and Territory Governments.

  • Low level care homes, formerly known as hostels, generally provide accommodation and personal care and occasional nursing care.
  • High level care homes, previously known as nursing homes, care for people with a greater degree of frailty, who often need continuous nursing care.

Complaints

All complaints about residential aged care services are handled by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

To make a complaint please

  • call the Aged Care Complaints Scheme 1800 550 552 or
  • write to GPO Box 9848, Melbourne Vic 3001

For more information refer to Residential Aged care at the Department of Health and Ageing website.

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Supported Residential Services

Supported Residential Services - SRSs - provide accommodation and support for people who need assistance in everyday life, for example, people who are older or have a disability.

SRSs are private businesses. They do not receive government funding but must be registered with the State Government and are monitored to ensure they provide certain standards of care and accommodation.

SRSs vary in the services they provide, the people they accommodate, and the fees they charge.

There are currently about 174 SRSs registered with the Department of Health (as at May 2011) ranging from small concerns accommodating as few as five people, to larger facilities with up to 90 residents.

For more information on SRSs visit the Supported Residential Services website.

For help in locating and choosing an SRS service, visit the visit the Aged Care Australia website

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