How can older people continue living at home longer?

When older people continue living at home longer, they’re happier, and this is what Better Place Australia wants for all older people. Here’s how it can happen for you if you live in the City of Greater Dandenong.

Better Place Australia’s Care Finder Program in the City of Dandenong is a free service for older people who qualify to access in home care services, My Aged Care, and community supports. We can provide the service free because it is government funded via the primary health network.

Suburbs in the City of Greater Dandenong, include:

• Springvale
• Bangholme
• Dandenong
• Keysborough
• Noble Park
• and parts of bordering suburbs.

If you live in one of these suburbs, a qualified Better Place Australia practitioner can meet with you either in your own home or at a community location, to discuss your needs.

Watch the video at the bottom of this page to learn more.

The services that help older people continue living at home

In home care services can help older people continue living at home longer. The Providers of these in home care services won’t necessarily have their base in your suburb, but that doesn’t matter, because they come to you. We can support you to locate the best providers wherever they are located. But it’s not only in home care services that older people need.

The services you can access could be:

• personal care
• domestic care
• meals
• social support
• allied health services
• in home respite
• community services that don’t come under the My Aged Care banner, e.g., mental health, financial counselling, carer services and more

How do you qualify for Care Finder?

Being a free program that we are funded to provide in the Greater Dandenong area, the government requires that an older person meets certain criteria.

These are:

• you need help with one or more everyday tasks
• you are aged 65 years or older (50 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) OR aged 50 years or older (45 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) on a low income and homeless or at risk of being homeless

Reasons for requiring intensive support may include, but are not limited to:

• Isolation or no support person
• Communication barriers, including limited literacy skills
• Difficulty processing information to make decisions
• Resistance or hesitance to engage with aged care, institutions, or government for any reason
• Safety is at risk, or it may end up as a crisis situation

The My Aged Care assessment will determine if you qualify. We can help you with the assessment process.

How does Better Place Australia help older people continue living at home?

If you’re not in a position to access these services yourself, and there’s nobody else you can ask to help you access these services, Better Place Australia practitioners can step in. They can support you, which includes helping you gain an assessment from My Aged Care. If you qualify, we can support you to set up the services you need in your home.

How do you get a referral to access in home care services?

You can self-refer simply by calling us yourself and explaining you want to access the Care Finder Program.

Other ways to be referred include:

• A friend or family member referring you
• Being referred by your GP
• Being referred by other health and community services.

What are the next steps?

For more details we will happily answer any questions you have, or send you brochures about accessing in home care services which explain in more detail what you can access and how. Email us with your contact details, or call Better Place Australia on 1800 934 299, Alternatively, you could try using the live online chat on our website.

What other services are available for older people?

Better Place Australia provides a suite of services to support older people to live life independently.

These include:

Counselling, to manage difficult life circumstances and conflict with family, carers or friends.

Financial counselling, for information, advocacy and assistance for financial hardship and unexpected life changes.

Elder Abuse Prevention services, for support with conflict and preventing elder abuse.