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Here you will find helpful information and articles on a wide range of topics relating to community care, health and home support as well as current sector news and offers.
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The first draft report on aged care in Australian was released by the Productivity Commission on January 21st. One of the key points of this report was increased choice for older Australians; “Older Australians told the Commission that they did not want to be passive recipients of services, dependent on funded providers. Rather, they wanted to be independent and be able to choose where they live, which provider they would use and whether to purchase additional services or a higher standard of accommodation” Increased choice and control over services or rather, consumer-directed care has been shown to lead to better outcomes for older people.
So what does this mean for those receiving community care services? Well at the moment there’s no immediate changes, however in the next few years there is likely to be significant changes. Currently, people who receive a community aged care package are allocated to a provider and often have limited choice of community workers – although this does vary between providers. Under a system that allows an older person to choose between many providers, competition will in theory drive the sector to better meet the preferences of older people. There are also proposed changes to the contributions that users will make to their care to include both income and assets tests by Centrelink to determine a users capacity to pay. Under these proposals, the worth of the family home could impact on what is paid for services. In a nutshell, there could be increased choice and control but potentially at a higher cost for some.
Question for comments – What changes would you like to see in Australian Aged Care?
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The latest smart phones can now assist carers in new ways. Phone applications, or “Apps” are programs that run on smart phones – such as the Iphone, Blackberry or Android. Now there are apps that have been designed especially for carers. So far these are mainly to assist carers to track the medical requirements of the care recipient. For example, the “Personal Care Giver” app allows you to schedule and track the medications of up to 3 people. Some of these apps are free and others require payment. It’s worth researching what an app can and can’t do for you before you download it.
For a comprehensive review of some of the current care-giver apps on the market – read here These are American based apps but may still have relevancy here in Australia.
Question for your comments: What do you think an ideal App for carers would be able to do?
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Social isolation refers to the lack of meaningful social relationships and connections. Among elderly persons, it is a significant issue in many communities. Isolation and loneliness among older people can lead to health problems and negatively impact medical systems. Social Integration is the opposite of social isolation and refers to the participation of a person within a broad range of social activities and relationships.
In this blog post social integration will be explained in depth so that the principles can be applied for lonely and isolated older persons in need of social support.
The level of social integration of a person can be examined in both a subjective and objective context with both being equally important. To examine the Objective social integration of a person, one would look at the number of social relationships and activities the person was actively engaged in. To measure the Subjective social integration one would have to find out the extent to which the person felt like they “connected with” or had a sense of “belonging to” others through those relationships and activities. Social integration requires that the person not just participate in activities or relationships, they must also feel connected to others through them.
Strategies to combat isolation through integration must therefore include not just opportunities to participate and meet people, but must focus on building a valued social role for the elderly person so that they feel they are contributing and belong. What is considered a valued social role will vary a little according to culture, but many will be the same. Examples of valued roles can include: volunteer, teacher, team member, employee, mentor, grandparent and friend. Combining activities with a valued social role will be more likely to generate true social integration, and therefore have the most positive outcomes for isolated elderly people.
One example of an excellent program that demonstrates this principle is the University of the Third Age. This ‘university’ is for older people and taught by older people. It offers short courses in almost anything. It gives older people a chance to share their knowledge and skills and meet other people. Valued social roles such as “teacher” and “student” gained through participation engender a sense of belonging while the classes provide great opportunities to meet others.
There are many possible ways that social activities can be combined with valued social roles to assist an elderly person to become more socially integrated; for example one could:
• Provide an opportunity for the elderly person to mentor a younger person in their field.
• Support the elderly person to do volunteer work; perhaps at a school canteen, baking food for homeless or working at a charity thrift shop
• Help the elderly person to join and local club or group that shares one of their interests such as a community choir or knitting circle.
Often elderly people withdraw from social activities and relationships because their health concerns prevent them from driving or being as active as they used to be. Many elderly people do not want to be a “burden” by asking for help,- so it is important to others to offer help and support. Sometimes all it takes to help a person stay connected is a carer to drive them to their activity. Few people realize that home care services are available to help them remain connected. It is important that elderly people and those who care about them find out about what is available in their communities and it is vital that those who develop community social support programs ensure they address the need for valued social roles.
Lifestyle Home Services has experience in providing social support and transport services to elderly people. If you require community home care services in Sydney Australia please call 1800 667 440.
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