What actually happens in the first month

People rarely ask what the first month is like, and it is the thing they are most nervous about. This is how it goes with us. Other providers work differently, so it is a fair question to put to any of them.

The first call

You tell us what is going on. We ask enough to work out whether we are the right fit, and we will say so if we are not. There is no cost, and you do not need a funding approval to make this call — plenty of people ring us before they have spoken to My Aged Care at all.

The home visit

A Care Partner comes to you. Not a salesperson — one of the people who will be organising your care, from a nursing or community services background. They sit down with you, and with family if you want them there, and work out what would genuinely make the difference. That is often not what people expect: more often than not it is the shower and the shopping, not the things that sound most serious.

Nothing is signed on the day.

Sorting out the funding

If you have a classification already, we work out what your budget covers and build a plan inside it. If you do not, we help you get ready for the My Aged Care assessment — which, done properly, makes a real difference to the outcome.

The first visits

We match you with a care worker and tell you who is coming and when. The first two or three visits are usually a bit awkward for everyone, and that is normal. Somebody new is in your kitchen and you are both working out how you like things done.

If it is not the right fit, say so. It is not a difficult conversation for us to have and we would much rather have it in week two than in month six.

Settling in

By about the fourth week most people have a routine and know their worker by name. We review the plan as things change — after a hospital stay, if you are managing better than expected, or if something has got harder.

The honest bit

Accepting help with washing or dressing takes most people longer to make peace with than the arrangements take to organise. It is worth knowing that beforehand, and worth knowing that the people doing it have done it hundreds of times and think nothing of it.

If you want to talk it through, we are on (03) 5229 0722, or you can ask us to call you.