Uncle Charlie’s story

Home by himself during the day, Uncle Charlie only needed his daily visits from Cal who provided his meals. He'd known Cal for a long time and they’d have a catch up about what was happening around town.

But when Uncle Charlie’s mobility started to decline, Tess worried about him falling over when nobody was around to help. They talked to the nurse at the town’s health clinic and she helped them arrange an assessment through My Aged Care.

After the assessment, Uncle Charlie received a Notice of Decision letter to say he’d been approved for Support at Home services, including separate funding for both assistive technology and home modifications. He took it to his aged care provider, who explained that, while he’d still receive meals, he’d have to wait for an assignment letter before the other services started. A few months later, the letter arrived saying that he had been assigned funding.

The provider then visited Uncle Charlie and Tess, and together they talked through the details, to ensure that Uncle Charlie was comfortable with all the decisions. They then made a care plan and planned his quarterly budget.

Uncle Charlie got help with getting dressed and other personal care. An occupational therapist recommended a walker and other equipment to help him get around from his assistive technology funding. They also arranged for rails to be installed to help him get up and down from the toilet. Uncle Charlie told Cal, who still provided meals, that he was still getting used to the extra help, but things were okay.

Then, a year later, Uncle Charlie had a stroke and went to hospital. While there, the provider talked to Uncle Charlie, Tess, the hospital discharge planner and the assessment team. Together they worked out a plan for transition care to help him get his mobility back so he could return home.

Back home, Uncle Charlie was reassessed and approved for more Support at Home funding due to his changing needs. He was approved for a higher Support at Home classification. This allowed for more frequent domestic assistance and personal care. A nursing assistant also visited Uncle Charlie to help with his new medication regime. With his consent, she kept in touch with the nurse at the health clinic to discuss his care needs.

When Cal came for his regular catch up (and meal delivery), Uncle Charlie told him how happy he was with the care he was receiving and how it kept him home with his family. Cal made sure this message was passed on to Tess and the care team.