My husband has been assigned a level 4 package. He has quite complex needs requiring clinical nursing & personal care currently 3 times a week for both services.
How difficult would it be to for me to self manage his package & any pitfalls I should be aware of? We are looking for consistency in his care as our current situation is unsuitable.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Jan, With a self managed fund you need a “financial” provider (someone who pay the invoices, gives you reports on how much you are spending and what money you have left in the “kitty”). You then get your own carer’s, gardeners, cleaners etc so you can use the fund for the specific services you need. It doesn’t have to be from one supplier. Suppliers (I believe) need an ABN, insurance and police check. If they have these it can be anyone you want. Julie
Hi, My sister & I have just been through the process of having a “self managed” fund for our parents aged care packages. My Dad is level 4, my Mum level 2. We just started 1st November. It was super easy and you save heaps in administration/added fees to carer’s rates. We used “Let’s Get Care” as the financial provider (you are required to have one to administer the finances) and we got carer’s through “Mable”. Mable is very easy. We found the easiest way was to “post an ad” in Mable and carer’s responded. We then assessed, selected and met the carers. “Let’s Get Care” and “Mable” are use to working together so it was super easy. We use “Google Calendar” for a shift schedule and shared the link with the carer’s so they can all login and look at the schedule anytime. I recon go for it. You will have more control and more money to spend on your husband. Good Luck, Julie
I am with a provider whose care staff give me wonderful support. However the management of my package is appalling. I stopped my monthly meetings because we discussed the same problems every month but nothing was ever done. The accounting is frightful. I have had two correct statements in the whole time I have had my package, I’m fed up. My question is, if my family who are accountants self managed my fund, is it possible two spread it over two providers.
Hi Soy,
Self managing your home care package will help to keep costs down in the area of administrative fees, freeing up more funds for your home care services and giving you the freedom to manage the services to best suit your schedule. The case manager ( spouse, child or another individual) would manage the schedule and roster of the different staff required and works with the ACAT team and the Package Provider and the client to set goals and agree on the support needed. So whilst there are certain advantages to self managing a Home Care package it can be time consuming so you have to decide if you have the time to take on this role.
Regards,
Jill
I was looking at MABLE because they “seem” to be set up for people who want to manage their own. We are within the 3 month allocation window for a level 3 HCP, so I’m interested to see responses to your question. I will probably manage dad’s package.