When receiving home care services, it’s imperative that your care workers provide consistent support that is tailored to your needs. Care Management, formerly known as Case Management, is one of the key tools for facilitating the best care time and time again.
Whether you’re in the process of gaining your Home Care Package allocation or just starting the application process, a little research into care management will go a long way to helping you find the best possible support. This quick guide will answer your key questions, such as;
- What is care management?
- Who needs care management?
- Why is care management a key feature of your home care plan?
- What will your care manager do?
- What’s included in care management services?
Home Caring provides care management as part of a comprehensive approach to in-home care for seniors across Australia. Learn more by calling us on 1300 875 37 now.
What is Care Management?
Care management is, as the name suggests, the management of your home care plan. Its purpose is to ensure that a personalised care strategy can be implemented to meet your individual needs while simultaneously supporting any family or primary home carers and caregivers in your life.
It is an assignment that’s undertaken by a Case Manager or Care Coordinator. This is an experienced professional who will use their expertise to design, implement, and maintain the perfect home care package plan. They support you through every step of the journey starting from the Home Care Package application to ongoing analysis and modifications to reflect your changing needs.
Dedicated care management will achieve the following results;
- Ensure that you receive the right level of home care package and funding,
- Check that all home care package allowances are used on services that will enhance your safety, comfort, and quality of life,
- Ensure that all relevant details to your case and specific needs are readily available to all visiting carers,
- Implement regular assessments to check your care plan is still suitable.
- Provide peace of mind to you as well as your family and primary caregivers.
In short, care management is a central ingredient in the recipe for successful home care. From receiving the right care services to ensuring that carers and families can work together, your care manager is a crucial point of contact at all times.
What does a Care Manager actually do?
Understanding the basic description of a care coordinator’s role is one thing, but an appreciation of what they can provide is another. Home Caring’s managers work with passion and compassion to deliver world-class services that help you retain your safety, independence, and quality of life for years to come.
Cara managers pride themselves on getting to know you as a patient, as well as your support network of family and caregivers. In addition to determining the level of home care that’s needed, it is an opportunity to learn what activities you consider most important. This could range from maintaining an active life with the family to enjoying a favourite hobby. Similarly, it’s time to consider whether support would be best utilised for housework, personal care, or a combination of the two.
Their duties include, but are not necessarily limited to;
- Assessing your physical health, social, and support needs throughout the initial application phases,
- Working closely with you as well as family members and primary caregivers to educate and support you at all times,
- Working closes with health and community care providers so that you receive the right home care services at all times,
- Supporting you through the aged care programmes and home health systems that may be needed now or at a later date,
- Overseeing your case and monitoring your situation to determine if and when different or additional care package services may be beneficial.
Case managers will additionally work to ensure that your home care package can be adapted to meet temporary changes. Perhaps your primary caregivers are going on vacation or you have come down with a case of flu. Either way, the knowledge that your care manager works proactively with your best interest in mind should deliver peace of mind.
Furthermore, they are a point of contact that you can use to discuss any concerns or queries surrounding your home care packages.
Why Care Managers are beneficial
There’s no escaping the fact that seeking support is scary, even when you get to enjoy the benefits of home care rather than a care home. Care coordinators working on behalf of a home care agency will make the process far less daunting.
This is an entirely new landscape for you but our care workers and care managers have seen it all before. From completing paperwork and applications to handling disputes, our experience guarantees that you gain a fast and convenient service that, crucially, keeps you healthy and happy. That’s whether you need home care in Victoria, Western Australia, or any part of the country.
Without care managers, something as simple as completing a form incorrectly or not noting a change in your requirements could cause delays or reduce the quality of care gained. With a care coordinator on your side, though, those dangers are eliminated forever.
Are Care Managers used by all patients?
In a word, yes. It doesn’t matter whether you have a level 1 or level 4 home care service, your home care provider should use a care coordinator to manage your situation. All home care patients deserve a personalised service as well as the mental reassurance that they are in safe hands. Care managers are the key to facilitating those outcomes while they also;
- Help speed up your application for home care packages,
- Support you with any issues relating to a change in care package levels,
- Assist you when temporary or permanent adjustments are needed,
- Clear up any ambiguity and fight your case if funding or assessments are inaccurate,
- Ensure that you get to work with the same carers for consistent results.
Care managers will play a key role in establishing the right care, as well as maintaining the best results. Home Caring’s team of coordinators will put you on the road to success. For more information, get in touch with your local officers today.
