Have you heard about a self-managed Home Care Package but not quite sure what it means? Self-management has become an increasingly popular option for Home Care Package recipients in recent years.

What is a Home Care Package?

A Home Care Package is funding from the government to support you to live independently at home. You can use this funding for care and support services and equipment dependent on your unique care needs.

You apply for a Home Care Package through My Aged Care by requesting to have an assessment for some support at home. My Aged Care will organise for you to have an ACAT assessment, where someone from the ACAT team will visit and ask you questions about your care needs and the types of support you require to continue living independently at home.

If you are eligible for a Home Care Package you will receive a letter from My Aged Care, telling you the type of support you will have access to, how long you will likely have to wait for it and what level package you will receive.

There are four Home Care Package levels from 1 through to 4, and this determines the amount of funding you will have available to support you at home. Level 1 is for basic care needs, Level 2 is for low care needs, Level 3 is for intermediate care needs and Level 4 is for high care needs.

What happens when you receive your Home Care Package?

You will likely have a wait period before your receive your Home Care Package. This means you will get assessed and approved for a specific level and package, but you will then have to wait for a package to become available.

Sometimes you might receive a lower-level of Home Care Package funding before your higher-level package comes through. For example, you could be approved for a Level 4 Package, but a Level 2 becomes available first and you get offered this from My Aged Care while you wait. If you accept this interim package, it won’t impact your other package coming through, so it is usually worth doing.

Once you receive your Home Care Package you will need to select a Provider to help you manage it. There are lots of different Providers out there, with different fees, services, staff and management options. For instance there are self-managed Home Care Package providers, part managed and fully managed. The option you choose is dependent on your needs and preferences.

What is a self-managed Home Care Package?

A self-managed Home Care Package is a Home Care Package that a recipient chooses to manage predominately themselves. This means that they are responsible for the hiring and scheduling of their care and support services, and the day-to-day coordination of their services.

Because of this, Self-management often enables Home Care Package recipients to have more choice and control about who delivers their care services, when they visit and how much they charge.

With a self-managed Home Care Package, you still need to select a Provider, and only certain Providers will give you the option to self-manage.

What is the difference between a full-managed and self-managed Home Care Package?

The difference between a self-managed Home Care Package and other package management options is the type and amount of support you will receive from your Care Manager.

With a self-managed Home Care Package, you are expected to do more of the work and have a lighter level of guidance and support from your Care Manager. Whereas with a part or full managed option you will likely receive more support from a Care Manager. For example with our full-managed offering a client’s Care Manager will hire and schedule all of their care and support services, coordinate their day to day support and be in touch regularly to ensure that everything is running smoothly.

The option you choose should be based on your specific care needs and the level of support you require in relation to your package.

What are your responsibilities with a self-managed Home Care Package?

If you choose to self-manage your Home Care Package there are specific tasks that you will be responsible for managing.

Here are some examples of these tasks:

• Hiring and scheduling care and support workers.
• Managing your budget and ensuring you aren’t overspending your available funds.
• Coordinating the support you receive day to day.
• Ensuring that the people who deliver your services have the qualifications, certifications and agreements in place as required by the Provider of your choice.
• Working with your Care Manager to develop your Care Plan.
• Notifying your Care Manager if you experience a deterioration of health or any changes to your circumstances.

Would a self-managed Home Care Package be right for you?

A self-managed Home Care Package is an option that is great for many people, but it isn’t suited to everyone.

Self-management can give you benefits like:

• Lower fees.
• More choice and control.
• More independence.

However, it can also mean you have to dedicate more time, energy and resources to the ongoing management of your package, and you get less support than you would if you chose a part of full managed option.

Luckily, with Let’s Get Care we have 4 options: self, part, full and local managed packages, and we help guide Home Care Package recipients through the process of finding the best option for their needs. The other great part is, if your needs or preferences change, so can your support! We can offer you a seamless transition from any of our management options as your needs change.

Want to learn more about which option would best suit you? For a free consultation give our expert team a call today on 1300 497 442 or download our info kit here.