Greta was frustrated. She couldn’t find a service provider to help her purchase a falls alarm pendant. These devices help give older adults more confidence when they live alone at home, especially if they’ve had a previous fall.
Greta was finding the process challenging. English was not her first language, she had minimal family support, and she found it difficult to navigate the aged care system identify a provider that could help her purchase the device.
After contacting several service providers without success, Greta called our Aged Care Advocacy Line on 1800 700 600 and was connected with one of our experienced advocates.
After listening to Greta’s situation and with her consent, the Advocate contacted, My Aged Care to determine what aged care referral codes were active. This information would assist in identifying the next steps in purchasing the falls alarm.
The Advocate also provided support for Greta to self-advocate by providing her a list of providers likely to take the referral codes to purchase the falls alarm pendant. Together, they worked through the key questions to ask and information to discuss, helping Greta feel more confident to engage with providers and make an informed decision.
As a result, Greta managed to discuss accessing home security more confidently and was provided with the relevant information. Not only did she discover she could access some funding from her Commonwealth Home Support Program to fund the falls alarm, Greta also found out she could apply for a security rebate through the WA Seniors Card program.
Advocare’s advocate was delighted to hear that Greta had successfully purchased a security system with a falls alarm pendant. Most importantly, Greta shared that she now feels so much more confident living independently in her own home.
If you need support to navigate the aged care system, call Advocare’s free Aged Care Advocacy Line on 1800 700 600.
