Choice Home Help

05/11/2025

What’s worrying me most right now is that we only get one real chance to explain the new Support at Home system to people, and if it’s not explained clearly and calmly, they might walk away completely.

On average it’s taking us around 90 minutes to sit down with each new potential client to go through everything properly, to answer questions, talk through options, and help them understand what’s actually possible.

I’m hearing stories of some providers rushing through these conversations or not spending enough time to make it meaningful. If that happens, clients can end up so confused or frightened by talk of “co-payments” and “rules” that they decide, “I’m not doing that,” or “forget it, I’m fine on my own”. This may mean they close that chapter on getting any help. We might miss the only opportunity to help.

That’s heartbreaking because it means they miss out on the care and support that could keep them safe and independent at home for years to come.

For pensioners, co-payments are usually quite low, and with a bit of guidance we can adjust services to make everything fit comfortably. For non-pensioners, it’s about using the package carefully, choosing what’s best funded through Support at Home and what might stay private, so it still makes sense financially. Sometimes we might even start by selecting services from the clinical section, which currently has zero copayments, and just see how it goes. There’s no downside to starting that way.

At Choice Home Help, that’s what we’re known for - being upfront, transparent, and helping people understand their options in a way that makes sense for their life and their situation.

If you want to talk to us and run through your situation, please make an appointment to see me, or one of my Case Managers.

☎️ 9408 1134

05/11/2025

You must queue to get in the queue….. really…

I welcome the new senate enquiry.

Families and insiders say the system to assess people for aged care is in crisis, with 116,000 people on the waiting list. Once approved, they join the queue to get a home care package, which stands at more than 120,000.

05/11/2025

We had such a great day yesterday celebrating the Melbourne Cup with some of our wonderful clients. Good company, good food, and plenty of laughs all around! 🐎🥂

05/11/2025

Drop in and say hello at our stall for Geraldton Seniors Week on 12 November 1-3pm @ QEII Seniors & Community Centre, 88 Durlacher Street

04/11/2025

✨✨WE ARE HIRING AGAIN!! ✨✨

👀 We are looking for more casual Cert 3 staff to join our team to care for clients NOR and eastern suburbs in Perth. Must have the usuals - police clearance, CPR, car with comprehensive insurance, big smile, patience and super sense of humour.

🕺We are also on the lookout for male companion carers that have a few hours during the week to spend with our male clients. No qualifications required as training provided. Very rewarding.

🩺 Also looking for a casual RN that has experience with continence and diabetes education, simple wound care. Shifts are flexible and mostly based in Perth NOR.

Please drop us an email with cover letter and CV to admin@choicehomehelp.com.au

02/11/2025

Who grew up with Cliff Richard?

Well, we went last night to his concert and he is 85 years old!

The venue was packed full of mostly seniors who adore him and knew every word to every song.

He might’ve moved a bit slower, and some of the dance moves might’ve been a bit questionable, but it was a great show and everybody adores him.

Everyone in that room knew that it’s probably the last time they will ever see him perform live here in Australia, so much history and stories but a super memorable night. Not only to sing along with all these tunes but to see the pure joy that he bought to his adoring fans. Hope has recovered well as doing a second show tonight.

28/10/2025

Spent almost 3 hours in a client’s home today. What should have been a simple signup turned into a marathon of explaining government rule changes, percentages, copayments and the maze that is Support at Home.

Instead of care planning, I was doing policy translation and financial reassurance. I left them with information - now they have to decide if they can even afford to go ahead.

These are real people with real lives and the confusion is real. The system is beyond messy.

Talk about trying to put lipstick on a pig.

Nick Bruining

27/10/2025

☎️ My experience calling the Aged Care Hotline today

❌ To say that today’s experience with the Services Australia Aged Care hotline was ridiculous and frankly embarrassing for an industry I care deeply about is an understatement.

I was onboarding a new client and she needed to know her co-payment percentages for Support at Home before she could decide whether to sign. We thought we would use the time while doing paperwork to ring the 1800 number and ask directly.

The call went for 1 hour and 35 minutes.
We got absolutely nothing from it. 21 minutes on hold before the first person even answered.

The daughter introduced herself and immediately we were made to sit through a 60 second disclaimer spoken so fast not one of us could understand a word, but we agreed just to get moving.

They then tried to verify the daughter with a Centrelink password which she could not recall for her mother.

They switched to another method and began asking questions the daughter could not possibly know without access to mum’s files such as:

Bank BSB and account
Exact pension amount
Information contained in MyGov

When she said she did not have a CRN, the operator replied, “Yes you do, I am looking at it.” The tone was rude and unnecessary.

After 15 minutes of this, the daughter suggested they simply ask her mother who was right there, alert and capable to answer for herself.

The operator had, on her own assumption, decided that Mum was not able to speak for herself.

The verification burden on an 80 plus year old was totally unnecessary.

They then made this elderly woman answer:

➡️ Her CRN (luckily on her pension card)
➡️ The exact pension amount to the dollar
➡️ Her home phone number
➡️ Her full address and date of birth

That is a totally excessive amount of verification for a senior over the phone, especially someone who might be anxious, hard of hearing or unwell.

After another 30 minutes of being put on and off hold, the operator finally informed us that the percentages are only issued after you sign up to a package.

So the entire reason for the call, the deciding factor, can only be known after you commit to the thing you are trying to decide on.

It would be laughable if it was not so serious.

When we finally hung up, the three of us just looked at each other in disbelief. If three capable adults, one of them a provider, could not get an answer after all of that, how is a senior without family meant to survive this process without giving up?

This was the worst combination of disclaimers, gatekeeping and verification overload I have ever seen and it is happening right at the start of the biggest reform in aged care.

Oh boy, we are in trouble 💣

26/10/2025

And it gets worse. It’s not like they didn’t know that half the population will be over 65 soon…..

Aged Care Minister Sam Rae is under mounting pressure as home care waitlists explode from 28,000 to 120,000 in just two years. Thousands of seniors are dying before receiving help, while families say the new Support at Home rollout will be a full-blown crisis. https://lnkd.in/gPHFDZhr

25/10/2025

Bowls is back in Gero! Bridie is picking up some tips from Stan and Leo.

24/10/2025

Seriously, what are we going to do Western Australia? In fact, its probably Australia wide. I need a respite bed for two weeks for a gentleman that needs a rest. Actually his family also needs a rest so they can see clearly to make some future plans.

I sat with a list of what I call the big '10'. Ten well known nursing homes in town, or to use the politically correct term of Residential Aged Care Facility.

I called each one and asked if they had a bed now or coming up for a gentleman with dementia. 8 were an outright no, three of which practically laughed and asked if I was serious. The other two had no one to answer my question - one emailed back saying no [the reply was outsourced to a marketing company] and one hasn't cared to respond.

So where does that leave us?

I now have a family in crisis. A family that have a been approved 63 days per year of respite care. How can we use this if its not available now or even likely in the future?

Don't forget, this is BEFORE the new Support at Home starts in 7 days. This is before many thousands of new applicants will be completely confused and disillusioned by the new rules and co-payments. I am certain seniors will be left to use hospital ED's and see an early entry to nursing homes, only compounding this obvious problem.

Governments - its was bad before, but a whole new catastrophe for families is about to arrive and its not good enough

Tracey Roberts - Federal Member for Pearce
Roger Cook
Anthony Albanese
Basil Zempilas
Sam Rae
Kirrilee Warr MLA