CatholicCare expands into Home Care Packages

January 1, 1970

CatholicCare Diocese of Broken Bay (CCDBB) is expanding its suite of Senior Living supports, with the introduction of Home Care Packages to help older Australians stay living in their own homes for longer.

“Senior Living CatholicCare supports our fundamental belief that being a senior should be about living – living with purpose, living with hope, and living in community,” says Shane Watson, CDBB Manager – Services for Seniors.

Home Care Packages are funded by the federal government to support people at home in maintaining and even building on their independence.

“People want to stay in their own home for as long as they can,” says Shane.

“Home Care Packages provide the opportunity for seniors to maintain their health, wellbeing and independence at home and maintain engagement with their broader community.

“These supports and services aim to keep seniors living well in the comfort of their homes.”

Shane says the type of supports funded through Home Care Packages vary, according to the client’s needs.

“At Senior Living CatholicCare we provide all the general supports such as domestic assistance, transports, social support and more innovative supports and program. We are continually looking for new and innovative ways to meet the changing needs of seniors in our community,” Shane says.

“And respite care can also be provided through Home Care Packages, which allows carers to have a break from their caring duties and go out for social outings or for their own appointments.”

Shane says there is a strong demand for Home Care Package support in the community.

“A lot of elderly people are being put on waitlists, and so we’re pleased we’ll be able to offer these services to more of our clients.”

One such client is *Margaret, who has been waiting for a long time to have a higher level of support to help her stay in her home.

“We’ve been supporting Margaret in various ways through the Commonwealth Home Support Program for some years, but as her needs have grown we have exhausted the services we can offer her under the CHSP,” Shane says.

“So, with the introduction of the Home Care Packages we will be able to increase the suite of services we can offer her.

“This might include offering a support worker to help Margaret with her Webster pack of daily medications, the organisation of which can be challenging for her due to her cognitive decline. Margaret’s mobility is good, but her cognition is not so good, so there are safety issues around the house to consider too. One of the things we can do is to provide an occupational therapy home safety assessment, to assess what’s going on in the home and how we can help the client address any issues that are identified by working with contractors on things like home modifications or the provision of walking aids.

“All of these things can be very challenging both for the client and their family, so this kind of support is often very welcome.”

Shane says the provision of Home Care Packages fits perfectly with CCDBB’s Senior Living vision and mission.

“We are supporting our clients in a way that is empowering for them,” he says. “We aim not to provide services for people, but with people.

“When you’re doing these things with people, we’re not just benefiting them by providing a service but giving them meaning and support along the journey.

“This has become so much more evident throughout the COVID pandemic. Our elderly are among the most vulnerable people in the community and the pandemic has resulted in much greater isolation for people. This kind of accompaniment and support is so important.”

CCDBB’s Home Care Packages will build not only on the services previously offered through the CHSP, but also CatholicCare’s Memory Innovations Centre in Waitara, which offers a range of programs for seniors, including the Let’s Get Moving exercise program, Brain Games cognition program and Arts Smarts program, which provides an art therapist for clients with middle or advanced dementia.

“We started the Memory Innovations Centre in April 2020, just as the COVID pandemic was taking hold, so it has been extremely challenging but also gratifying,” Shane says.

“During that time, including during lockdowns, we’ve been able to coach people online, by providing many of our clients with digital technology and helping them to use it so they could stay engaged. We had about 20-25 clients through the lockdown.

“The Home Care Package support will extend and build on the support we can offer to those clients.”

Shane says CCDBB has a pre-existing skilled workforce who are “ready to go” with the Home Care Package program.

“We’re really looking forward to being able to offer these new services and supports for our clients.”

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The information about how to apply for CCDBB’s Home Care Packages is available on the CatholicCare website or call the Senior Living team on (02) 9488 2488. We understand the aged care system is complicated and we are happy to answer any questions. Pick up the phone, we are here to help.

Note: Margaret’s name has been changed for this article.