Who uses Live in Care?

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The answer is: Older Australians who need enabling support and care, when they need assistance, anytime over a 24 hour period, in their own home. Seniors and Elders who use Live in Care want quality in home care and support to keep living well, their way, in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.

Daughterly Care has provided over 3.9+ million hours of Live in Care over the last 24 years, which means we are the experts in Live in Care

Recently Verlie, Jean – our High Care Case Manager and I sat down to reflect back over the last 24 years that Daughterly Care has provided over 3.9+ million hours of in home Live in Care services to discuss who had used our service.

Here is a brief summary of the type of people who have chosen Daughterly Care’s Live in Care to stay at home:

Loving Couples

Spouses and partners who remain strongly bonded together and whose happiness and quality of life is enhanced by living well with their love, together for all their days by utilising our Live in Care service.

Pioneering men and women of ultra-successful businesses, plus successful business owners, famous in their local community.

These pioneering men and women have worked hard for decades and created iconic Australian brand-name businesses.

These high achieving business owners have been clever, worked hard, saved well and invested wisely. They have provided the best products and services to their clients and they expect the same for themselves and their spouse, for all the days of their life.

After such a successful business life, there is no consideration of ending their life in a nursing home. Instead, they wish to keep living their successful good quality life; one that they remain in charge of. They wish to remain in the comfort of their own home. Often they continue to work part-time overseeing their business or investment companies.

Daughterly Care’s Live in Care service is the absolute gold star of aged care, when the flexibility of around the clock care is needed.

The good news is that Live in Care makes financial sense too.

Your home remains capital gains tax free as your primary residence and for most of our Live in Care clients, their homes have increased in value and are capital gains tax free. This is far more than the cost of Live in Care so they have maximised the inheritance for their family and lived a quality life in the comfort and familiarity of their beautiful home. Most importantly, they have retained control over their life right to the end.

(Remember self-funded Elders pay a $27,232.33 pa Income Tested Care Fee when they enter a nursing home and they get absolutely nothing extra for that, it is just a “tax” for being self-funded, whereas, they are eligible for a Government Subsidised Home Care Package, the cost of which is explained on this page of our website).

Elderly people with busy successful children

You’ve worked hard and had a successful career and your adult children have learnt from your good example. They are ‘chips off the old block’ who you are very proud of. They are loving and caring.

Unfortunately their career or business success robs them of sufficient time to provide all the ‘hands on care’ you need. In any case, you like calling your own shots and remaining independent of your children. You don’t want to be reliant on them or add to their heavy work load.

Being at home means your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren can visit anytime that suits you and them. It’s so much more comfortable for your family and friends to visit you in your home than a nursing home, where frankly, it often feels overwhelming seeing so many elderly people together.

Elders who value their independence

You don’t want to ask your adult children to help you run errands, help you do housework or drive you to appointments. Also, you want to continue to do the activities that you enjoy, when it suits you. You like being self-determined and living a worthwhile life, your way.

Our Live in aged care service gives you the control, choice and independence you have enjoyed your whole adult life.

Elders whose adult children live long distances away, such as intra-state, inter-state and overseas

Even when an Elder is frail or has a chronic ongoing condition such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurone disease (MND) or a form of dementia, they still live their most safe, joyful and contented life in their own comfortable and familiar home. This is possible even when their children live long distances away.

In this circumstance we can provide a higher level of High Care Case Management whilst keeping children fully informed via Progress Notes and updates. We can assist to set up regular Facetime chats so that parents, children and grandchildren connect regularly.

Elders who immigrated to Australia and whose culture expects their children to look after them

Some Elders who immigrated to Australia, often to give their children a better life, have strong expectations that it is their childrens’ duty to care for them in their older age. In that case it is even more devastating to be placed into a nursing home.

It doesn’t have to be.

Increasingly, families are being creative and utilising Live in Care on a full time or part time basis to provide the core of highest quality care for their parents.

For example, we have provided Live in Carers Monday to Thursday and we deducted the Government Funded Home Care Package from our cost and then each of the 3 children provided 24 hours of care each week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This enabled their mother to stay in her beloved home and adult children to spend quality time with her every week and reduced the cost. Remember the Government provides Home Care Packages of up to $66,448.25 per annum, per person for in home care including for Live in Care.

In another post, 3 generations of the one family lived in a mansion in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Our Live in Carers’ focus was to provide high quality person-centred care for the grandmother, Nonna.

In the mornings, after the grandchildren had gone to school and the children had gone to work, Nonna and our Live in Carer rose for the day and we cared for her beautifully all day, at her pace.

Then each night the whole family cooked dinner and ate together. Nonna was in the heart of her noisy, loving family, eating beautiful home cooked Italian food the way she liked it. When Nonna was tired, she retired from her family with our Live in Carer who assisted her to bed.

It was a lovely life for an Italian grandmother because she was living in the heart of her family and Daughterly Care’s Live in Care service enabled her to retreat from their activity to meet her needs. Nonna was loved, hugged and talked to by her family every day, without her care needs taking over her daughter and grandchildrens’ lives.

Elders with no adult children or grandchildren to advocate or care for them

Remain at home with quality care from experienced professional Live in Carers you can rely on and relate to, thus providing the best quality of life possible for all your days.

When we know that you don’t have children in your corner advocating for you – our Live in Carers and High Care Case Managers work with your Enduring Guardian and Enduring Power of Attorney and advocate for you. We can assist you:

1. to secure your Government funding;
2. attend your ACAT Assessment;
3. document your preferred in home Care Plan so that you stay in charge of your life, for all your days.

With no children or grandchildren to assist you in your older age, it is critical you put formal systems in place to stay in control of your life as you age. You don’t want strangers making decisions for you.

It is absolutely critical you:

• make your care wishes known through an Advance Care Plan;
• nominate someone you trust to represent you when you cannot make decisions for yourself. An Enduring Guardian is needed to make care and accommodation decisions and an Enduring Power of Attorney is needed to manage your money. (Daughterly Care cannot do this because we have a conflict of interest).

As you age, consider putting a small service in place like 2 hours once a week. Have a list ready of the more difficult tasks we can do with you or for you, including driving you to errands or dropping you at a friend’s home.

With an established relationship with Daughterly Care, if a health crisis happens like a fall, instead of going to hospital we can drive you to your doctor to ascertain the best treatment plan. Our private 24hr Registered Nurse can dress your wounds.

If you are hospitalised we can visit and provide extra care and advocate for you. We will do everything in our power to get you home and ensure you are well cared for with quality and experienced Live in Carers and private 24 hour Registered Nurses.

It’s a good idea to do your research prior to needing in home care. That way you can make life easier for your Enduring Guardian by noting in your Advance Care Plan who you would like to be cared by.

For example, you might write guidance for your Enduring Guardian like “my strong preference is to stay at home and in the event that I need 24 hour care, please ask Daughterly Care for a quote for their Live in Care service as this is more cost effective than 24 hour care, where you have 3 shifts per 24 hours.

Our contact details are www.daughterlycare.com.au or ring 02 9970 7333.

Elders with estranged children

Elders in this unfortunate position often express fear to us that their children, who have not spoken to them, or visited them, for over 10 years will walk back into their life and ‘take over’ the decision making regarding their care and place them into a nursing home against their wishes, in order to sell the family home and access their inheritance early. Whereas the Elder’s priority is to keep living well, in their own home.

Elders in this situation can eliminate their fear by putting systems in place to protect their rights and wishes, such as:

• appointing an Enduring Guardian and an Enduring Power of Attorney;
• completing an Advance Care Plan; and
• choosing the right in-home care company to provide your care, in advance of needing support. (Daughterly Care is Sydney’s best in home care provider, so seniors often choose us. We have “not-yet-clients” who we have visited and they have explained their wishes and signed our Terms of Business. The minute they need us, they just call us and we start the services where and when they need us;
• whether it be extra care in the hospital;
• 2 hours of services at home;
• overnight care; or
• Live in Care to help them rebuild strength and confidence. (We reduce our services as our clients’ health improves).

Live in Care in your final years will ensure you live where you feel most comfortable and happy and that you are well cared for, whatever your family situation.

Rural land owners

We understand that your land and community are part of who you are. It’s a relief to know that our support and care can keep you on your beloved land and in your community, for all your days. Frail age and chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s, MS, MND, forms of dementia, Diabetes or Emphasemia don’t have to be the reason you move away from the land you love.

Daughterly Care’s Live in Care aged care service is ideal for rural land owners. Our most experienced Live in Carers have the experience to care for rural Elders, whether our role is to provide around the clock care and assistance so the Elder can convalesce or rehabilitate after an illness or accident; or to provide care, companionship and palliative and end of life care.

We are experienced at providing Live in Care for wealthy land owners whose greatest joy is to remain at home, close to their family and on the land they love.

LGBTI Elders who value their independence

Many LGBTI Elders do not want to enter a nursing home, especially nursing homes run by religious institutions because they don’t want to end their life being judged and discriminated against, nor have to retreat to the closet. Remaining at home is even more important to LGBTI Elders. Live in Care provides quality care enabling you to continue living a quality life, all your days.

Other professionals who commonly use Live in Care:

• Doctors, Dentists, Veterinarians, etc.
• Professors, Judges, Barristers and Lawyers
• Head Masters, Head Mistresses and Teachers
• Famous Actors & Artists
• Iconic singers
• Famous Politicians, their partners or their parents
• Diplomats

…in other words anyone who wants to live at home with privacy, dignity and a high quality joyful life, for all their days.

Our clients do not wish to ONLY rely on their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbours or friends to care for them. When our clients need 24 hour, around the clock care our Live in Care service enables our clients to stay in control of their life for all their days.

Anyone who holds an Enduring Power of Attorney or Enduring Guardian for a client, friend or relative

This may be a lawyer, accountant, relative or friend. These individuals have a duty of care to provide high quality, professional care and even more importantly provide their client, relative or friend with the means to live a joyful, safe and comfortable life at home.

Daughterly Care is able to relieve the Enduring Power of Attorney or Enduring Guardian of all the smaller, time-consuming duties while always remaining in alignment with their responsibilities and proactively communicating with them. Daughterly Care makes it so much easier for Enduring Power of Attorney and Enduring Guardian to keep their clients at home where research shows, 97% of people wish to live.

Read on 5. Why Live in Care is our most popular service