Consumer Directed Care

Consumer Directed Care (CDC) is the guiding philosophy of Home Care Package provision in Australia and since 1 July 2015, all home care packages must be delivered on a CDC basis.

CDC is also an orientation to service delivery. It is a way of delivering aged care services within your home, that gives consumers (you) greater flexibility by allowing you to make choices about the types of care and services you want to access and how those services are delivered to you.

There are six principles at the heart of CDC:

• consumer choice and control
• rights
• respectful and balanced partnerships
• participation
• wellness and re-ablement

All Aged Care provide highly personalised services designed to meet your individual needs. Our Care Manager is your partner on your aged care journey. With you they create a personalised care and lifestyle plan based on your unique needs, including an individualised budget tailored specifically for you. Our highly qualified team are trusted to deliver aged care that respects your privacy, supports your independence, and treats you with dignity and respect.

At All Aged Care we have almost 20 years’ experience in developing and delivering unique and culturally diverse aged care services focussed on meeting the individual needs of our clients and supporting clients at all stages of their care journey – from low care through to end stage care.

Consumer Directed Care enables you to decide what services you receive based on your identified goals which are incorporated into a written care and lifestyle plan. You decide where your package dollars are being spent and you always know how much your care costs are, and how your individual budget is being spent thanks to regular financial statements.

As well as regular financial statements, ongoing monitoring and formal reviews will ensure your plan always meets your needs.

What’s Changing?

From February 2017, there are some key changes to home care packages that will mean greater flexibility and choice for you, the consumer.

These key changes include:

1. a home care package will be assigned to an eligible consumer (you) from a national “pool of packages” managed by the Government, via My Aged Care. You can select the approved care provider you wish to partner with to manage your package anywhere in Australia.
2. Home care packages become “portable”. The home care package can move with you giving you ultimate flexibility and choice. Therefore if you are an existing package holder you can choose to take your home care package to a different provider than you are currently with or take it with you if you choose to relocate to another part of Australia
3. ACAT approvals will now be given at specific levels – that is Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 or Level 4. They will no longer be broad banded into low/ high care.

What’s Not Changing?

Funding for your Home Care Package is determined by your personal circumstances and is paid directly to your provider by the Government. This subsidy, as it’s called, will still be paid directly to your provider of choice,not to you.

If you are an existing home care consumer, you can choose to remain with your existing approved home care provider and not make any changes to your current arrangements.

Your Home Care Package is to be managed by an approved Home Care Package provider as determined by the Government Aged Care guidelines.

What Does it Cost?

Depending on your circumstances Home Care Packages can be fully or partially government funded or they can be privately funded by you.

Full or Partially Government Funded

There are two basic components that make up the daily cost of your home care package:

• Basic Daily Fee
• Income Tested Care Fee

Government funded services are income tested and you may be asked to make a contribution if your annual income and the value of the assets you own is above a certain amount. This is relevant if you are a partly self-funded retiree or a fully self-funded retiree.

Some income and asset value threshold amounts were revised by the Government at 1 January 2017.

Find more information on the Government’s income test here.

Find more information on the Government’s asset test here.

For government funded services the Home Care Package government subsidies and supplements are capped at a daily limit depending on the level of care you are eligible to receive.

Full details of the available subsidy for government funded packages can be downloaded as a pdf from here.

It is recommended that consumers seek their own financial advice from a qualified financial planner who specialises in the aged care sector.

All Aged Care: The Ingredients of Our Home Care Packages

All Aged Care consider a range of factors when we work with you to establish your individual Home Care Package. Our Care Manager will meet with you and/or your family to get to know you and to discuss them.

Those factors include:

• What types of services you need
• How many services you require
• The frequency of service delivery e.g. how many times each week
• The days of the week your carer is required e.g. during the week or weekend
• The times of service delivery e.g. during the day, night time or weekend
• Who needs to deliver the service e.g. a registered nurse to do wound care is costed differently to a personal carer who provides hygiene assistance
• Are ancillary products also required – e.g. continence aids
• Is there any language, cultural or religious support required

From there, your Care Manager will create a care and lifestyle plan and an individualised budget for discussion, review and your approval. The combination of all the services and products you require will influence the overall cost of the service.

How Does All Aged Care Work Out Cost?

Whether you are government funded, partially government funded or privately funded, we will work with you:

• To understand your goals and needs
• To make recommendations on the best solutions for you
• To look at the most cost effective ways to structure your package so you get the most appropriate service for your needs with the best use of your available funds.

All Aged Care will work with you to create a personalised aged care and lifestyle plan that meets your individual goals, needs and budget. We’ll look at all the available options and work out the most cost effective solution with you.

For more information on how we work with you to provide a home care package designed individually for you call one of our caring professional team today on 07 3238 6700.