ABC Lateline report on living with a form of dementia

On September 29^th, 2015, ABC Lateline had a story on Government funded in Home Care Packages for elders.

Consumers complained they were being fleeced by in home care Approved Providers. Is it “a beat up” or true?

Unfortunately, it is true for many.

Daughterly Care’s CEO and Co-founder, Kylie Lambert has checked many Home Care Package statements for elders. She can say from first-hand experience that it’s true, in most of the cases she has reviewed elder’s statements and has identified false fees and errors in calculated amounts.

The introduction of Consumer Directed Care is shrouded with negativity but it is critical we remember that Consumer Directed Care is a great step forward. For the first time ever, the Government is forcing home nursing Approved Providers to give consumers proposed budgets and monthly statements. This enables consumers to see how their Government funding and consumer co-contributions are being spent, as well as how little ‘left over money’ is available to be spent on actual home nursing care.

We have never been able to see this financial information before and consumers are shocked to see the level of fees being charged.

It is taxpayers’ money, not the Approved Provider’s money and the Approved Providers are no longer in control. The consumer is now in control of their own Home Care Package and they are embracing this opportunity.

Consumers want value and they are not going to pay for services they don’t need or didn’t receive.

Whilst many of the fees we have seen are disturbingly high, we need to sing the praises of Consumer Directed Care reforms. They have put the spotlight on the “fleecing” as elderly consumers call it or “inefficiency” that the Productivity Commission identified. It is for this reason that Consumer Directed Care has been introduced to shine a light on inefficient and poor service practices.

Monthly statements now enable consumers to be able to see that Approved Providers are keeping very large chunks of the Government funding.

Years ago, there was an investigation on ABC’s 4 Corners Program about Approved Providers keeping 38% pa….

Well… Kylie (also known as Kate) has seen on recent statements, up to 53% pa kept by several Approved Providers.

We have seen low ball offers of only 7 hours a week of in home care. We have reminded the Approved Provider of the guidelines issued by the Government. We were able to turn that 7 hours of in home care into 18.75 hours of care per week without the client paying one cent extra.

It is not ethical to ignore the Government guidelines and make low ball offers to elders.

It’s not respectful.

It’s not service orientated.

It’s not on.

Elderly consumers and their family will choose quality in home care providers who treat them with respect and that’s the power Consumer Directed Care delivers to the greater community. It’s a great reform which is already driving better outcomes. If you know your rights and can negotiate the best outcomes, Consumer Directed Care can very much work. Once Kylie discovered the high fees being charged, Daughterly Care has been proactively helping our clients negotiate fair fees.

Elders should not have to beg and negotiate to receive what are already their new rights under these new reforms.

After much research, we have added a numerous amount of information about Consumer Directed Care to our website. Click here for information on Consumer Directed Care and Home Care Packages.

We have assisted a numerous amount of elderly people in obtaining a Home Care Package faster than the common 2 year wait. In addition, I have reduced their Approved Provider fees and thus freeing up more money to purchase additional nursing care hours.

One of our clients has said…

“A BIG thank you, for helping me move forward with the Home Care Package. The outcome was excellent. Your information and help was outstanding.”

From LW

Warmly,