Your Aged Care Compass

Supporting an older loved one to move from their own home into residential accommodation is a task that often takes an emotional toll on all family members involved.

Sometimes the move can be planned, when the older person acknowledges it’s time to make the move. But more often this significant life change happens during a crisis, when there’s been a massive decline in the older person’s health, often after a hospital admission.

In a perfect world, we’d all be having these conversations with our older loved ones, well in advance of this situation arising, but it doesn’t happen like that for many families. Today’s guest, registered psychologist Dr Julie Bajic-Smith, helps us understand the impact on everyone when the time comes for a loved on to move into residential aged care. She discusses how to approach these conversations and how frame the move more positively.

 In this episode:

• Only a small percentage of older people move into aged care
• Independence vs risk
• When might a person need to move into aged care?
• How much informal support is provided?
• How to start a conversation about a move to residential care
• The significance of losing independence
• Moving a loved one into care doesn’t always reduce stress
• Moving an older person into care can enhance family relationships
• Frame things positively
• Loss of insight in the older person and how to deal with this
• Have gentle and compassionate conversations earlier and regularly
• Improving mental health for older people in residential care

Resources mentioned:

• Julie's Book: Beyond the reluctant move
• Julie’s podcast: So you work in aged care
• Downloadable: 5 facts about me
• Let’s Talk Consultation

Connect with Dr Julie Bajic-Smith:

• Website: Wise Care    
• LinkedIn   

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

Laura Stasinowsky is an occupational therapist (OT) and dementia consultant who is passionate about supporting people to live well with dementia. Laura works within the Your Brain in Mind clinic in Brisbane. She supports people at any stage of their journey with dementia, working with both the individuals who are diagnosed with dementia and their families.

Coral and Laura discuss managing the stress of a new diagnosis. Laura offers strategies to help manage stress. There will be changes in your life and lifestyle and you may experience grief.

It’s really important to plan for the future while your cognition is still intact. Consider legal obligations and future care planning. When is a move to a residential care facility needed?

In this episode:

• Can people with dementia misrepresent their cognitive ability?
• Dealing with the stress of a new diagnosis
• Be kind to yourself
• Changing roles and responsibilities
• Grief
• Planning for the future
• Advance health directive
• Strategies, assistive technologies and mobility aids
• Sundowning and how to reduce it
• When is the right time to move a loved one into residential aged care?
• Laura’s advice if you have a loved one who is getting forgetful

 Resources mentioned:

• Let’s Talk Consultation

Connect with Laura Stasinowsky:

• Website: Alongside You
• Website: Your Brain in Mind
• LinkedIn 
• Email: [email protected]

As part of the Your Brain in Mind Online Education Series, Laura is holding a webinar on the 17th of December called "What does a diagnosis of dementia mean for me and my loved ones?" 

This session will explore what dementia is, how it affects a person and their family, and what can be done to make the journey with dementia easier. This session is particularly designed to support people who have been recently diagnosed with dementia, as well as those who know a friend or family member with the condition.

Webinar Details

Topic: What does a diagnosis of dementia mean for me and my loved ones?

Presenter: Laura Stasinowsky

Date and Time: 6:00 PM QLD Time (AEST), Tuesday the 17th of December 2024

Platform: Zoom

Registration: Please register here to buy tickets and receive the zoom link

Cost: $10 + Eventbrite ticketing fee (total: AU$11.73)

What will be included in this webinar:

• What dementia is
• What a diagnosis of dementia means for a person with dementia and those close to them
• What can be done to make the journey with dementia as manageable as possible
• Q&A with Laura / time for open discussion

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

Laura Stasinowsky is an occupational therapist (OT) and dementia consultant who is passionate about supporting people to live well with dementia. Laura works within the Your Brain in Mind clinic in Brisbane. She supports people at any stage of their journey with dementia, working with both the individuals who are diagnosed with dementia and their families.

Coral and Laura talk about the role of the OT in improving quality of life for a person diagnosed with dementia. They discuss how to communicate with someone who has advanced dementia and how making small changes to non-verbal cues can improve outcomes.

In this episode:

• What does an occupational therapist (OT) do?
• How the OT helps a person with dementia
• Simple strategies to help people stay independent at home
• The person with dementia usually has other health conditions
• Helping people to understand the diagnosis and what to expect
• The timing of giving information and why it’s important
• Understand whether people are coping or not
• Consider other members of the person’s family as well
• The importance of having a GP review
• Fear of social stigma
• How to communicate with someone who has dementia
• Loss of peripheral vision and how to work with this
• Put yourself in the shoes of the person with dementia

Resources mentioned:

• Let’s Talk Consultation

Connect with Laura Stasinowsky:

• Website: Alongside You
• Website: Your Brain in Mind
• LinkedIn  
• Email: [email protected]

As part of the Your Brain in Mind Online Education Series, Laura is holding a webinar on the 17th of December called "What does a diagnosis of dementia mean for me and my loved ones?" 

This session will explore what dementia is, how it affects a person and their family, and what can be done to make the journey with dementia easier. This session is particularly designed to support people who have been recently diagnosed with dementia, as well as those who know a friend or family member with the condition.

Webinar Details

Topic: What does a diagnosis of dementia mean for me and my loved ones?

Presenter: Laura Stasinowsky

Date and Time: 6:00 PM QLD Time (AEST), Tuesday the 17th of December 2024

Platform: Zoom

Registration: Please register here to buy tickets and receive the zoom link

Cost: $10 + Eventbrite ticketing fee (total: AU$11.73)

What will be included in this webinar:

• What dementia is
• What a diagnosis of dementia means for a person with dementia and those close to them
• What can be done to make the journey with dementia as manageable as possible
• Q&A with Laura / time for open discussion

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

Psychiatrist Dr Kailas Roberts helps us understand what dementia is and how it is diagnosed. He discusses the four most common dementia diagnoses and how they commonly present. He talks about other health conditions that may mimic early-stage dementia.

Learn about what tests are done to diagnose dementia, medication that may improve symptoms, and strategies to help maintain cognitive function, even after a diagnosis of dementia.

In this episode:

• Dementia is an umbrella term for a problem with cognition that causes impairment of daily function
• The four main dementia diagnoses and how each one presents
• Other health conditions that may look like an emerging dementia
• The steps in making a diagnosis of dementia
• Different tests that are done to confirm a dementia diagnosis
• The benefits of a team of allied health providers to support the person after diagnosis
• Medications that may help improve cognition in Alzheimer’s disease
• Treating other conditions as well
• Strategies that people can use to maintain cognitive function after diagnosis

Resources mentioned:

• Book: Mind Your Brain - The Essential Australian Guide to Dementia.
• Dementia Australia
• Dementia Support Australia
• Forward With Dementia

Connect with Dr Kailas Roberts:

• Website       Your Brain in Mind | Brisbane | Dementia Support & Diagnosis
• LinkedIn:      Kailas Roberts - Your Brain in Mind cognitive optimisation clinic | LinkedIn

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

As Dad’s end of life approached, we worked together as a family to keep Dad comfortable and safe. We had great support from Coral’s GP, Dad’s geriatrician, and Dad's amazing carer, Kath.

Those last days were an emotional rollercoaster but from them we have some very special memories. Dad kept surprising us, right up until he took his last breath.

This is our story of supporting Dad to die at home. We want you to know that how you choose to support a loved one as they approach their end of life is entirely your choice. Whatever you decide to do, it’s okay.

In this episode:

• The functional gains Dad made on transition care were short lived
• Dad started to decline again as he approached his end of life
• Coral moved Dad to palliation with the support of her GP and Dad’s geriatrician
• The changes that made us realise Dad was approaching his end of life
• The emotional rollercoaster of Dad’s last days
• Managing pain and keeping Dad comfortable
• Remembering the special stories
• Dad’s emotional connection to music
• When dad took his last breath
• How you choose to support a loved one at their end of life is very individual and whatever you do, it’s okay

Resources mentioned:

• Let’s Talk Consultation

Related episodes:

• Episode 25 – Dad’s diagnosis of dementia
• Episode 27 – After Dad’s diagnosis of dementia
• Episode 28 – Bringing Dad home from hospital

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

Dad had four strokes in 2017, his last year with us. He developed delirium after each stroke. Dad did not recover so well after the fourth stroke and his needs were high. We discuss what that looked like for us from a caring role, and what aged care programs we were able to access to support us to bring Dad home from hospital.

Our priority was Dad's quality of life. We were in the very fortunate position of having strong family support and some extra money that allowed us to meet Dad's care needs at home.

In this episode:

• Dad’s high care needs after his fourth stroke
• Dad had to regain enough function to be able to come home
• Advocating for Dad when he was unable to speak
• Staying with Dad at the hospital
• How we prepared for Dad’s discharge
• Why we didn’t want Dad to go to an aged care facility
• Transition Care Program (TCP) and how we used it to get Dad home
• High care needs don’t always mean moving someone to a residential aged care facility
• Caring for a loved one with high needs at home can be difficult but if a family wants to do this, they should be supported to do so
• Prioritising Dad’s quality of life
• We paid for a private carer and did as much as we could ourselves to help meet Dad’s needs as his package funding wasn’t enough

Resources mentioned:

• Let’s Talk Consultation

Related episodes:

• Episode 25 – Dad’s diagnosis of dementia
• Episode 27 – After Dad’s diagnosis of dementia

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

What did Dad’s diagnosis of dementia mean for him and for us, his family? We’ll discuss the challenges Dad faced in the months and years after he was diagnosed and what we did to support him.

Mum’s care for Dad was incredible and we made sure we supported her as well, so that she could continue to care for Dad.

Focusing on what we could influence and keeping Dad well and content was key to looking after Dad.

In this episode:

• The difficult conversations with Mum
• Aricept improved Dad’s cognition but there would be no miracle cure
• We focused on what we could influence – keeping Dad well and content
• Delirium and it’s causes
• Supporting Mum
• Sundowning
• The home care package helped us support Dad but wasn’t enough to meet Dad’s needs
• The difficulty when Dad developed delirium several times
• Managing Dad’s delirium

Resources mentioned:

• Let’s Talk Consultation

 Related episodes:

• Episode 25 – Dad’s diagnosis of dementia

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

We're asked so many questions in the course of our work. Our first Ask Me Anything podcast was unbelievably popular, so we’re devoting one episode a month to answering your questions.

Send your questions to us and we’ll answer as many as possible during these Ask Me Anything episodes.

In this episode:

• Home care package funds for commercially prepared meals
• Basic daily fee vs income tested fee
• Does home care package funding affect the aged pension?
• Grandfathering under the new Support at Home program
• Why can’t I claim the cost of a visit to my GP from my home care package?
• Do I need a GP letter to get allied health services through my home care package?
• The dementia and cognition supplement
• Service agreements for workers with home care providers
• What are some of the signs my parents might need help?
• My Aged Care told me someone would contact me. What does that mean?

Resources mentioned:

• Let’s Talk Consultation
• Blog - When should I contact My Aged Care?
• Blog – What is the dementia and cognition supplement?
• Screening for the dementia and cognition supplement

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

Today we chat about our own father’s diagnosis of dementia and how it came about.

Coral was aware that things were changing with Dad and something wasn’t quite right. She started the process of getting a geriatrician involved. Dad moved through diagnoses of depression to mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

Coral was pushed into explaining the diagnosis to Mum and Dad because the geriatrician decided not to tell them. This meant Coral had to take on the clinical role and tell Mum and Dad what was happening and what to expect. It changed how Mum reacted and put undue pressure on Coral.

 In this episode:

• Depression or dementia?
• A diagnosis of dementia takes time
• What is mild cognitive impairment (MCI)?
• The geriatrician didn’t tell Mum and Dad about Dad’s dementia diagnosis
• Coral had to explain Dad’s diagnosis to Mum and Dad
• Why the geriatrician didn’t tell Mum and Dad the diagnosis
• Mum’s reaction to the situation and her struggle to understand why she wasn’t told
• Dad’s response to medication
• How this experience changed Coral’s approach to her work
• Coral believes that the older person and their family need to know so they can educate themselves and be prepared for what’s ahead

Resources mentioned:

• Let's Talk Consultation
• Dementia Australia - Understanding dementia
• University of Tasmania – Understanding dementia online course

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.

The support plan is the document that is given after a person has been assessed by either the Regional Assessment Service (RAS) or the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).

When a person is assigned their home care package (HCP), they sign up with a provider. The care plan is the document that is drawn up with the home care provider. This guides what services and support a person will receive from their HCP.

These two different plans are both important. They are used at different times for a person’s support at home. We chat about what they are and when they are used. You’ll learn about the information that is needed for each. This information affects the level of aged care support you receive.

In this episode:

• What is a support plan?
• The information in a support plan
• Recommendations in a support plan
• What is a care plan?
• Plans are reviewed as needed. They are not “set and forget”.
• Care plans should be reviewed at least yearly
• Who asks for a support plan review or a care plan review?
• Give complete detail at any assessments. Do not be stoic
• Telling your provider about your health issues
• Who gives information for a support plan or care plan?
• The information in a care plan matters
• What information do I give when asking for a support plan review? 

 Resources mentioned:

• Blog - What's the difference between a support plan and a care plan?
• Blog – What's the difference between CHSP and HCP
• Blog – What’s the difference between a RAS and an ACAT assessment?
• Clinical review service
• Let's Talk Consultation

Related Episodes:

• Episode 4: How Do I Get Help At Home?
• Episode 7: Home Care Packages
• Episode 8: How To Prepare For Assessments

Connect with Coral Wilkinson: 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 

Follow See Me Aged Care Navigators:

• See Me ACN website
• Facebook
• Instagram

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast: 

Do you support an older loved one at home and you're ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is for you.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is the client care manager for our business. 

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. When we eventually needed extra support, we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well. We knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

Your Aged Care Compass podcast brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home. 

We'll help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system and bring you topics related to ageing as well. Legal, financial, health, forward planning and more.

 Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones. 

Like what you hear? Please leave us a rating and review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.