Social connection is one of the most powerful contributors to health and wellbeing, yet around one in five older Australians experience social isolation. As people age, changes in health, mobility, relationships, and lifestyle can make it harder to stay connected, even when the desire to engage remains.

In this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, host Kate Holland speaks with Maria Chabrel, Group Manager, My Life & Social Connections at Helping Hand, about the risk factors for social isolation and the supports available to help older people stay connected. We’re also joined by Tony Borrillo, a Helping Hand client, who shares how joining a social connections group has enriched his daily life.

We explore:

• Why older people are more vulnerable to social isolation
• The health impacts of loneliness — even when someone doesn’t feel lonely
• How life events, mobility, health and environment influence social connection
• What funding is available through CHSP and Support at Home
• Helping Hand’s approach to building meaningful, interest based social groups
• Real experiences from Tony about taking the first step and finding community

Helping Hand’s Social Connections Programs are designed around people — their interests, their stories, and the things that bring them joy. From craft to cinema, walking groups to shared cuppas, these programs help older people build genuine relationships and a sense of belonging.

Useful Resources:

Helping Hand website

Helping Hand phone number - 1300 653 600

My Aged Care website

My Aged Care phone number - 1800 200 422

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

1 November 2025 marked the most significant shift in aged care in more than three decades. With the introduction of the new Aged Care Act, Strengthened Standards, and the Support at Home program, older Australians now have clearer rights, stronger protections, and a system designed around dignity, safety and independence.

In this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, Helping Hand’s Company Secretary Luci Badge joins host Kate Holland to unpack what these reforms mean for residents, clients, families, and providers.

We explore:

• The key reforms introduced on 1 November 2025
• How the new Aged Care Act embeds a rights-based framework
• What the new Statement of Rights includes, and how it differs from the old Charter
• What the strengthened standards require from providers
• How whistleblower protections have changed – and who can now make a disclosure
• The new registered supporter system and the three supporter types
• What these changes mean for older people receiving care
• Where to go for reliable information during this transition

Helping Hand has long championed person centred care, and these reforms further reinforce the importance of choice, respect, and transparency for older Australians.

Useful Resources:

My Aged Care website

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Helping Hand website

Helping Hand phone number: 1300 653 600

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

Loving someone who is living with dementia is a journey filled with both love and heartbreak. You’re still holding on to the person you’ve always known, but slowly, parts of them begin to change or slip away. It can be painful, confusing, and emotionally exhausting.

In this third episode of our dementia-focused series, host Kate Holland is joined once again by Tanya McIver, Group Manager of Residential Services at Helping Hand, along with special guest Sharon, whose mother, Jan, lived at Helping Hand North Adelaide.

Together, they explore:

• The emotional toll of loving someone with dementia
• Common challenges faced by carers and family members
• Supports available for people living at home with dementia
• What to expect when visiting a loved one in residential care
• The value of dementia support groups for families
• Why dementia is often called “the long goodbye”

Sharon shares her personal experience, offering insight, empathy, and advice for others walking a similar path. She is also a member of Helping Hand’s North Adelaide dementia support group.

Useful Resources:

For help and support try your GP first.

The National Dementia Helpline is also available 24/7 for free and confidential expert information, advice and support. (1800 100 500)

Dementia Support Australia can also assist – www.dementia.com.au

Helping Hand website – www.helpinghand.org.au

Helping Hand general number - 1300 653 600

Episode hosted by Kate Holland: www.ktbcommunications.com.au

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford: www.podtalk.com.au

When the needs of someone living with dementia become more complex, moving into a residential care home can become a matter of necessity. While this can be an emotionally challenging process for everyone involved, the shift can help people to live their best lives and allow carers to regain their relationship with that person.

But how do you know when it’s time? And is there an ideal way to broach the subject?

In this episode, Tanya McIver, Group Manager of ResidentialServices at Helping Hand, explains all this and more.

As someone who has delivered clinical and operationalcare to older people for over 20 years, she has a wealth of insight and understands the importance of supporting carers too. In conversation with host Kate Holland, Tanya talksabout:

• Signs it may be time to consider a residential care home
• Benefits of a care home for the person living with dementia
• Benefits of a care home for loved ones
• How to access a care home
• Memory Support Units and how they work
• Moving examples of person-centred care for people living with dementia

Useful Resources:

For help and support, try your GP first.

The National Dementia Helpline is also available 24/7 for free and confidential expert information, advice and support. (1800 100 500)

Dementia Support Australia can also assist.

Helping Hand website

Helping Hand general number - 1300 653 600

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

It’s estimated that in Australia, there are currently more than 400,000* people living with dementia. No, it’s not a normal part of ageing, but its prevalence is significant.

And while everyone’s experience of dementia is unique, there are some early warning signs to look out for, and some important things to keep in mind when you spot them.

Tanya McIver is Group Manager of Residential Services at Helping Hand. She has worked with older people for over twenty years now and is passionate about delivering respectful and dignified care. Her insights and advice regarding dementia – its impact on individuals and their carers – is invaluable.

She shares her wisdom with host Kate Holland. Listen in and learn more about:

• What dementia is
• Early signs
• Broaching the topic with loved ones
• Whether it’s safe to stay at home
• How to make a home safer
• Where to turn to for help

*⁠https://www.dementia.org.au/news/new-dementia-prevalence-data⁠

Useful Resources:

For help and support, try your GP first. The National Dementia Helpline is also available 24/7 for free and confidential expert information, advice and support: 1800 100 500.

Dementia Support Australia can also assist.

Helping Hand website

Helping Hand general number - 1300 653 600

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

The Federal Government is reshaping how home care services are delivered to older Australians, aiming to support more people to live independently and safely in their own homes for longer.

Initially flagged as a 1 July change, the new Support at Home Program will instead come into effect on 1 November 2025.

With new features, funding models and service pathways, this transition can feel complex. So, in this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, Helping Hand’s Aged Care Connector, Mel Bassham, unpacks the upcoming changes.

In conversation with host Kate Holland, she covers:

• What Support at Home is and why it’s being introduced
• Key differences from existing Home Care Packages
• What current clients can expect during the transition
• What new clients should know about assessments and service eligibility
• Where to find support if you’re feeling uncertain or overwhelmed

No matter your situation, rest assured that your current services will continue in the lead up, and support is available to help you through the change.

Helping Hand has established a dedicated Support at Home hotline to help clients understand how the changes affect them. All questions are welcome.

Useful Resources:

Helping Hand website

Helping Hand general number - 1300 653 600

Helping Hand Support at Home hotline [email protected]

1300 050 435

Federal Government Resources

Support at Home

Fee Estimator (Calculator)

My Aged Care - 1800 200 422

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

Allied Health services play a powerful role in helping older people live well, safely and independently. Sitting under that banner is Exercise Physiology, an incredibly valuable service that is often confused with Physiotherapy. Not any more…

In this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, we explore the role of Exercise Physiologists (EPs) with the ultra-enthusiastic Harry Beresford, who is the Exercise Physiology Manager in Home Care at Helping Hand.

As Harry explains to host Kate Holland, EPs are specially trained health professionals who design tailored exercise plans to support strength, balance, memory, and recovery. Together, they also discuss how EPs differ from physiotherapists, and explore:

• What Exercise Physiology is and how it benefits older people
• How EPs help manage chronic conditions like diabetes and osteoporosis
• What a first appointment typically involves
• Real examples of how EPs have helped clients achieve meaningful goals
• What advice to give if someone isn’t sure they need allied health support

Allied health might not be on everyone’s radar, but it should be. The right kind of support can make life easier, safer and more joyful.

EPs at Helping Hand offer group programs (including Age Well Fitness), one-on-one sessions at our Wellbeing Centres, and home visits to help older people maintain independence and improve quality of life. For instance, an EP might help someone walk to the shops, get back in the garden, or move safely around the house.

Unlike some providers who outsource, Helping Hand has its own team of qualified, insured and uniformed staff, so clients always know who's walking through the door.

Useful Resources:

Helping Hand website

Helping Hand phone number - 1300 653 600

Helping Hand allied health information

Help at home with Helping Hand

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

Age Old Problems: New Aged Care is recorded and edited on Kaurna land.

Receiving nursing at home has so many benefits. There’s no need to make an appointment, no sitting around in waiting rooms, and for Helping Hand clients it means seeing familiar faces in familiar uniforms.

Clients receiving home care services can often access nursing services through their government funding, or there is always the option to self-fund.

You might not know it, but nurses can do quite a lot without the need for a GP on-site. So, in this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care Kate spoke to Jessica Bryant, a nurse and Clinical Manager with Helping Hand, to discuss:

• Eligibility for nursing at home
• The many services available to you (which include everything from health assessments, medication management and wound care, to chronic disease management, post-surgery care and more)
• The important reporting and interaction between GPs and Nurses
• The benefits at home nursing can also bring to carers
• Changes that are on the way, including Support at Home, and other initiatives to keep people living at home longer.

Useful Resources:

Helping Hand website

Helping Hand phone number - 1300 653 600

MyAged Care website

MyAgedCare number - 1800 200 422

Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

REMEMBER: You understand your needs better than anyone. Take the time to discuss them with one of our friendly team members to ensure the care you get is the right fit for you.

Leaving behind one life to start another, in a retirement village or residential care home, can be hard. Often people grieve the life they knew. It’s a point that Helping Hand’s coordinating chaplain Paul Hodgson always acknowledges when meeting new residents, that they’ve been through a big change and it’s not always an easy one.

Another part of his job is to help clients and their families through bereavement – losing someone they love. This includes working with family members of people living with dementia.

In this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, Paul normalises the process of grieving. He talks through the physical and psychological responses to grief and what we can do as friends and family to support those experiencing it. We cover:

• The difference between grief and bereavement
• Some common experiences people have in response to loss
• Suggestions for things that might help the grieving process
• Helping Hand services to support residents and clients
• Where else to turn for assistance
• And emphasise that everyone’s experience is different and that no one should be left to grieve alone

Useful Resources:

Helping Hand website www.helpinghand.org.au

Helping Hand phone number 1300 653 600

We can supply you with a Grief and Bereavement resources guide which includes an extensive list of organisations and support options including, but not limited to:

24/7 telephone support:

• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

Grief and bereavement counselling and support services:

• Griefline: 1300 845 745 8am to 8pm, 7 days (AEST), grief.org.au
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636, beyondblue.org.au

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

Residential Aged Care is for people who can no longer live safely and independently in their own homes. Often the need for this care comes up quite suddenly and it can be hard for families to navigate the system and work out what they have to do.

The good news? A quality Admissions Team can help you.

In this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, we talk with two warm and wonderful Helping Hand staff members about the steps you need to take and how they can assist you along the way.

Chanie Slater is Helping Hand’s Customer Engagement Officer and Emma Jericho is a Consultant on the Admissions Team. In conversation with Kate Holland, they talk through:

• Calling My Aged Care to find out if you have the approval codes for permanent care.
• Receiving the referral code and starting the process to find the right home.
• Talking to the Admissions Team and asking lots of questions.
• The importance of navigating waitlists.
• And the benefits of taking tours and having your affairs in order early.

The key messages: All questions are welcome and the earlier you prepare, the better!

Useful Resources:

Helping Hand website – how to access residential care

Helping Hand phone number - 1300 653 600

My Aged Care website

My Aged Care number - 1800 200 422

Episode hosted by Kate Holland

Episode recorded and edited by Drew Radford

REMEMBER: You understand your needs better than anyone. Take the time to discuss them with one of our friendly team members to ensure the care you get is the right fit for you.