In-home care
In home care provides individuals with the option of remaining in the comfort of their own home, with professional assistance for certain tasks.
Home care can assist in improving your quality of life through expert assistance without needing to move to an aged-care facility. Poor mobility may necessitate assistance with daily tasks such as showering, bathing, toileting, or getting dressed.
Costs:
Depending on the level of care needed, government subsidies are available, which are paid directly to your provider. These subsidies are:
Around $9000 for Basic Care
Around $15,750 for Low care
Around $34,500 for Intermediate care
Around $52,250 for High care
However, there are still some out of pocket expenses, which also depend on the level of care required. These range from:
Daily fee of $9.63 or $134.82 fortnightly
Daily fee of $10.19, or $142.66 fortnightly
Daily fee of $10.48, or $146.72 fortnightly
Daily fee of $10.75, or $150.50 fortnightly
These costs may change depending on your couple status and income.
Types of in-home care
To help you live comfortably at home for as long as possible, there are multiple services available. These include;
- Shopping (groceries/ meals)
- Transportation
- House hold assistance (domestic tasks)
- Personal care (including hygiene)
- Social support
- Animal care (assistance with pets)
- Nurses (in-home nursing, changing dressings...)
- Assisted living (home modifications e.g. wheelchair ramp)
- Respite care
- Health services (fitness and rehabilitation)
- Home maintenance (and gardening)
- Well being checks
- Medication management
- Mobility aids
Levels of in-home care
Level 1
Basic care needs. Care is inclusive of:
o Domestic assistance
o Social Support
o Meal preparation
o Shopping
o Transport
o Social support
o Personal care
- Provides around 2-3 hours of support a week
- Able to perform MOST day-to-day activities on their own and their main use for care is help with cleaning or gardening.
- Amount of funding per year: $8,927.90.
Level 2
- Low care needs. Care is inclusive of:
o All of above AND
o Basic home and gardening assistance
o Basic nursing care
- Provides around 4-5 hours of care a week.
- Able to perform most day-to-day activities however provide a little more care.
- Amount of funding per year: $15,705.95
Level 3
- Intermediate care needs. Care is inclusive of:
o All of above AND
o Allied health support
o House hold assistance
o Assistance with aids and alliances
o Medication management
o Support with changes to memory and behavior
- Provides around 9-10 hours of support a week
- Usually, access more personal care including nursing and allied health support
- Amount of funding per year: $34,174.95
Level 4
- High care needs. Care is inclusive of:
o All of above AND
o Personal care (showering)
o Greater domestic assistance including laundry etc.
- Usually allocated to those with dementia or Parkinson's and therefore requires specialized care. For those with high or complex nursing needs.
- Amount of funding per year: $51,808.10
Accessing In-Home Care:
Home care is a government subsidised program that is available to individuals through their local councils. In order to access home care services, a range of steps must be followed:
1. First your eligibility must be determined. To decide on the level of care required, the individual must be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT, or ACAS in Victoria). This is a free assessment that assesses the physical, psychological, medical, social and cultural needs of an individual. The ACAT will advise the individual of the type of care that they are eligible for and grant approval for that care.
2. Once approval has been received, the next task is finding a provider that supplies the appropriate home care package near you. The Aged Care Hub can connect you with a range of providers to suit your needs through our “Find a Provider” tool.
3. The cost of the home care package must also be considered. Individuals may be charged a daily or fortnightly fee as indicated above, or may be asked to contribute an income tested fee determined on an individual basis. There are limits on the income tested fees, and full pensioners are not eligible to pay the income tested fee. Fees are often charged monthly or fortnightly. Individuals will have access to a monthly statement outlining how the care budget has been spent.
4. The final step is to accept a home care package and begin the services. The chosen provider will work with you to develop a tailored care plan in accordance with your goals, requests and assessed care needs.
