Home Care in Melbourne: How to Choose the Right Kind of Help

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Today, many of the growing number of seniors in Melbourne are opting for retirement home care. Additionally, for people with disabilities or recovering from surgery or injuries, regular visits from caregivers allow them to maintain as much independence as possible, while supporting tasks that they cannot do on their own. When arranging care, it is important to choose the right level of service. This guide covers some of the common care packages offered in Melbourne and tips on how to choose them.

What help is included?

The specific types of care provided are determined by the individual’s needs and cover a variety of daily tasks that require assistance. For example, showers and dressings are under “personal” care, while cooking and cleaning are under “domestic support.” Other categories commonly used when arranging help include dating, medication management, and wound care. Providers often use these labels to provide a quick overview of the care they provide without listing all the tasks they can help.

To choose the right frequency and category of care, you need to ensure that you understand the needs and preferences of the recipient. Are you someone who needs help with mobility or daily tasks, or who needs emotional support? Do they have existing medical conditions, or cultural and linguistic preferences? Some nursing care companies can respond to this, but others cannot. Nailing your recipient’s specific needs before you begin your search can save you time.

Melbourne residents will have access to two government-funded care programs. Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Home Care Package (HCP). The former offers greater flexibility and lower costs, but is generally suitable only for those with low levels of needs. They tend to only fund one person per person, such as weekly clean and transport to regular appointments. HCP supports people with more complex needs that may require several types of help. We offer four levels of care, from basic to high.

Even if you are happy with the answers you have reached the above questions, it is always wise to check out the reviews and ask if you can talk to your ex-client. Today, online reviews make it easy to see if the service is as good as it says. Find reviews on independent sources and find the general themes of the best and worst reviews. If many bad reviews mention that they missed their schedule, it could be a red flag.

Melbourne has many care providers, but choosing between them is not overwhelming. Having a clear understanding of the help you need and understanding how providers categorize and evaluate care needs will give you a quick grasp of which providers think are best suited. Then it’s a simple question of asking them some specific questions and checking to make sure they’ve delivered their promises in the past.

The final thought…