How to get a home care package – Home Care makes a difference

Did you know? There are several steps to work through to receive an approved home care package .

Home Care Packages (HCP) are one of the ways that older Australians can access affordable support services to get some help at home to live at home for longer. Home Care Packages are a coordinated approach to deliver help, care, support and services to live safely and maintain independence. To be eligible you must be eligible for Home Care funding 65 years old or older (50 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) and need support for your health, to manage at home or any support you are receiving needs to be reviewed or you have:

  • A change in what you can do or remember,
  • Recent hospital admission of fall
  • Experienced a change in the family care arrangements.
  • Have been diagnosed with a medical condition or reduced ability.

Getting a Home Care Package

Step 1: Getting a Home Care Package. Am I eligible? How do I access home care package funding?

Getting a home care package may take up to 6 months. The team at St Louis Home Care are available to guide you through this application process. The first step is to register with my aged care to find out of you are. You can apply for an assessment online or phone my aged care on 1800 200 422 .

Once you have had your assessment you will find out if you are eligible for home care package funding My Aged Care sends a letter stating that you have been a home care package approval and the level of home care package funding you have been approved for. At this point, you have not been allocated a home care package. This occurs later. You may need to wait a few months before a home care package is allocated to you.

Step 2: Wait to be allocated your Home Care Package

There is an allocated amount of home care packages that the government provides annually with many home care packages to approve. This means you may need to wait for a few months for your home care package to be allocated. If you have had health or support changes and considering home care to help you live at home for longer, the sooner you get started on your application the better.

What if I need home care immediately and cannot wait for my home care package allocation?

In this case, St Louis provide home care as a fee for service, St Louis Private Home Care Services for this interim period. We will tailor the care to meet your most urgent needs within your budget.

Step 3: Receive a referral code and chose your Home Care Provider in 56 days.

When your home care funding is allocated to you, you are sent a letter with a referral code confirming your home care package and the level of funding you will receive.

Sometimes you will not immediately receive the level of home care you are eligible for. The level home care package allocated may be lower than your needs, but it allows you to start accessing home care services until a package at your approved level becomes available.

VERY IMPORTANT – You have only 56 days to find a home care service provider and enter into a home care agreement from the date of your assignment letter, or to chose to defer your home care package allocation until the level of care more suited to you and your and financial situation is available. It is best to talk this through with home care providers. If you need more time, please call My Aged Care and they may be able to extend it by another 28 days.

Step 4: Choosing your home care provider.

When you have received your referral code you are eligible to start services as part of your home care package. You may have also done your income assessment and have this letter ready to prepare your home support budget and discuss if there are any fees. If you have not done your income assessment your home care provider can advise how to start the process.

St Louis Home Care can come to your home to meet you. We will explain the type of home care services we provide, how we provide these, how we work with you to create your personal support care plan and if there are out of pocket expenses, you may be required to pay. St Louis Home care does don’t charge the Basic daily fee or exit fees. Contact St Louis Home care to find out more. Adelaide (08) 8332 0950 Victor Harbor (08) 8552 1481

Step 5: Enter a Home Care Agreement and manage your services in your support plan.

When you meet your home care provider you will be required to have the following documents

  • Your home care package assignment letter or your referral code (in the letter)
  • Your income assessment letter
This information will help the team from St Louis Home Care discuss your home care agreement, fees, services, your rights, and responsibilities as well as your home support plan. St Louis Home Care will work with you and your changing needs as you age, to deliver home care and home care services for you to stay at home for as long as possible, if not the rest of your life. If your circumstances change at any time you may need to be reassessed, we can guide you through this process.

St Louis Home Care is a family business started in South Australia in 1946, our motto is “Let our family help take care of yours” - a culture we have held strong over the decades with many South Australian families coming back over the generations for aged care they can trust. Our values of respect, dignity, fairness, and choice underpin everything we do.

Need help with your Home Care Package?

If you would like some assistance with your home care package, please call St Louis Home Care Adelaide 08 8332 0950 or Victor Harbor on 08 8552 1481 and we can guide you through the application and approval process.

St Louis Adelaide Home Care Packages

Find out more about our Home Care Packages.

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