Launched in 2022, the Home Care Check-In Pilot set out to support older Australians at risk by providing regular wellbeing check-ins in their homes. To mark the pilot wrapping up on June 30, we share Hazel McKenna’s reflections on why this deeply person-centred program was so impactful.
The Home Care Check-In (HCCI) Pilot was developed in response to growing concerns about the wellbeing of older Australians living at home who were socially isolated. Funded through the Federal Budget and led nationally by the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), the program aimed to reduce the potential risk of harm or neglect of older people through regular, meaningful contact.
Advocare proudly led the pilot in Western Australia, alongside partners in New South Wales and South Australia.
The program was born out of concern from many agencies supporting older Australians and was further fuelled by the tragic death of Ms Smith in 2020, who was an NDIS participant. Ms Smith lived with cerebral palsy and at the time of her death was found to be suffering, among other things, septic shock, multiple organ failure, severe pressure sores and malnutrition as a result of a substantial period of neglect.
The HCCI program was created to support older people who, as Hazel McKenna, puts it, ‘had fallen through the cracks, even whilst receiving aged care services.’
In WA alone, 135 older clients were supported by over 2,100 check-ins, with 848 of those face-to-face and more than 600 connections were made for older people. Of the 89 clients eligible for follow-up, all experienced a reduction in their risk of harm or neglect.
Hazel McKenna was the program’s first Senior Project Officer for Advocare from 2021-2024.
“What made this project so meaningful wasn’t just the referrals or the numbers, it was being there, genuinely listening without an agenda.”
For many older people, the check-ins offered more than just referrals or increased services. They offered an unbiased human connection. “One older woman told us the program made her feel human again. She had grown up in out-of-home care and hadn’t felt truly seen in years.”
Hazel shared how one of the most powerful aspects of the pilot was simply having the time to listen, without pressure or an agenda, something often missing in traditional systems of care.
“We approached every conversation with curiosity and compassion. We weren’t there to fix people, we were there to hear their stories, to understand how life had shaped them, and to walk alongside them if they wanted support.”
As the pilot concludes, our whole organisation has been reflecting not just on the data, but on the quiet transformation of lives. The amazing case studies shared with us by the HCCI team, particularly in the last few months, have been testament to the incredible work that’s gone on over the past few years.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team, not just here in WA but across the network. They were brave, open, and collaborative, embracing the uncertainty of a pilot project and still giving it everything.”
Join the Advocare team in paying tribute to the outstanding work carried out by the Home Care Check-in Pilot program’s team, who’ve brought this program to life and proudly carried the flag for this valuable, life-changing program.
We sincerely thank Hazel McKenna, Leanne Bodley, Leigh Ann Ryan and Bridget McCarney for their dedicated work.
