We sincerely thank all consumers and families for their ongoing loyalty and trust in choosing West Coast Homecare to provide their care and services. Our amazing friendly workers go the extra mile to engage and brighten the days of people they support. The good news of Christmas is that even when the world or our circumstances change, the message of Christmas is timeless. The festive season is a time for giving and an opportune time to make connections with people and your local community. Take time to say ‘Hello’ to people and reach out to neighbours, friends and family or make time for a simple visit or phone call, it can make the world of difference. For some people, the festive season is not always a time of celebration. Our services can assist individuals to maintain family and social connections or keep up interests and hobbies and reduce isolation thereby improving happiness and wellbeing. During the Christmas season West Coast Home Care will continue to provide care and services. If you require additional services or some extra support and companionship, please let our staff know. Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year filled with health and happiness. Together – Let’s make it happen! Deanne Hartwig Eyre Peninsula Autumn 2023 | Communique Eyre Peninsula Summer 2024-25 Holiday Opening Hours During the Christmas and New Year period our office hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm for Port Lincoln and 9:00am to 4:30pm for Tumby Bay, Cummins and Cleve. All offices will be closed on these Dates: Wednesday 25th &Thursday 26th December 2024 Wednesday 1st January 2025 If you require assistance during this time, please call: AFTER HOURS PHONE 0427 822 177 FOR A MEDICAL EMERGENCY PHONE 000 Visit our website : westcoasthomecare.com Message from the CEO
CONVERSATIONS 2 As we age we generally adapt well to any loss or reduction in sensory abilities, such as vision and hearing. However, increasing age may affect our physical fragility, perception of and response to hazards and our ability to recover from injury. Safe driving tips for older drivers If you feel at any time that you are not in a fit state to drive, then do not drive. If you feel your health and general fitness are not sufficient to continue driving, you should consult your doctor. Always wear a seatbelt. Wearing a seatbelt doubles your chances of surviving a serious crash. The law requires all drivers and passengers to wear a seatbelt or child restraint, regardless of age. Take extra care at intersections and avoid distractions. The common crash types for older drivers are right turn crashes and crashes due to disobeying a traffic signal or sign. Check the safety rating of your vehicle. While older drivers have relatively few crashes, they are much more likely to be severely injured or killed in a crash. A car with an ANCAP 5 star safety rating could provide increased protection if a crash occurs. Consider public transport. Some more hazardous or unfamiliar trips might be better undertaken by alternative transport rather than driving. Choosing to use alternative transport compares favourably to the annual cost of running a car, especially when transport discounts and concessions are taken into account. Often using alternative transport is less stressful and is more convenient, especially when travelling to major shopping centres or to the city of Adelaide. Moving Right Along Moving Right Along: Obligations and Opportunities for Older Drivers is a resource for communities, individuals, families and friends that provides information about issues facing older drivers, driving safely and alternatives to driving. Moving Right Along provides details about: • maintaining the ability to drive safely and effectively for longer • the effects that ageing, medical conditions and medications have on driving • maintaining mobility and preparing to drive less or giving up driving altogether • helping a family member or friend face the issue of reducing or giving up driving • fitness to drive, the Driver Medical Assessment and Practical Driving Assessment • the legal obligations of licensed drivers in South Australia • motorised mobility scooters. Are you worried about someone’s driving? It can be difficult to know what to do if you have concerns about someone’s driving. For tips and information for family members, friends and others about things to consider, www.mylicence.sa.gov.au/safe-driving-tips/ moving_right_along_-_are_you_worried_about_ someones_driving Deciding to no longer drive As we get older a day may come when we decide that we can no longer drive safely. Please contact your doctor to discuss your fitness to drive or contact Service SA if you wish to cancel your driver’s licence. Safe driving tips for older drivers Aged Care Consumer Advisory Body Consumer advisory bodies can help fix problems and improve your care. They give you a way to talk about care and service quality with others and share this with your provider’s governing board. Consumer advisory bodies are important because they: • look at the quality of care and services you and others receive • find and communicate consumers’ needs and issues • provide opportunities for improvement. Consumer advisory bodies need people like you! Members from all backgrounds are welcome to join; diversity means that all consumers are represented. This includes people who: • are a current or past consumer • are a family member or representative of a current or past consumer • are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander • are LGBTIQA+ • come from a culturally and linguistically diverse background • have a disability • live with a cognitive or physical impairment • live with mental health issues and/ or illness • are socially or economically disadvantaged • live in a rural or remote area. If you or someone you know wants to join the Consumer Advisory Body committee, call West Coast Homecare on 8682 2177.
3 One hour extra per week can make a difference Use your HOMECARE PACKAGE to grab some extra help and have fun while improving your wellbeing and feel invigorated! We want to enable you to have more support as a path to greater independence in your own home and community. We can assist you with: • Few extra household chores for spring • Let the sunshine in with window cleaning • Fire prevention. Yard clean up, gutter cleaning • Plant some new flowers & veggies for spring • Live it up! Get out and about with our friendly and fun workers • Lonely no more. Let us come to you for a cuppa and chat • A bit of extra shopping for Christmas Supporting you to live your life to the fullest. You tell us what you want to achieve and together, let’s make it happen! Our Home Care Coordinator team met with the dementia pharmacist for an education session on how we can support our clients and their families to access this free service. The Dementia Pharmacist Program offers a nocost service to anyone diagnosed with dementia, or have cognitive decline regardless of age, throughout regional South Australia. This program has been funded for 12 months with the view to demonstrate the need for these programs to continue in the Regional and Remote areas of SA. WCHC are working closely with the dementia pharmacist to ensure that we are supporting our clients and their families to access this free service. The dementia pharmacist can provide expert guidance on medication usage, adverse effects management, polypharmacy, and compliance to ensure optimal treatment outcomes. Through both face to face and telehealth consultations they empower clients and families with tailored education, symptom management strategies, and advance care planning, promoting independence and quality of life. To facilitate the referral process, WCHC Home Care Coordinators can assist clients and their families by completing an online referral form. If preferred, clients and their families can contact the dementia pharmacist directly by emailing dementiasupportpharmacist@psa.org.au or by phoning 08 7079 8600 to make an appointment. Once you have been seen by the dementia pharmacist, they will provide a comprehensive report to you and your GP with their recommendations. WCHC Home Care Coordinators can assist you by supporting you during your consultation if required. New Dementia Support Pharmacist program for Regional SA
CONVERSATIONS 4 Puzzles & Games SEASONEDTIMES.COM Which cubes were made using Image #1? Make It! I find continued joy and purpose in each day. SEASONEDTIMES.COM Page 4 Colouring In
5 Debra Nugent Domestic Assistance Worker in Port Lincoln Carina Sinton Domestic Assistance Worker in Port Lincoln Maureen Hardy Domestic Assistance Worker in Port Lincoln Farewell Meagan Franklin Meagan Franklin has volunteered her time on the West Coast Community Services Incorporated Board since December 2021. We have sincerely valued her contribution and wish her all the very best in the future. New Staff Members and Board Directors Welcome to the team! We are thrilled to have you on board, bringing your skills and passion to enhance the lives of people who receive care from West Coast Homecare. Here’s to a long journey of making a positive impact together! Cha Taothaichana Community Care Worker in Port Lincoln Mathew Aldington Information Communication Technology Officer in Port Lincoln Board Directors Welcome Tess Davies Board Director The role of Allied Health professionals Allied Health professionals are practitioners who have studied and trained at university. They are health experts who can help prevent, diagnose, and treat various conditions and illnesses. Allied Health professionals include occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and podiatrists. Occupational Therapists (OTs) help to increase your independence at home. They might suggest changing how you do things, adjusting your surroundings, or dealing with personal issues. If you think you need some equipment or modifications at home, an OT can help you decide what you need and where. That might include grab bars to stop falls or a shower seat for easier showers. Physiotherapists are experts on how bodies move and work. They can assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent disease and disability through physical movement. By helping you recover, maintain, and improve your range of motion, physiotherapists can help you stay active. They can also help you prevent injury. To help you stay independent, they can also suggest things like braces, canes, and walkers. As you get older, your vocal cords become less flexible, and the muscles in your throat weaken, making speaking harder. A Speech Pathologist works on speech, language, voice, thinking, and swallowing issues. A speech therapist can find, check, and diagnose communication problems. They help improve how you talk and understand others. They enhance your ability to do things on your own with tools that assist you. A Podiatrist is a foot expert. They diagnose, treat, prevent, and manage foot, ankle, and lower limb issues. They can help you with foot and leg health so you can stay healthy and active. Podiatrists give advice on things like shoe inserts, orthotics, supports and braces. They can also help you with the most suitable shoehorns, foot care, and shoes. Your Homecare Coordinator can assist you with more information about how Allied Health professionals may be able to assist you. Staff Members
CONVERSATIONS 6 IMPORTANT UPDATES West Coast Home Care will have a focus on the Aged Care Industry changes at our “Conversations” Consumer Engagement meetings in 2025. Single Assessment The Single Assessment System will make it easier for older people to access aged care and adapt services as their needs change. A person needs to be assessed before they can access government-funded aged care services. An aged care assessment works out: • a person’s care needs • the types of care and services a person may be eligible for. Why aged care assessment reform is important The Single Assessment System will simplify and improve the experience of older people by providing a flexible system that can quickly adapt to their aged care needs. Currently, there are different assessment pathways. As a result, assessments are not consistent, and older people are often moved between assessment organisations as their needs change. The new system will provide a single assessment pathway that can quickly adapt to changing needs, without having to change assessment providers. More information: www.health.gov.au/our-work/ single-assessment-system-for-aged-care New Aged Care Act The Australian Government is developing a new Aged Care Act to strengthen Australia’s aged care system. The new Act aims to ensure that people who access aged care services funded by the Australian Government are treated with respect and have the quality of life they deserve. On the 12 September 2024, The Australian Government’s Aged Care Bill passed Parliament. This means the new Aged Care Act will start from 1 July 2025. A new Act will bring a range of improvements for older people including: • a new regulatory model • strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards • a Statement of Rights for older people • easier entry and access to services. Older people and their supporters will have a greater say and a more independent voice about the care and services they receive. This includes protections to speak up when they’re not satisfied and better equipping providers to handle complaints effectively. Thanks to the new Support at Home program, more older people can live in their own home for longer and receive home modifications and assistive technology so they can do so safely. An extraordinary amount of work has taken place to get to this point and there is still a lot of work to do. The Department of Health and Aged Care continues to consult on the Aged Care Rules and will be working closely with aged care providers and workers to allow for a smooth transition from 1 July 2025. More information can be found at: www.health. gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act Features of the new Support at Home Program The new Support at Home program will better support older people to remain independent at home. It will bring together current in-home aged care programs, have new classifications, equitable pricing, an increased focus on early interventions, and higher levels of care for people with complex needs. From 1 July 2025, the new Support at Home program will replace the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme. It will provide upfront supports to maintain independence, such as allied health, assistive technology and home modifications, new classification and budget levels to better meet a person’s aged care needs, price caps and participant contributions set by government. From no earlier than 1 July 2027, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will transition into Support at Home. Until that time, CHSP will continue to operate as a separate program for existing clients and new clients with low-level needs. About the Support at Home Program: www.health. gov.au/our-work/support-at-home/about Support at Home Program Handbook Program details for 1 July 2025: www.health.gov.au/sites/ default/files/2024-11/support-at-home-programhandbook.pdf Letter to care recipients about Home Care Package subsidy increase The department has sent a letter to Home Care Package recipients and their authorised representatives about the increase to the subsidy from 1 January 2025. This increase will support providers to pass on the aged care worker wage rise. The Australian Government is supporting an increase to aged care worker wages from 1 January 2025, this is a result of the Fair Work Commission’s decision to increase wages for some aged care workers. If you receive a Home Care Package, this will mean an increase to your package subsidy. You should expect to continue to receive the same services and hours of care that you currently receive from your provider. Your provider is required to pass on the wage rise to their workers. Some providers will need to adjust their prices for care and services delivered by workers that will be receiving this wage increase. What do you need to do? Your provider may ask you to agree to reasonable price increases for your care and services and update your Home Care Agreement. These price increases will be funded through the increase to your Home Care Package subsidy, it is not expected that your contribution will change. If you don’t agree to the price increase, it may make it harder for your provider to keep giving you care. You can contact the Older Persons Advocacy Network for information about your rights and seek support. More information The Department of Health and Aged Care have sent a letter to everyone who receives a Home Care Package informing them of these changes. You can read a copy of the letter on the Department of Health and Aged Care website. For more information, you can also read this fact sheet about the Aged Care wage rises. www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/ letter-to-care-recipients-about-home-carepackage-subsidy-increase.pdf www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/ aged-care-wage-rise-stage-3-home-carepackages-program-care-recipient-fact-sheet.pdf Please contact our office if: • You did not receive this letter, please contact our office and we can send one to you. • To access a hard copy of this information.
7 Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) Reforms The CHSP is being extended from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2027. The introduction of the new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program from 1 July 2025 will mean changes to the CHSP. Aged care reforms Changes are being made to improve aged care in Australia for all, now and in the future. These changes will deliver safety, dignity and respect for older people across aged care. The reforms will change in-home aged care, including the CHSP from 1 July 2025. Changes to the CHSP The new Aged Care Act will regulate CHSP providers the same way as other aged care programs and standardise the CHSP service list which will mean new service type names and descriptions. Changes will be implemented gradually to help providers and clients prepare for the transition to Support at Home. Strengthened Quality Standards Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect in aged care. The Aged Care Quality Standards define what good care looks like. As part of the new Aged Care Act and regulatory model, the Quality Standards are being strengthened. The strengthened Quality Standards will be introduced with the commencement of the new Aged Care Act. The existing Standards will remain in effect until then. JOIN US When: Each Thursday from 2:00pm to 4:00pm (Please note: NOT ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS - 26th December 2024 and 2nd January 2025) Where: Port Lincoln Hotel Contact West Coast Homecare for more information and RSVP on 8682 2177. New Quality Indicators for Homecare Quality indicators measure important aspects of aged care services. This helps to improve the quality of aged care services provided to older people. Residential aged care providers currently report on 11 quality indicators, with 3 staffing quality indicators to be added in 2025. This program will now be expanded to include quality indicators for in-home aged care providers like West Coast Homecare. West Coast Community Services incorporated have been actively engaged in the 12-week pilot program from early October 2024 to test the proposed quality indicators.
OFFICE LOCATIONS West Coast Homecare is committed to supporting small rural communities on Eyre Peninsula, our office locations and opening hours are: Head Office Port Lincoln 56 St Andrews Tce Phone: 8682 2177 Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm Tumby Bay 3 Spencer Street Phone: 8682 2177 Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4:30pm Cummins 58 Bruce Terrace Phone: 0438 163 641 Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4.30pm Cleve 27A Main Street Phone: 8682 2177 Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4:30pm SQUARE-FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM-SQUARE Join us on Facebook and Instagram westcoasthomecare.com RECIPE - BAKED CHRISTMAS PUDDING Method Step 1 Spray a 21 cm non-stick bundt pan with oil. Drain pear slices and reserve juice. Process pears in a food processor or blender to form a smooth puree. Set aside Step 2 Combine reserved pear juice, dates, raisins, currants and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil. Gently boil for 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in bicarb soda. Cool 30 minutes. Step 3 Stir in pear puree, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, breadcrumbs and spices. Stir until well combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Smooth over top. Cover cake pan securely with foil. Step 4 Bake in a 160 °C oven (fan-forced) for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into pudding comes out clean. Stand pudding in pan, covered with foil for 10 minutes, then uncover and turn onto a serving plate. Step 5 Meanwhile, to make custard, place custard powder and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir in ¼ cup milk to form a smooth paste. Stir in remaining milk. Cook, stirring constantly over a medium heat until custard boils and thickens Step 6 Dust pudding with icing sugar. Serve sliced with warm custard. Recipe sourced from the Heart Foundation www.heartfoundation.org.au/recipes/baked-christmas-pudding Puzzles & Games Solutions Ingredients • 410 g can pear slices in juice • 1 cup pitted dates, chopped • ½ cup raisins, chopped • ½ cup currants • 1 tablespoon caster sugar • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 2 teaspoons vanilla • 1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour • 1 cup fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs • 1½ teaspoons mixed spice • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • ½ teaspoon icing sugar Custard • 1½ tablespoons custard powder • 1 tablespoon caster sugar • 1½ cups milk Telecross REDi (SA) Calling at-risk and isolated people impacted by heatwaves. Telecross REDi assists vulnerable and isolated people cope with extreme weather events. The Telecross REDi service supports people by calling them daily during declared heatwaves. People in the community who are at risk during extreme weather events and require phone support during these periods are encouraged to register for the service. This includes people who live alone, have a disability, are experiencing mental illness, are housebound, frail, aged, recovering from an illness or accident, or have an ongoing illness, such as diabetes or a heart condition. Carers of vulnerable people are also encouraged to register as they may be at risk during an extreme weather event. Discuss with your Homecare Coordinator or Registrations for Telecross REDi can be made calling 1800 188 071 or by email. Colour Me In
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