Mildura Rural City Council provides services to support people to continue living in their own homes and to be actively involved in their community.
Services for people aged 65 and over (50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) are directly funded and managed through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).
Services for people aged 65 and under are funded by the Victorian State Government under the HACC PYP Program.
People aged under 65 with a disability may be eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). For more information visit the NDIS website.
Commonwealth Home Support Program services include:
- Domestic Assistance
- Personal Care
- social support group
- Home maintenance
- Flexible respite
- Eligibility
Domestic Assistance services provide assistance with domestic tasks you would normally do yourself, however due to illness, disability or frailty, you require assistance to perform these tasks.
Home Care may include:
- Assistance with floors i.e. vacuuming, sweeping, mopping
- Assistance with cleaning of the bathroom and toilet (1 bathroom per service)
- Assistance with washing of linen and clothes
- Assistance with changing bed linen
- Assistance with shopping, banking and bill paying (with approval)
- Assistance with preparing meals (when no other options are available)
- Assistance with a small amount of dusting (if agreed to when care plan is written)
- Assistance with spring cleaning tasks (periodical)
Home Care does not include:
- Cleaning areas of the house used by non-eligible residents
- Moving heavy furniture
- Washing floors on hands and knees
- Hanging of curtains
- Window cleaning
- Any duty where the worker is required to stand on furniture, ladders or other objects
- Escorted shopping
- Turning mattresses
- Hand washing or hand wringing of items
- Using strong chemicals
- Other tasks that may risk the safety of the client and/or staff member
Please note: Domestic Assistance/Home Care Services are a limited support service and designed to maintain a basic level of household cleanliness concentrating on your essential living areas. If multiple tasks are required within your allocated service time, please prioritise these to ensure the tasks most important to you are completed first.
Personal Care services provide assistance with tasks you would normally do for yourself but because of illness, disability, or frailty you are unable to perform these tasks without the assistance of another person.
Personal Care may include:
- Assistance/supervision with bathing, showering or sponging
- Assistance with dressing and/or undressing
- Assistance with hair care, shaving and personal grooming
- Assistance with toileting
- Assistance with prescribed exercise or therapy programs (as approved and trained by an allied health professional)
- Fitting and use of splints, callipers and pressure stockings (supported and trained by an allied health professional
- Assistance with hearing aids and communication devices
- Assistance with transfers where appropriate equipment such as a hoist/lifter is in place. Note: staff must first receive individual training in the use of equipment in each consumer’s home, and 2 staff may be required for safety purposes
- Meal preparation and feeding
Personal Care does not include:
- Nursing duties – i.e. wound dressing, medication management, injections, application of prescribed creams/lotions etc.
- Lifting which poses a risk to both consumer and staff – i.e. must be independent with transfers or have suitable equipment in the home for staff to use
- Nail care – i.e. cutting toenails or fingernails
Flexible Respite
If you are caring for a person who due to frailty or disability, cannot be left alone without supervision and assistance you may be able to receive Respite services, to provide you with a break from your caring role.
In-home Respite involves an appropriately qualified staff member attending your home to provide individualised support to the person you care for by engaging them in meaningful activities, whilst also ensuring their comfort and wellbeing. This break can enable you to engage in community, recreational and family activities such as shopping, attending appointments/support groups, and socialising. Respite can be provided on a regular or occasional basis, depending on assessed need. All occasional booking requests need to be made as far in advance as possible to ensure service availability. Emergency situations will be taken into consideration.
Respite may include:
- Assistance with personal care. For example showering, dressing, toileting etc.
- Assistance with therapy routines (as approved by an allied health professional)
- Engaging in preferred activities with consumers such as talking, playing board games, walking, reading, painting,
- Other tasks that may risk the safety of the consumer and/or staff member
- playing, writing activities, puzzles, gardening, cooking, reminiscing
- Assistance with meal preparation and eating
- Assistance with light household tasks such as washing dishes, hanging washing etc provided the person being cared for does not require close supervision
- Monitoring of well being
- Assistance with Vacuuming, mopping and cleaning of bathroom “may” be available if a Regular Home Care/ Domestic Assistance is not being carried out in the home. (Please discuss with the Team Leader at the time of set up of services if required)
Respite does not include:
- Out-of-home respite, overnight respite or respite for extended periods of time
- Leaving a consumer unattended
- Caring for children outside of family
- Nursing duties – i.e. wound dressing, medication management, injections, application of prescribed creams/lotions etc.
- Lifting which, poses a risk to both consumer and staff member – i.e. must be independent with transfers or have suitable equipment in the home for staff to use
- Other tasks that may risk the safety of the consumer and/or staff member
Please note: It is your responsibility to ensure you do not exceed the allocated service time.
Planned Activity Group (PAG) / Social Support Group provide activities that are aimed at increasing or maintaining your level of physical health and social wellbeing, and provide respite and support for your carer.
These groups are designed to be accessible for people with varying levels of ability and are delivered by qualified instructors.
A Council Medical Clearance Form is distributed prior to services commencing and will need to be completed by your Doctor prior to attending most of these programs. After surgery or an infectious illness you will also need to provide us with a clearance certificate from your Doctor.
Planned Activity Groups provided by Council include:
Living Longer Living Stronger Exercises
These 45 minute gentle exercise classes are held at various locations and include the following activities:
- Warm Up
- Chair Based Exercises
- Strength Training
- Flexibility and Balance
- Relaxation
- Cool Down
Important Reminders for Social Support Group participants:
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing and supportive shoes to the exercise program
- Bring your own water bottle and towel, if applicable
- Arrive to your exercise program a few minutes early to be able to collect your equipment and start the class on time
- You must start the exercise programs with the warm ups and complete with the cool downs to ensure you don’t injure yourself
Social Support Group does not include:
- Attendance at group programs if you live in a nursing home or hostel
- Providing 1:1 or highly individualised support (unless funded privately), which would impact on our ability to meet the needs of others in the group
- Providing specialised equipment or facilities
Timetable
Contact 03 5018 8234 for up-to-date timetable
Home Maintenance services provide assistance with basic home maintenance tasks pertaining to safety and security you would do yourself, however due to illness, disability or frailty, you require assistance to perform these tasks. Property Maintenance is not a regular fortnightly or monthly service and should only be booked when you have a specific task you require support with.
Property Maintenance bookings are based on priority of access to help you to maintain a safe and secure home environment. Property Maintenance staff can help you prioritise your needs if you have several tasks you require assistance with.
Please note: Should disposal of waste at the landfill occur during your service time, General Waste and Green Waste fees will apply (please see your care plan.
High priority tasks may include:
- Plunging sinks
- Replacing light globes
- Repairing door locks, hinges, pelmets, windows,
- cupboards, drawers, floors, flywire screens, furniture
- Installation of smoke detectors and replacing batteries
- Chopping fire wood (45 minute job)
- Prune overhead branches impeding safe access
- Repairing undulating areas/walkways (not full top dressing of lawns)
- Dispose of deceased household/domestic animals – i.e. dog, cat, rabbit
- Minor repairs to paths, paving
Medium priority tasks may include:
- Cleaning shower base, fridge, deep freeze
- Cleaning out a room within the house
- Installing tap washers and showerheads, repairing toilet cisterns
- Minor repairs to tiled floors, walls
- Minor furniture repairs
- Cleaning exhaust fans, air conditioning vents
- Tuning televisions
- Take garden rubbish to tip (to be completed within allocated service time only. Disposal of non-garden waste will incur additional tip fees that must be paid at time of service)
- Whipper snipper – lawn edging where overgrowth is a trip hazard
- Raking leaves - limited, and around the house only
- Installation of new letter box
- Assisting with converting existing garden to low maintenance garden
- Cleaning gutters (under 1.8 meters)
Low priority tasks may include:
- Cleaning behind furniture that Home Care staff cannot move
- Cleaning cupboards, including on top of cupboards
- Washing ceilings and walls (preferably 2 staff members in 45 minute sessions)
- Cleaning fans and light fittings (under 1.8 meters)
- Installing doggy doors
- Minimal painting to be completed within 2 hours
- Hanging pictures
- Patching plaster walls
- Rearranging or shifting indoor furniture
- Rearranging or shifting outdoor objects or pot plants (2 staff members)
- Installing/repairing irrigation systems to be completed within 2 hours
- Spraying weeds and/or once off weeding of large areas (limited to 45 minutes)
- Cleaning window awnings
Home Maintenance does not include:
- Tasks that should be performed by a registered tradesperson or require specialised equipment to complete – i.e. plumber, electrician etc.
- Major tasks – i.e. construction or renovation works, such as pergolas/carports that require a qualified tradesperson and/or require a Council Permit
- Installing hard wired smoke detectors
- Performing any duties at a height in excess of 1.8 metres (due to OH&S Regulations)
- Window cleaning or similar tasks that have no impact on your immediate safety or security
- Lawn mowing
- General gardening
- Pruning/weeding of farming blocks
- Removing established trees
- Removing asbestos
- Additional limitations may apply to public/private rental properties and properties within a retirement village
- Other tasks that may risk the safety of the consumer and/or staff member.
To schedule a Home Maintenance service you will need to contact Aged & Disability Services and clearly identify what tasks you need support with. Office staff will ask you additional questions about your booking to ensure any high priority safety concerns are addressed as quickly as possible. At times we may need to make changes to your service, so that an urgent safety matter can be tended to, but we try to keep this to a minimum.
You may be eligible for CHSP services if:
- You are an older frail person;
- You are an older person with a disability;
- You care for an older frail, person or a person with a disability;
- You are assessed as in need of support to retain your independence and quality of life.
In some circumstances, short term, time-limited services may be provided to customers who are ineligible for ongoing support.
To find out if you eligible visit www.myagedcare.gov.au or free call 1800 200 422.
Click here to find out about Assessment