Understanding the new Support at Home aged-care program

Lesley Balkwill – WA General Manager, Care Service Delivery.

Designed to streamline and improve access to home-care services, the Support at Home reforms aim to help more older Australians remain heathier and live independently in their own homes, for longer.

Ms Lesley Balkwill, WA General Manager of Care Service Delivery at Silverchain, said the new Support at Home program changes the way older Australians receive support.

Some key changes

• 8 new funding levels – so older people can access more care at home.
• New pathways and support – including Restorative Care and End of Life Pathways, and the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Scheme.
• 3 service categories – clinical, independence and everyday living support – with clinical supports such as nursing and allied health now fully funded by the government.

Local information sessions

To help older Australians transition to the new program, Silverchain is hosting a series of free Community Information Sessions.

These sessions will explain the key features of the new program, financial contributions to care, and the services and pathways available to support individual needs.

“At Silverchain, we’re committed to leading the way, setting the standard for quality, compassionate, person-centred care, so every older Australian can live with confidence, independence and dignity. And it starts with making sure people have all the information they need to make informed decisions about their care.” Ms Balkwill said.

The information sessions will run until 7 May, across the Perth metropolitan area, Bunbury and Busselton.

As one of the most trusted sources of information about aged care,¹ we encourage medical professionals to advise their patients about these sessions.

Booking details are available at silverchain.org.au/here-to-help.