CARER CONNECTIONS Edition 44 - February 2022
SUPPORTING OUR CARERS THROUGH COVID-19 As we continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19, we would like to thank our carers for their unwavering commitment to our services. Your trust in our staff and the understanding you show, is greatly appreciated. You can be reassured that will continue to support you in every way we can. We have put in place very strong safety measures which have included the use of the Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT). This means we can all be assured that anyone entering any of our services is not positive with COVID19. All staff and clients attending our day programs or our factories are required to show a negative Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) result before entering the site. The tests are conducted on arrival at the centre or before boarding the vans for transport. All staff entering our homes are also required to be tested outside the home before they start each shift. We have now received plenty of stock of the tests, which ensures we can continue to operate as normal as much as possible. From time to time, we expect that things may need to change if there has been a close contact exposure at any site or we are experiencing staffing issues due to the number of positive cases in the community. But as always, we will ensure you are kept informed, and we will continue to work with you to minimise the impact on our services. In line with the Australian Governments vaccination program, and our own COVID19 vaccination policy, we require all staff to be fully vaccinated including any booster vaccinations. If you have not yet had your booster shot and it has been three months since your last vaccination, you can access the Australian Government’s vaccine clinic finder to find a suitable location: https://bit.ly/3IPD3tf. The Australian Government’s Carer’s Gateway has a dedicated hotline to assist carers in making an appointment. In addition, they can inform you of local disability vaccination hubs that suit a range of accessibility needs. You can contact the Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. Financial assistance may be available if you need to self-isolate or quarantine due to testing positive to COVID-19 or are caring for someone self-isolating or quarantining. The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment is available in all States and Territories. Visit Services Australia and select your state to learn about eligibility requirements. We know these ever-changing circumstances can affect mental health. Afford carers can access the voluntary, confidential and complimentary counselling through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If you would like to speak to a professional face-to-face, online or via telephone, contact EAP on 1800 81 87 28 / (02) 8247 9191 or info@accesseap.com.au. Once again stay safe and let us know if there is anything we can do to help!
For more information please call 1300 233 673 or email info@afford.com.au