We have recently had some big changes in our Access and Support Program due to the Aged Care Reform. The Aged Care reform was started because of findings from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
A big part of RIAC’s work in our Over 65s program is supporting other Commonwealth Home Support Providers (CHSP) to understand the changes happening in the Aged Care System. This is going very well, and we will be holding some Expos and workshops in regional Victoria in the coming months to help those providers with the transition to the new Aged Care System.
We are now providing some limited Flexible Respite for Carers of people over the age of 65 for community or home-based respite in Bendigo and Mildura. Most of our referrals come through My Aged Care, but we can also accept referrals through our Intake Team.
In our Under 65s program, HACC-PYP, our Outreach Coordinator has been busy in Swan Hill and Mildura, where she has been meeting with Doctors (GPs) and Practice Managers to help them better understand how to help people apply for the NDIS or Disability Support Pension. We are also providing them with some simple templates to make their job easier. We hope that this will then make it much easier for people when they need a letter of support or diagnosis letter completed by their doctor.
Our two wonderful Volunteers have been working hard at our weekly InFORM hubs in Bendigo and Mildura, where they have been assisting people to fill out forms and provide them with some helpful templates and information. They have been helping with a lot of Disability Support Pension applications, which seem to be the most challenging form for people, given they are very long and often hard to understand.
If you need support, please give our Intake Team a call and find out how we can help you!