Home care packages
Nurses and allied health professionals manage and coordinate your Home Care Package.
To find out if you are eligible for a Home Care Package, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. An assessment and approval by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) is needed before you can receive a Home Care Package.
What is a Home Care Package?
A Home Care Package is a coordinated package of services to help you to live independently in your own home for as long as possible.
Home Care Packages are different to services provided under the Commonwealth Home Support Program.
There are four levels of home care packages to help meet the different levels of care needs. During your aged care assessment, your assessor will discuss your current care needs and determine the best level to meet them.
Home Care Packages are delivered on a Consumer Directed Care (CDC) basis. This means you, and individuals (carer) who may be supporting you at home, have more choice and control of how, where and when services are delivered. Hear from some of our Home Care Package clients.
What services may be included?
Core services that may be available under a Home Care Package include, but are not limited to:
House hold chores
General cleaning, laundry services, assistance with shopping and meal preparation including dietary needs for health, religious, cultural or other reasons.
Continence management
Access to a continence assessment and advisory service, consumables and relevant equipment.
Nutrition and diet
Assessment and planning of your nutrition and dietary needs.
Transport
Transport for shopping, visiting health practitioners and attending social activities.
Personal Services
Assistance with self-care tasks such as personal hygiene and grooming, mobility, medication management and assistance to use equipment and aids.
Nursing, allied health and other clinical services
For example:
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Exercise Physiology,
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Occupational therapy
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Dietitian and nutrition services,
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Social Work
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Clinical care (e.g. wound care)
Aids and Equipment
Aids and equipment that are directly associated with your care needs such as walking sticks and personal alarms.
Home & garden maintenance
Lawn mowing, garden maintenance, minor home repairs and maintenance such as installation of hand rails, gutter cleaning and more.
A Home Care Package may also be used to access innovative options
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Remedial massage in your home
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Exercise classes
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Home modifications e.g. making your bathroom safe and accessible
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Installation of raised garden beds
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Lessons in using mobile phones or the internet
Home Care Package Pricing Information
The total available funds for your budget will be made up of the Home Care Package Funds provided by the Commonwealth. Care Forward does not require you to make a contribution to your Home Care Package, however, you may choose to top up your package, increasing the funds available for your services.
You may be asked to pay an Income Tested Fee as assessed by Centrelink.
The Care Management fee is taken directly from your package funding in accordance with the Care Forward Pricing Schedule. Care management may include initial development and reviewing of the home care agreement, care plan and budget, coordination and scheduling of services, ensuring the care is aligned with other supports, providing a point of contact for you or your support persons, ensuring care is culturally appropriate, identifying and addressing risks to your safety. Your care coordinator may provide this service in different ways including face to face or via phone or email.
The Package management fee is taken directly from your package funding in accordance with the Care Forward Pricing Schedule. This fee covers the cost of preparing and managing your package funds, monthly statements, compliance and quality assurance activities required for home care.
The dollar amount of the care management and package management fees will vary depending on the package level allocated.
All services provided as per your personalised care plan will be charged at the rate invoiced by the service provider. These charges will be openly disclosed and discussed as your care plan and budget are developed.
Your coordinator is responsible for working with you to develop a personalised budget based your preferred services and within the boundaries of your funding.
Set Up Fees
Client Contribution
$0
$0
What makes Care Forward different to other Home Care Package providers?
Value for money
Choice Flexibility
Clinical oversight
Inclusion
Direct access to allied health
Our difference
We work with over 90 service providers throughout Tasmania allowing you to choose the most appropriate organisations or individuals in your area.
Our service coordinators are independent and have the flexibility to purchase services on your behalf, allowing us to tailor your package to your specific requirements.
Our service coordinators are all Registered Nurses or Allied-Health Professionals, meaning they have the clinical knowledge and expertise to provide you with the highest quality of support.
We celebrate the diversity of all members of the community. We work closely with specialised service providers, provide regular training for our staff, ensuring that all services provided respond to your personal circumstances.
We employ Occupational Therapists and Exercise Physiologists in all regions to provide specialist services & programs to improve your health and wellbeing at home.
Key Questions
If you have any questions about Care Forward Home Care Packages or just want to chat about what we might be able to provide to you, please give us a call on 1300 364 876.
Please also read our list of key questions to check when considering a Home Care Package (Approved) Provider, or our article that includes 7 things that you can do to identify a good Home Care Approved Provider.
For more information on Home Care Packages and Consumer Directed Care, visit the My Aged Care website.
Improving health, providing homecare
Improving your ability to manage every day; it’s what a Home Care Package is all about.