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Supporting Geelong locals to live well at home Heather Shearer, a proud Geelong local, believes she is fortunate to have the support she needs to keep living independently in her own home.
A complete package of home care When Heather's husband died four years ago, she found herself in an unfamiliar situation. “I was caring for Keith in his final years, but when he passed away, I went from being a carer to someone who needed care. I’ve always been physically limited because I have rheumatoid arthritis, but I really went downhill at that point. I was struggling,” she says. Following an aged care assessment, Heather was assigned a Home Care Package, which meant she could receive government-funded services to help her live at home. She chose Baptcare to provide these services, because Baptcare had previously assisted with the care of her husband and she “couldn’t speak highly enough of them”. Along with household tasks such as vacuuming and cleaning, Baptcare also provides Heather with allied health services. These include regular podiatry visits and input from an occupational therapist, who has
arranged equipment for Heather’s home, including a handrail for her bathroom, a wheelchair and a ramp. All these services are coordinated by Heather’s Case Manager, Denise. “She is absolutely amazing,” Heather says. “She’s a registered nurse, and that really makes a diference. I can tell that she’s taking everything in and assessing what I need when she comes to see me.” Heather says that having a local Baptcare oice in Geelong is a great advantage. “The staf there are always willing to help, and I feel reassured whenever I talk to them. I consider myself very lucky to have all this support from Baptcare – they are my saviours.”
Caring for the right reasons Jake Holz, Baptcare's Team Leader for In Home Care in the Barwon southwest region, says that providing the best possible care for people like Heather is central to Baptcare’s organisational purpose. “As a faith-based, not-for-profit organisation, we are dedicated to providing care and support to older people in the Geelong community. Our vision at Baptcare is to help create communities where every person is cherished.”
Baptcare provides a wide range of home care services, both through government-funded Home Care Packages and as self-funded services. These include: > Transport to social events or appointments > Social support groups > Day/overnight respite > Meal preparation > Home maintenance, vacuuming, changing sheets, cleaning, gardening > Help with daily tasks such as showering or dressing > Nursing and allied health.
If you would like to know more about Baptcare’s home care services, call 13 BAPTCARE (13 22 78) or visit baptcare.org.au
You’ve got a letter from My Aged Care.
If you’ve recently received a letter from My Aged Care to say that you have been assigned a Home Care Package, we can help. Call us today – we’ll guide you through the process and help you access the home care services you need.
Home Care PACKAGES
Call 13 BAPTCARE (13 22 78) or visit baptcare.org.au WELLMARK | BPT27115 | GEELONG IND | NOV 17 12368594-CB46-17
20 GEELONG INDY Friday, 17 November, 2017