Home care packages provide a vital pillar of support for thousands of Australians across the country. According to a report from the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, some 215,000 people aged 65 and older were using home care services in June 2022, and the number will only have increased in the past couple of years.
Yet, despite the widespread use of home care packages, there remain plenty of misconceptions about this type of support. In this post, we’ll separate fact from fiction, outlining exactly what people considering getting a home care package themselves need to know.
And remember — if you’re already onboard with the idea of receiving quality home care from a reputable provider, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at HomeCaring. You can speak to a member of our team by calling 1300 875 377. Alternatively, you fill out the form on our contact page and will get back to you as soon as possible.
With that said, let’s dive into the myths and reality of home care package providers and the services they provide.
Myth: Home Care Packages Are Expensive
You can see why people think that having a personalised home care package would be expensive; after all, receiving one-to-one care sounds like something that would require a lot of money.
If you had to pay the full cost of receiving care yourself, then it likely would be expensive. Happily, that’s not the case. The Australian government makes significant funds available so that people can receive the care they need. How much you receive will depend on your needs and financial situation, but you can rest assured that it’ll be manageable. After all, the whole point of home care packages is to provide care for people who need it.
If you’d like to know more about the process of receiving funding for your home care package, then get in touch with a member of the HomeCaring team.
Reality: But You May Need to Pay Something
As we’ve seen, home care packages are not expensive thanks to the funding that the Australian government makes available. However, in most cases, you’ll be asked to contribute something towards the cost of the package. How much you have to pay will depend on many factors, most notably your financial situation. Most people are asked to contribute a basic daily fee to the cost of their package. The cost of this fee depends on the level of care you receive. There’s also an income-tested care fee, which is divided into two brackets — for people earning between $32,000 and $62,000 a year, the cost is up to around $18 a day. The daily fee can be between $18 and $36 for people earning over $62,000 a year.
There is no income-tested care fee for people with an income below $32,000, as well as for full pensioners.
Myth: All Home Care Packages Are the Same
It’s possible that you know someone who already has a home care package. You might look at the type of care they receive and believe that it’s not relevant to your needs. In that scenario, it’s worthwhile speaking to them directly, because they’ll tell you something that’s quite important: their package was put together to cater for their specific needs, no one else’s.
While the general objective of every home care package remains the same — elevating the quality of life of the person receiving the care — how they do it varies from person to person. It’s best not to think of home care packages as a single package, but rather a hyper-personal, individual package.
Reality: Your Home Care Package is Designed Around Your Needs
Let’s dive into that idea a little more. Your home care package will be designed with your needs, requirements, and wants in mind. In fact, you’ll be the main driving force behind putting together the package. A good home care package provider will give you as much versatility as possible to put together a care package that makes for your specific circumstances.
Everyone has different needs. Some people need a little bit of help managing their daily tasks, while others need more full-scale care. Whatever it is that you need, you can pick and choose the services and care you receive. In the end, you’re the one who’s in control.
Myth: All Home Care Package Providers Are the Same
This is a big one. While all home care package providers may say that they’ll provide the care that you need, the reality can be different. There’s been an explosion in the number of companies offering home care packages to Australians, but unfortunately, they’re not all created equal. Some companies enter the industry to make money, while others, though they may have their heart in the right place, don’t have the experience required to offer an exceptional standard of care.
As with all sectors, there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ home care package providers. To make the most of your home care journey, it’s important to identify the provider that’s right for you.
Reality: You Should Check The Provider Is Right For You
Working to ensure that you work with a home care package provider that is suitable for your needs is paramount. Taking a bit of time to ensure that you feel comfortable with your provider and that they have the appropriate levels of experience and expertise will help to make your home care journey much more straightforward.
Doing this requires a bit of effort, but not too much. Mostly it comes to conducting research, meeting with the team, and ensuring that you feel comfortable. Reading online reviews and checking the qualifications/credentials of the provider will also help you to make the correct decision.
Myth: You’re Locked Into Your Existing Home Care Package Provider
At HomeCaring, we believe that everyone who takes out a home care package should be fully satisfied with their decision. They should have a clear sense that it’s helping to elevate their quality of life.
Alas, that’s not always the case. As we mentioned above, not all home care package providers are created equal. In some cases, people begin a home care package, only to later realise that they may not have made the right choice. In that scenario, keep in mind that you don’t have to stay with your package provider. If you don’t believe that your provider is right for you, then you take action and move to a new home care package provider.
Reality: You Can Switch To a New Home Care Package Provider
If you’re not fully satisfied with the level of care you’re receiving, then it’s best to speak to your existing home care package provider as soon as possible. They may be unaware that there are problems. Once they know, they should do everything they can to improve the situation.
If they don’t, then it’ll be time to look at switching to a new provider. This process is much more straightforward than many people believe. You won’t need to explain anything to your current provider other than the fact that you’ll be switching, there’ll be no fees to pay, and once you’ve identified your new home care package provider, it’ll simply be a case of ending your current agreement and smoothly transitioning to your new arrangement.
At HomeCaring, we make it as easy as possible to switch to us from your existing provider. To learn more about how to do this, give us a call at 1300 875 377.
Myth: Applying for a Home Care Package is Challenging
There are extensive benefits to receiving home care. Because of these many advantages, people often think that applying for a home care package is time-consuming, stressful, competitive, and overall challenging. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Australian government made this funding available because they want to help people get the support they need to live a full life, and as such, they’ve made the process of obtaining funding as easy as possible. There are really only a few steps that need to be completed before you’ll have a home care package agreement that provides customised, ongoing support.
Reality: You Can Be Up And Running In No Time
There’s no reason to feel overwhelmed by the process of applying for a home care package. There are a few steps that you’ll need to complete, but none of them are taxing. The first step is to check that you’re eligible for funding. Determining your eligibility is straightforward — in fact, we can help you figure this out, so give us a call to speak to a member of our time when you’re ready.
Once you’ve applied for funding, it’ll be a matter of working with the home care package provider to come up with a care plan, and then once that has been taken care of, you’ll be ready to begin receiving services.
Myth: Home Care Package Providers Only Deal With Medical Needs
When people think of receiving care, they usually think from a medical perspective. As such, people who do not have requirements that are obviously medical in nature can often believe that a home care package is not right for them.
This, however, is not the case. Home care can help with medical needs, but the range of support it can offer is much broader in scope. Ultimately, home care packages are there to meet the individual’s needs. If you need some help living life to the fullest, then in all likelihood there are services available that a reputable home care package provider can provide.
Reality: Home Care Can Provide Overall Help
So we’ve outlined that home care is about much more than medical help. In fact, that’s only a small part of the overall services that we offer here at Home Caring. When you think of home care services, it’s best to think of them as providing any type of support that you need in the home.
At Home Caring, we offer a wide range of services. These include:
- Domestic Assistance
- Helping with cooking, cleaning, and shopping.
- Providing social support.
- Personal care.
- Respite care.
- Medication management.
- And much more.
You can get as little or as much help as you like. It all comes down to your requirements. All of our packages are put together with the individual’s needs in mind, ensuring that every one of our clients receives care that is specific to them.
Myth: You Lose Autonomy
People are sometimes resistant to receiving home care because they believe that it will impact their sense of autonomy. You can see why people think this since home care packages typically look to address some of the issues that the individual cannot fully manage on their own. However, it’s wrong to think that home care packages impact a person’s sense of freedom. In fact, the opposite is true.
Reality: It Helps You Live Your Best Life
Home care packages don’t impact a person’s sense of autonomy; they elevate the person’s sense of freedom. Home care packages can take many different forms depending on the requirements of the individual, but the ultimate objective is to help people live their best life. It’s a fact that life can be more challenging as we age, but home care packages were not designed to remove a person’s capacity to meet their basic needs. They’re designed to provide the support that they need to be the best version of themselves.
Every home care package is put together with input from the individual, who will only receive the services that they specifically ask for. Ultimately, control over your package lies with you.
Myth: You Don’t Need Home Care If You Have Family Members
It’s nice to have caring friends and family. All too often, family members are willing to step up and provide help to others who need it. However, it’s important to keep in mind that family members can’t be expected to do everything. Even if they wanted to, they often don’t have the time to do so. Plus, unless they’ve been specifically trained as a carer, then they’re unlikely to possess the skills required to provide adequate care, especially if more complex care is required.
Home care package providers have teams of well-trained, passionate staff who don’t just deliver care, but deliver exceptional care.
Reality: A Home Care Package Supports Your Loved Ones Too
There’s no substitute for professional home care support. It doesn’t just lead to better outcomes for the person receiving the care, but it also provides a vital lifeline to family members who may otherwise have full responsibility for the individual’s well-being. Even if your family members are happy to provide care, they’ll need some support from time to time, and that’s just where home care services can come into help. Home care offers family caregivers a chance to rest and re-energise, all the while being fully secure that their loved one is receiving the care they need.
Myth: Home Care Upends Your Routine
Some people are resistant to beginning a home care package because of how it’ll impact their routine. The truth is that starting a home care package will naturally impact your life, however, it’ll do so in a positive way. Home care packages are there to provide support to individuals who need help. Even if it takes a little bit of getting used to, you’ll find that receiving help ultimately turns out to be a great decision.
Reality: Home Care Elevates Your Routine
As we said above, your home care package will impact your life, but in a way that’s welcome. Most people who begin a home care package find that it makes their life easier since they’re better able to manage the demands of everyday life once they’ve got the right support in place. In addition, the best home care package providers have a team of caring employees who will always endeavour to ensure that you feel comfortable from the very start of your care package.
Myth: You’re Locked Into Your Home Care Package Forever
It can feel that undertaking a home care package is a significant ordeal. And in many ways, it is, since the benefits of receiving such care are extensive. However, it’s worth remembering that your home care package isn’t an overly massive commitment. Ultimately, your care package is there to serve you, and if your needs change, then the services you receive can too.
Reality: Your Home Care Package Is Adaptable
One of the primary advantages of a home care package is that it’s highly adaptable. If, over time, you find that you want to add or subtract some of the services you receive, then it’s easy to do so — you can make adjustments with a simple phone call. A hood home care package provider will always be open to having conversations about the level of care you receive and will gladly make changes depending on your requirements.
Myth: It’s a Short-Term Solution
You can see why people think that home care is only a short-term solution. After all, people believe that more serious cases would require nursing home care and any issues that home care handles will eventually be resolved. But this isn’t the case — while home care can be a short-term solution (in the case of recovery from an injury), it doesn’t have to be.
Reality: It’s There For as Long as You Need It
You can receive home care for as long as you need it. The magic of home care packages is that it’s fully adaptable and flexible. You might need home care for a few months, or you might need it for a few years. It’s entirely up to you. The Australian government is committing to helping people receive support at home, so it’s highly unlikely that the initiative that provides funding for care will change any time soon.
Myth: It’s Inferior to Nursing Home Care
Nursing home care and home care aren’t really comparable. For some people, nursing home care is the right option; for others, receiving care in their home is the best option. It comes to preferences and also what makes sense the most.
Reality: It’s Right For Your Needs
There’s no such thing as the perfect care package — only the one that’s right for your needs. If you want to receive support while remaining in your home, then home care can be an excellent alternative to receiving nursing home care support. There’s not one that’s better or worse than the other, since they serve different purposes.
The Bottom Line On Home Care Packages
Hopefully, this article has shed some light on some of the misconceptions about home care packages and home care package providers. Ultimately, home care packages exist to have a real, tangible impact on the individual’s life, and they do so in a cost-effective way. If you think that you may benefit from a home care package, then we encourage you to investigate your options. By working with the right provider, you can receive tailor-made care that elevates your lifestyle.
When searching for home care package providers, keep the following questions in mind. They will help to ensure that you select a home care package provider that will get results.
- Do they have experience?
- What type of care services do they offer?
- How much input can you have in the services you receive?
- What do reviews say about the provider?
Get in Touch With HomeCaring Today
If you’re ready to begin your journey towards having a home care package that helps you live your best life, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at HomeCaring. As one of the leading home care package providers in Australia, we’re proud to offer exceptional services to our clients. At HomeCaring, we put you at the centre of everything that we do. It’s your life; we’re just there to provide the support you need. You can learn more about how we can help you by calling a member of our team at 1300 875 377.
