This Home and Community Care Handbook aims to provide clear information on local councils' home and community care services - South Central ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
This Home and Community Care Handbook
aims to provide clear information on local
councils’ home and community care
services.
South Central Region
Migrant Resource Centre
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge and thank the organisations and
individuals who have contributed to the planning and production of
this Home and Community Care Handbook.
The Department of Human Services, the Ethnic Communities
Council of Victoria, the Municipal Association of Victoria,
Australian Greek Welfare Society, Australian Polish Community
Services, Co As It, Fronditha Care, Jewish Care, Russian Ethnic
Representative Council and Brimbank City Council and the many
people who read drafts and offered advice.
This handbook is also produced in Simplified and Traditional
Chinese, Greek, Italian, Polish and Russian language editions.
Special thanks to the Chinese Community Social Services Centre
Inc who produced the Traditional Chinese translation of this
handbook.
Cultural Focus Groups were used to test the translations and
these were organised with the assistance of the Australian Polish
Community Services, Chinese Community Social Services Inc,
South Central Migrant Resource Centre and Bayside, Port Phillip,
Glen Eira and Stonnington Councils.
Special thanks to those community members who generously
attended cultural focus groups. Their contribution has been
invaluable in ensuring this booklet is easy to read, easily
understood and culturally relevant to their community groups.
Inner South CEGS editorial working group: Kass Halastanis,
Rosemary Iachelina and Steve Roper with the assistance of
Nelum Buddhadasa, Ludmilla Gilberg, Pauline Crameri and
Geraldina Alvarez-Poblete.
Translations: OnCall Interpreters and Translators Agency.
Thanks to all for making this resource a reality.
December 2006
1
Contents Page
Introduction .............................................................. 4
Services provided by Council and eligibility......... 6
Home Care................................................................ 6
Personal Care ........................................................... 6
Respite Care ............................................................. 7
Food Services ........................................................... 7
Home Maintenance .................................................. 8
Social Support Programs ........................................... 8
Service delivery........................................................ 9
Intake 9
Assessment ............................................................... 9
Commencement of services...................................... 9
Cost of services ....................................................... 9
Care plan / Service agreement ................................ 10
Public holiday information ....................................... 10
Care worker information........................................ 11
Who is your care worker? ........................................ 11
Skills and training of care workers ........................... 11
Safety requirements for care workers ..................... 12
Care worker responsibilities ..................................... 13
Your responsibilities.............................................. 14
Council’s responsibilities.................................... ..15
Accepting services .................................................. 15
Privacy and confidentiality........................................ 15
Compliments and complaints ................................... 16
Right to an advocate ................................................ 16
Health Services Commissioner ................................ 17
2Other Council services and facilities ................. 18
Community Transport .............................................. 18
Senior Citizens Centres and Community Centres.... 18
Other support programs ...................................... 19
Community Aged Care Package (CACP) ............... 19
How to access CACP ............................................. 19
How to contact Council ......................................... 20
Service for hearing impaired persons ...................... 20
Interpreter service .................................................... 20
Council contact numbers ...................................... 21
Aged and Disability services .................................... 21
Other Council services ............................................. 21
Your Council area .................................................. 22
Feedback and comments ...................................... 23
Additions and updated information for future versions of this
publication can be directed to:
Inner South HACC Handbook
C/- the HACC Co-ordinator,
South Central MRC, 40 Grattan Street
Prahran 3181
Or emailed to hacc@southcentralmrc.org.au
3Introduction
Council provides a range of services to support frail older
people, people with a disability and their carers. Our services
are there to support and help you to continue to live at home
and in your community.
The services that Council can provide are:
• Information, advice and referral.
• Home Care.
• Personal Care.
• Respite Care.
• Food Services (also referred to as Delivered Meals or
Meals on Wheels).
• Home Maintenance (also referred to as Property
Maintenance).
• Community Transport.
• Social Support (also referred to as Planned Activity Groups
and Adult Day Activity and Social Support (ADASS).
These services are for residents who:
• require support with household tasks and activities of daily
living that they cannot do for themselves because of an
illness, disability or frailty; and
• care for or support an older person or a person with a
disability.
If you need assistance, an assessment officer from your local
Council will discuss your situation with you to determine if you
are eligible for these services and what services can best
assist you.
4If you need more support than Council can provide,
information can be provided to you on other services or, with
your permission, a referral made to another agency on your
behalf.
Please contact Council on the telephone number below
between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday if you require more
information or advice.
Please let us know if you require an interpreter and your
preferred language.
Affix your business card here
5Services provided by Council
Council can offer support with activities of daily living such as:
Home Care
Home Care assists with a variety of essential and basic
general household tasks, which may include:
• cleaning floor surfaces, vacuuming, mopping;
• cleaning bathroom facilities — toilet, bath, shower;
• dusting;
• cleaning kitchen surfaces;
• changing bed linen; and
• ironing and machine washing.
Other activities of daily living which may be provided, include:
• shopping;
• paying bills;
• banking; and
• preparation of meals.
This service is available Monday to Friday except for public
holidays.
Personal Care
Personal Care services are provided to assist frail older
people and people with disabilities with the personal tasks
they would usually do for themselves but, because of illness,
disability or frailty, are unable to manage on their own. These
services include:
• showering and bathing;
• dressing and undressing;
• grooming, hair care, shaving (electric razor);
• toileting;
• assistance with eating, drinking, special diets; and
• escorted shopping and bill paying.
6This service is available Monday to Friday but may also be
available on weekends for people with complex care needs.
Respite Care
If you are caring for a frail older person or a person with a
disability, you may be able to receive Respite Care. This is
when a trained worker looks after the person you care for
while you have a break. Respite Care is generally available
Monday to Friday and can be extended to weekend services
based on assessed need.
Respite Care can be provided in the home or the person you
are caring for can be taken out for an activity.
It can include:
• assistance with personal care for example, showering,
dressing; and
• assistance with attending a program or home based
activities such as exercise or social outing.
Information can also be provided on longer term or
emergency respite care.
Food Services
(also referred to as Delivered Meals or Meals on Wheels)
If you are having difficulty preparing meals because of an
illness or disability, this service can assist you by:
• providing a daily nutritional meal delivered to your home; or
• providing lunches served at various community centres.
Where possible the service will try to cater for any special
dietary requirements. Please advise if you are diabetic,
vegetarian, etc.
7Home Maintenance
(also referred to as Property Maintenance)
This service can assist you with minor repairs and
modifications in the home which do not require the skills of a
qualified tradesman. It includes:
• installation of handrails and other safety equipment such as
rails and ramps;
• installation of smoke detectors;
• repairs to door and window locks; and
• general tasks such as replacing light globes and smoke
detector batteries.
This service is available Monday to Friday.
Social Support Programs
Also referred to as Planned Activity Groups or Adult Day
Activity and Social Support (ADASS)
Social Support Programs provide you with the opportunity to
participate in recreational, social and cultural activities run at a
centre in your local area and/or outings to places of interest.
These programs are available
Monday to Friday and provide you
with the opportunity to meet new
friends and try new activities. It
also provides carers with a break
from their caring role.
Council operates two types of Social Support Programs:
• for isolated older people; and
• for people with a disability, frailty and memory loss.
Run by skilled and experienced staff, activities are provided
which aim to meet your individual needs and interests in a
relaxed group environment. Transport from your home to the
centre or outing can be arranged.
8Service delivery
Intake
You may contact Council directly and request a service. A
family member or other person or organisation can also do
this with your consent. A telephone interpreter can be
arranged for you if required. This process is called Intake and
a Council worker will ask you some information about yourself
to determine if you are eligible for the services and if so make
a booking for an assessment.
Assessment
A Council worker will telephone and/or visit you to determine if
you are eligible to receive the service and to discuss your
needs.
The information and questions we ask you are related to your
health, medical, cultural, social, language and other care
needs. This helps us decide with you how our services can
best assist. An assessment visit usually lasts about an hour. If
you prefer to communicate in a language other than English,
you are able to have an interpreter present at no cost.
If you require an interpreter, please advise Council in advance.
Commencement of services
Council aims to provide services as soon as possible after
referral and assessment and gives priority to people who have
more urgent needs.
Sometimes there are more people needing a service than
Council is able to provide. This means that there may be a
waiting period before you can receive the service you require.
You will be informed by Council when the service will begin.
Cost of services
A fee is charged for services and varies depending on the
service, your income level and your ability to pay. This is
discussed with you at the time of the assessment.
9An invoice for Community Care Services is sent out monthly.
This invoice can be paid at the Post Office, by money order,
cheque, directly at Council’s cashier or by telephone from
your credit card.
Further options for how you pay for your services can be
discussed at the time of your assessment.
If you have difficulties paying, please contact Council and ask
to speak to an assessment officer at Council as soon as
possible.
Care Plan/Service Agreement
Before some of the services such as Home Care and
Personal Care can begin, an agreement on the services you
will receive is written up and a copy is provided to you. This is
called a Care Plan or Service Agreement.
It will includes:
• frequency and hours of service; and
• the fee for service,
• Agreed tasks to be undertaken.
If your situation changes, the service agreement can be
discussed with you and/or your family at any time. Feel free to
contact your assessment officer if your needs change.
Your services will be periodically reviewed to ensure
that the assistance provided continues to meet your needs.
Public holiday information
Please note that some services will not be provided on public
holidays. Please check with Council if you require a service
on a public holiday.
Please advise the office if you observe any cultural/religious
events throughout the year which could impact on the care
and services we provide you.
10Care worker information
Who is your care worker?
Care workers are the staff provided by Council to assist you.
Care workers are there to support, assist and work according
to your needs as discussed in your initial assessment and as
set out in the Care Plan/ Service Agreement.
Council employs care workers from a range of cultural
backgrounds and if you prefer, Council may be able to provide
you with a care worker who speaks your language.
Council makes every effort to provide you with the same care
workers so you can get to know them and feel comfortable
with them. However, this is not always possible because
workers availability may change.
Skills and training of care workers
All care workers have the necessary training, qualifications
and experience relevant to their position.
All staff have undergone a police and reference check.
Council supports and provides additional training to all staff so
they can provide a professional and caring service that is
sensitive to your needs.
As well as assisting with daily living tasks, staff can report any
of your concerns or needs back to Council.
11Safety requirements for care workers
In keeping with Occupational Health and Safety requirements,
it is important that care workers are provided with a safe work
environment and do not put themselves at risk of injury.
This means that care workers are unable to do some tasks.
Care workers are not permitted to:
• stand or climb on furniture or other objects to undertake
tasks;
• move heavy furniture;
• clean floors on their hands and knees;
• clean more than one bathroom a visit;
• carry more than one load of washing at a time;
• iron for lengthy periods of time;
• use unlabelled cleaning products, cleaning products of
commercial grade or those containing bleach.;
• mix cleaning products/chemicals at any time;
• clean above shoulder height;
• clean curtains or exhaust fans;
• turn mattresses;
• shake carpets or mats outside; or
• undertake tasks for members of the household who are not
clients.
Council provides care workers with some materials and
equipment such as gloves and electrical safety switches but
you will need to provide all other equipment including vacuum
cleaner, broom, mops, bucket, etc. which comply with
Occupational Health and Safety standards.
Cleaning products must be as specified by your Council.
12Care worker responsibilities
Care workers have certain responsibilities to you as a client,
to themselves and to Council.
Care workers:
• are expected to treat you with respect and dignity at all
times;
• cannot visit you and perform duties outside the allocated
working hours;
• will take great care in their
work. If you have special
items of value it is best to tell
the care worker not to touch
these so that breakages do
not occur or remove them out
of the way;
• are not permitted to give out
their personal telephone
numbers. If for any reason
you wish to contact them,
please call your assessment
or care co-ordination staff at
your Council office;
• are not permitted to smoke
inside your home;
• are not allowed to accept gifts or money from you.
If there is a medical or other emergency while a care worker is
in your home, normal emergency procedures will be followed.
This may involve calling the office, an ambulance or notifying
your contact person or doctor.
If you have any questions about the duties and role of the
care worker, please telephone Council to discuss.
13Your responsibilities
As a client who receives services from Council, you also have
certain responsibilities to care workers and the Council.
You are expected to:
• treat the care worker with courtesy and respect;
• understand that care workers are required to use safe
practices to avoid injury. Service will not be offered if it is
considered that your home is an unsafe workplace for the
care worker.
• sign the care worker’s timesheet after each visit. Please
check details are correct before signing;
• provide a smoke free environment for the care worker;
• confine pets in an area where workers are not present;
• be at home at the time of the care worker’s scheduled visit.
If you are not home at the time of the regular visit, and you
have not notified us, your emergency contacts such as your
doctor or next of kin will be contacted to establish your
whereabouts.
• inform Council if you will not be home at the time when the
care worker usually visits. Unless you notify the office (at
least 24 hours prior) you may be charged the normal fee for
the service;
• inform Council if you no longer need the service;
• not offer gifts or money to care workers;
• provide the cleaning equipment and products necessary to
carry out the tasks required;
• contact Council if a change to the agreed service is
needed; and
14Council’s responsibilities
We aim to assist you to better understand our service and
your rights in using our service.
Accepting services
You have the right to refuse a service offered to you at any
time. This refusal will not affect your ability to ask for a service
at a later date.
Privacy and confidentiality
You have the right to expect that information you provide to us
will be kept confidential and private.
The information we collect helps us to keep up-to-date details
about your needs so we can care for you in the best possible
way. However it is your right not to share some of your
information with us.
Your information can only be seen by the professionals in our
service. Council will only share information about you to other
services, if you agree or if required by law, such as in a
medical emergency. It is however your right to limit access to
this information. For example, if you do not wish to share your
information with your doctor, please inform an assessment
worker.
You also have the right to request access to information held
by Council about you.
15Compliments and complaints
We would like to know if you have a compliment or complaint
about the services, for example:
• our policies;
• how our service is delivered;
• the conduct of a staff member; and
• a decision made by a staff member.
Telling us will not disadvantage you. All issues and concerns
will be dealt with sensitively and in a professional and prompt
manner.
If you have a complaint or compliment, you can either directly
discuss the matter with a Council officer or complete the
comments form provided with this booklet.
In circumstances where a complaint is made every effort will
be made to resolve the matter. If the complaint cannot be
resolved to your satisfaction, the matter will be referred to a
senior Council officer.
At any stage, you may ask a relative, friend or other person to
speak on your behalf to assist you during this process.
Right to an advocate
If you are unable to express your views and wishes yourself,
you may nominate a person such as a friend, family member
or worker from an agency to assist you. This person is
referred to as an advocate, and can speak or write on your
behalf.
An advocate can assist you:
• if you feel you have not been treated fairly by a person or
service; or
• if you feel you have not received a good service.
16Council can assist you to find an independent person who can
act as an advocate for you.
Health Services Commissioner
The Health Services Commissioner is a free and confidential
service which can help you to make and resolve a complaint
you have with a service provider. Although, they cannot act as
an advocate, they can refer you to an advocacy service if
needed.
Telephone: 8601 5200
Toll free: 1800 136 066
TTY: 1300 550 275
Email: hsc@dhs.vic.gov.au
Or write to:
Health Services Commissioner
30th Floor, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000
17Other Council services and facilities
Community Transport
For older residents and residents with a disability who have
difficulty using public transport, Council can in some
circumstances provide assistance to assist you from home to
a range of community locations.
Senior Citizens Centres and Community Centres
Council supports and financially assist senior citizens,
community centres and clubs throughout the municipality.
These provide a range of social and cultural activities.
Council is responsive to the diverse needs of local
communities and supports the activities of multicultural groups
in various ways.
18Other support programs
Community Aged Care Packages (CACP)
If you need more help than what Council can provide, you
may be eligible for a Community Aged Care Package (CACP).
This service provides practical assistance if you have complex
needs and you require extra support to continue living at
home.
How to access your CACP
Your eligibility for a CACP is assessed by the Aged Care
Assessment Service (ACAS).
This service is made up of doctors, nurses, social workers
and other health professionals. A staff member will visit you
for an assessment to determine how much help you need with
daily living and personal care needs and will discuss various
options that may be available to best meet your needs.
For further information, please speak with your doctor or
contact the Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS)
19How to contact Council
Service for hearing impaired and deaf persons
Council has a telephone typewriter (TTY) connected to enable
people who are deaf or hearing impaired to send or receive
messages. You can contact Council by sending your
message from your TTY keyboard to the National Relay
Service on 133 677 and quote Stonnington’s number
8290 3224.
Interpreter service
If you need to telephone Council with the help of an
interpreter, please follow these simple steps so that you can
be connected to an interpreter who speaks your language —
this is a free service:
1) Call the telephone number of your language:
Cantonese: 9280 0731
Greek: 9280 0732
Italian: 9280 0733
Polish: 9280 0734
Russian: 9280 0735
Indonesian 9280 0737
All other languages: 9280 0736
2) You will be connected to an interpreter of your language
3) Wait for the interpreter to connect you to the Council
4) You will hear both the interpreter and the Council staff and
you can then start speaking and making your enquiry
20Council contact numbers
Aged and disability services 82903224
Advice, information and eligibility
Home care, personal care and respite
Home maintenance
Delivered meals
Adult day activity support service
Social support
Account/invoice enquiries
Other Council services 82901333
Hard rubbish collection
Rates
In home library service
Residents’ parking permit
Disabled parking permit
For any other enquires please contact 82901333
Or email; Community.care@stonnington.vic.gov/au
21Your Council area
Suburbs in your municipality
Prahran, Windsor, South Yarra, Toorak, Armadale, Malvern,
Malvern East, Glen Iris.
Map of municipality
22Comments for Council home and
community care services
Your comments are important to us. They help us to improve
our services and ensure the services we provide best meet
your needs.
Please feel free to complete this form and return to your local
Council.
You do not have to provide your name and address, but
please do so if you would like us to contact you to discuss
your comments further.
If you wish to complete this form in your own language please
do so.
Name: ___________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________
Contact telephone number: _________________________
This comment relates to the following service:
Home care □ Delivered meals □
Personal care □ Community transport □
Respite care □ Home maintenance □
Customer service □ Assessment/
care co-ordination □
Social support □ Other □
Comments:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
23You can also read
