ACATs are teams of medical and allied health professionals who assess the physical, psychological, medical, restorative, cultural and social needs of frail older people and help them and their carers to access appropriate levels of support. Assessments are free of charge.

An assessment may show the older person may be able to remain at home with support. However, if this isn’t possible, the team will help the client access residential aged care facilities for either permanent or respite residential care (at both low and high levels).

If a referral to ACAT is not appropriate, the team can also refer older people on to other available services that may be more suitable.

Referral can be made by self, family, carer, GP or health worker.

If you are seeking assistance to access aged care services, contact centre staff will register you with My Aged Care. The My Aged Care contact centre staff member will ask you a series of questions in order to understand your needs.

They will ask you questions about:

• any support you are currently receiving
• if you have any health concerns
• how you are managing with activities around the home
• some questions relating to your safety in the home.

The My Aged Care website  provides you with information about:

• the different types of aged care services
• eligibility for services
• how we understand your aged care needs and help you find local services to meet your needs – you are able to select your own service provider
• the cost of your aged care services, including fee estimators.

To perform these activities, the contact centre will seek your consent to create a personalised client record. This will hold up to date information on your needs and any services you receive. The client record  will reduce the need for you to retell your story to the contact centre, assessors and service providers. This initial contact will set-up the person in the system and myAgedcare staff will add information as the progression of the assessment/application/query continues.

Telephone:  1800 200 422

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am–8pm   Sat 10am-2pm

• Carers need support and this information assists their needs
• Eligibility and assessment
• How assessment works
• Information for older people from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background
• Information for Veterans
• Information for older people living with a disability
• Information for older people that have are financially disadvantaged
• Information for ‘Care-Leavers’ – A ‘Care-Leaver’ is an adult who spent time in care as a child (that is, under the age of 18). This care could have been foster care, residential care (mainly children’s homes) or another arrangement outside the immediate or extended family. The care could have been provided directly by the state through a court order or voluntarily or by the private sector.
• Information for older people of a diverse sexual orientation
• Information for people facing unstable housing arrangements or homelessness

The Dying to Talk – Discussion Starter Tool Kit will assist with planning for your health care in the future. Speak with your family/significant other and your GP to understand and put plans in place for the future. This plan may be adjusted or altered at any time if there is a change in your health.

Planning ahead can be helpful and it is easier to do this planning when you are well. Talking about the type of health care you might prefer will help others to understand your wishes and help them to make decisions for you if they ever need to. Even though you might find this discussion a bit hard now, it will make their decisions less stressful later

The Queensland Statement of Choices focuses on a person’s wishes and choices for their health care into the future.
It is used to guide management of care if a person is unable to communicate their decisions.

• https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/acp/statement-of-choices-form
• http://advancecareplanning.org.au/resources/queensland

The Queensland Government Website provides information on Advanced Care Planning for people to assist them with making their decisions known before they cannot make or communicate any longer. For more information on what the Advanced Care Planning process includes and for assistance with understanding and undertaking the process please visit the Queensland Government Website or contact the Office of Advance Care Planning

My Care, My Choices is a Queensland Government advance care planning initiative. Age, illness or accident may at some time make it hard for you to make decisions about your health care.

The Office of Advance Care Planning is a statewide service, hosted by Metro South Health, that helps to promote the important process of advance care planning. https://metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/acp

Metro South Health PO Box 72, Corinda Qld 4075

Phone: 1300 007 227

Fax: (07) 3710 2291

Email: acp@health.qld.gov.au

An Advance Health Directive (AHD) — sometimes called a living will—is a formal way to give instructions about your future health care. It comes into effect only if your cognitive health deteriorates and you become unable to make your own decisions (i.e. lose capacity to make decisions).

1. Contact Age and Disability Advocacy Australia (ADA Australia)

Free Call 1800 818 338

Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia (ADA Australia) is a not-for-profit, independent, community based advocacy and education service with more than 25 years’ experience in supporting and improving the wellbeing of older people and people with disability.

Headquartered in Brisbane we provide advocacy services to older people and people with disability in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote communities across Queensland.  Our services are free, confidential and client focused.

ADA Australia offers a range of services in the following areas:

• Advocacy
• Guardianship
• Education
• Information

2. If you are unable to resolve your concern directly with your aged care home or service

You can contact the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner (Complaints Commissioner). The Complaints Commissioner provides a free service for people to raise concerns about the care and services they are receiving through an Australian Government-subsidised aged care service.

The Complaints Commissioner will select one or more approaches to resolve the issues in your complaint. If your aged care home is not providing acceptable care or services, the Complaints Commissioner can direct them to make changes. A direction requires the service provider to demonstrate how they have met or will meet their responsibilities under the Act.

3. Aged Care Home – Non-Compliance

If an aged care home doesn’t give you the care and services you need, the Department of Health (the Department) may investigate the situation and give them a Notice of Non-Compliance. The Notice will let them know there are problems that need to be fixed within a certain time period. Notices of Non-Compliance are most commonly sent out if a home does not comply with:

• the residential aged care Accreditation Standards detailed in the Quality of Care Principles 2014 covering areas such as management, staffing, health and personal care, resident lifestyle, living environment, catering, cleaning, continuous improvement, and safety and security
• the Charter of Care Recipients’ Rights and Responsibilities – the rights and responsibilities of care recipients living in an aged care home
  • the financial obligations of an approved provider, including:
  • financial management
  • reporting requirements
  • the management of accommodation payments (these include refundable deposits and refundable accommodation bonds)
  • the publishing of refundable deposit prices.
  • Specified Care and Services that an aged care home must provide to residents.

4. Rights and Responsibilities – Home Care

You have a right to be looked after properly, treated well and given high-quality care and services. To make sure you get the best care, all service providers have responsibilities and must meet certain standards.

5. Making a Complaint on the My Aged Care Website

If you’re concerned about the care or services you receive from an aged care home, Home Care Package or the Commonwealth Home Support Programme service, there are two ways you can make a complaint:

• Let your service provider know about your concerns
• Make a complaint to the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner (Complaints Commissioner).
• Need more information? please see – How to make a complaint

6. Rights and responsibilities – Residential Care -Registered Aged Care Facilities

No matter which aged care home you live in, your rights and responsibilities are the same. To protect these rights and responsibilities, there is legislation that all Australian Government-subsidised aged care homes must follow, such as the Aged Care Act 1997 (the Act).

‘Residential care’ refers to the care and services you receive when living in an aged care home.

• My Aged Care – Overview of Home Care Packages Youtube Video
• My Aged Care –Home Care Package Service Finder Youtube Video

Having a My Health Record means your important health information like allergies, current conditions and treatments, medicine details, pathology reports or diagnostic imaging scan reports can be digitally stored in one place. Healthcare providers like doctors, specialists and hospital staff can see these details online from anywhere at any time when they need to, such as in an accident or emergency.

Help line: 1800 723 471

The Queensland Government through the running an Elder Abuse Awareness Campaign to raise awareness of the issue in Queensland.

PalAssist is a no-cost, 24-hour telephone and online service funded by Queensland Health. PalAssist can assist patients, carers, family and friends with accurate information on Palliative Care.

Caring for someone at the end of their life

If you are caring for someone who is nearing the end of their life, there is help and support available during this difficult time.

As a carer your presence and actions can provide emotional and physical support for the person who is nearing the end of their life. You know their wishes and needs and can help those providing care to make things as comfortable as possible during this stage

Services to help at home

There are a number of aged care services that may help a person nearing the end of their life to stay in the comfort of their own home. These services include:

• nursing care – a qualified nurse comes to your home and may, for example, dress a wound or provide continence advice
• domestic assistance – household jobs like cleaning, clothes washing and ironing
• counselling
• personal care – help with bathing or showering, dressing, hair care and going to the toilet
• meals and other food services – assistance with preparing and eating meals, or help for those with special diets
• transport – help to get out to do shopping or go to appointments
• health support – there are a number of services that offer a range of therapies such as podiatry (foot care) or physiotherapy (exercise, mobility, strength and balance).

To learn more, visit their website.