On the 1st July, Home Care Packages will be replaced by the Support at Home Program.
Not only will the name of in-home aged care services change, but there will also be changes to existing rules and obligations of the provider delivering care services.
Longreach Home and Community Care will continue to deliver quality in-home care services to assessed participants. That will not change.
Some changes you can expect are:
* your budget will be allocated quarterly
* there will no longer be a daily subsidy
* participants will not accrue unspent funds
* care management will be set at 10% of your budget allocation – per quarter
* you will no longer pay a package management fee
* services will be listed under specific categories
* if you are a ‘Grandfathered’ participant, you will be ‘no worse off’
* when you transition to Support at Home, unspent funds roll-over with you (there are new guidelines around this)
* transitioning participants will keep their current funding level
* participants will need to pay a co-contribution fee for each service type you use (exception are grandfathered clients who currently do not pay an income tested care fee)
* there will be no fee for nursing and clinical services, they are fully subsidized by the government
There is a lot to know and it may feel overwhelming, that is why Longreach Home and Community Care are holding information sessions over three consecutive weekends. We strongly encourage participants to attend with their family members or someone who can support them over the next few months as we move into a new Aged Care system.
The information sessions will be held in Edgely Hall, at 11.30am – 1.00pm on May 17, 24 and 31.