Coffee and cake: Warramunda Home Care is as much about interaction and companionship as it is about providing vital service to the senior members of the various communities it serves. Marie Dillon enjoys Lisa Warde’s company during a break in her duties.
Eight years ago, Warramunda Village’s Home Care service had just two staff members and a clientele that didn’t extend too far beyond the town boundaries.
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Fast forward to 2024, and not only has the service again ticked all the boxes in an eight standard-42 criteria accreditation process, but it is on track to grow even further.
Chief executive officer John Clark was among those celebrating the result and extending his congratulations to home care manager Leah Konings and the entire home care team.
“This is an outstanding result. Our home care is an integral part of our service offerings to the community and I have no doubt that we will continue to flourish in the future,“ he said.
The expansion of the home care team means it offers personal care, domestic services, medication support, transport, and gardening — among several other services — to people from not only Kyabram but also Tongala, Stanhope, Echuca, Lancaster, Rochester, Rushworth, Mooroopna and Tatura.
Important piece: Home care is an important piece in the Warramunda Village “jig-saw”, as is the relationship between consumer and staff. This interaction between Bev Couston and Jan Mellis is typical of the expansive service that is offered by staff.
“There are also numerous clients within Warramunda’s Independent Living Units that also rely on our fantastic service,” Mr Clark said.
Warramunda Village Home Care manager Leah Konings said the service underwent the accreditation process every three years and this year’s result reinforced the work of her team.
“We have a large number of consumers who we provide home care services to and a wonderful group of home care workers who provide the exceptional care,” she said.
“We have an excellent team of case managers, roster coordinators, an advanced care clinician, a services and operations coordinator and myself, who dedicate their time to providing a high quality of care.”
Mrs Konings heads up a service that, for the most part, doesn’t cost its clients a cent.
“Usually, the client doesn’t pay for services. They are funded through a daily rate by the government, dependent on the level of their home care package,” she said.
Warramunda Home Care staff are much loved by their clients and the five vehicles which provide transport for the dedicated personnel are a welcome sight pulling into the driveways of the clients’ homes.
Happy at home: Warramunda Home Care services and operations coordinator Marissa Hooper (right) has built a professional relationship and personal friendship with home care consumers Joy and Les Jones.
Services and operations coordinator Marissa Hooper has been with the service for five years. She is among the many staff members who are now regular faces in the lives of the service consumers.
The accreditation process happened with only one week’s notice and involved three Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission auditors spending three days on-site — reviewing policies and procedures and meeting with everyone from the CEO to field staff.
They also interviewed numerous clients, home care workers and external contractors.
In Australia, aged care services are governed by the Aged Care Quality Standards, which were introduced on July 1, 2019.
These standards are applicable to all aged care services across the country, including residential aged care facilities, home care services, and flexible care services.
The Aged Care Quality Standards outline the expectations for the quality of care and services provided to older Australians — based on the eight standards and comprising 42 criteria:
That includes consumer dignity and choice, ongoing assessment and planning, personal and clinical care, daily living services and support, feedback, complaints and governance.
Mr Clark said he expected the Warramunda Home Care service to continue to grow, given an ageing population and the demand for people to remain in their own homes for longer.
There is, however, a range of qualifying criteria for people to receive home care — the first of which is being at least 65 years old (or in Traditional Owners and Torres Strait Islanders’ case 50 years old).
Every potential client undergoes an individual assessment, then if approved to continue further with the process is registered with My Aged Care.
There is a national queue for home care delivery in Australia, and the waiting time depends on assessed needs and availability of services in the area.
After being offered a home care package the planning phase kicks in and a care plan is developed.
Mrs Konings recognises the processes can be daunting and encourages anyone who may need assistance to refer themselves or a loved one to My Aged Care to get in touch with Warramunda Home Care for assistance.
Mr Clark said Warramunda Home Care visits clients as often as is required (to the limit of their government funding) and may have as many as four or five services provided in a single day.
“They may be assisted with personal care in the morning, have a meal prepared at lunchtime, along with some cleaning and supported with shopping in the afternoon.
“The services vary dramatically, from basic daily support to full assessments by an occupational therapist for aids and equipment” he said.
To find out more about the service, phone 5852 2611 or email warramunda@warramunda.com.au
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