84 Hotham St, Preston VIC 3072

Office Hours: MON – FRI 09:00am – 5:00pm

 

Email: info@gihc.com.au

 

Why is Personal Care important | In-Home Aged Care Australia

As we age, personal Care activities can become increasingly difficult to maintain. It is common for seniors to be resistant to assistance with personal care activities but maintaining personal care is important for them to maintain their health and well-being.

 

Personal care activities include:

*Bathing & drying

*Oral care

*Grooming & shaving

*Assistance with toileting

*Changing of continence aids

*Wound dressing

*Skin care

*Repositioning bed-bound clients

 

Personal care activities are important to prevent risks associated with poor hygiene such as infections, skin problems, pneumonia, cold and flu, among other risks.

 

For personal care activities, it is important to choose experienced personal care assistants who are trained to carry out these tasks.

 

Feel free to contact us for any in-home aged care services including personal care acitivities.

 

🌐 http://www.gihc.com.au/
📞 1300 912 155, (03) 9863 6149
📧 info@gihc.com.au⁠


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We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

After Hospital Care: In-Home Aged Care

It is important that seniors consider in-home care services before undergoing hospital procedures, so that services are organised and ready to commence as soon as they begin their recovery process at home discharging from hospital. It is possible that seniors recovering from procedure may need different services than usual or for longer durations such as extra personal care services, nursing services, shopping support, gardening services etc.

Seniors who may need extra help when recovering at home from a hospital procedure may be eligible for transition care funding. This additional funding pays for those extra services which reduces the duration that seniors would otherwise need to stay in a hospital. This funding is available for 4-12 weeks

For more information about the transition care funding click here.

GIHC provides after hospital care services for seniors while they recover from hospital which includes nursing services and other services they need as they heal, so feel free to contact us if you’re interested in accessing our services.

🌐 http://www.gihc.com.au/
📞 1300 912 155, (03) 9863 6149
📧 info@gihc.com.au⁠

Know more about our Aged Care Services

Try our calculator for self-funded individuals!

We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

Change in care needs (TCP) | Australia | Aged Care

Seniors’ care needs increase overtime, so it’s important to know what to do when it happens so you can be prepared.

There are many options available, which include getting more help at home, getting respite care, getting transitional care at home after hospital, transitioning from home care to residential care.

If you already have a home care package and your needs are not being met due to a lack of care hours, you have the right be reassessed for a higher-level Home Care Package (HCP) by the ACAT team after contacting myagedcare. It is also possible that individuals that have an HCP can receive additional services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP).

In the case that an individual requires short-term specialised care upon returning home from Hospital or would like residential respite care, they can apply via myagedcare and the ACAT team will perform an assessment.

 

 

Know more about our Aged Care Services

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We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

COVID-19 testing requirements for travellers arriving to Australia from China

The COVID-19 situation in China, Korea and Japan is serious now, with case numbers spiking. The World Health Organization shows China to have 37,017 new cases in the last 24 hours, Korea to have 58,162 new cases, and Japan to have 104,304 new cases. These case numbers may be much higher, as lots of people are using home testing kits and not reporting positive test results to the government.

As a preventative measure, the Australia government has made it a requirement for anyone travelling to Australia from China to take a covid test within 48 hours of travelling and present the negative test result.

Smart traveller advises Australians to exercise a high degree of caution when in China.

Currently the covid cases in Australia are continuing to decline, however a new more contagious variant has been detected in Australia which could pose a significant threat to us, but time will tell.

Know more about our Aged Care Services

Try our calculator for self-funded individuals!

We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

Transition Care Program (TCP) | Australia | Aged Care

The Transition Care Program (TCP) is a short-term care program that seeks to reduce the number of elderly patients who spend unnecessarily long periods of time in hospitals or are prematurely admitted to nursing homes. TCP helps seniors to finish their restorative process by providing case management, low-intensity treatment, and personal support, which can be provided in a home setting or nursing home.

 

The target group for TCP services includes:

  • Seniors in hospitals who need longer time to regain their independence in terms of their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning
  • Seniors in hospitals, for whom the goal is to maximise functionality while helping them and their family or carers plan for suitable long-term care.

 

TCP services:

  • nursing support
  • personal care
  • physiotherapy and other allied health services
  • medical support
  • case management.
  • In-home respite
  • And more..

 

The average duration of participation in the programme is four to six weeks, with a 12-week maximum.

The person’s initial eligibility will be determined by the Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS).

Seniors can self-refer to the TCP or have a referral made on their behalf by hospital staff.

The majority of the costs of the TCP are covered by the subsidy provided to Victorian health services by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments.

For more information, head to the department of health’s website here.

Know more about our Aged Care Services

Try our calculator for self-funded individuals!

We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

Loophole leaving enrolled nurses without jobs in nursing homes | Australia | Aged Care

As of mid-next year, all residential aged care homes will be required to have a registered nurse on duty 24/7 and each resident will get 200 care minutes per day, 40 minutes of which must be from a registered nurse.

Some residential aged care providers have found a ‘loophole’, by firing enrolled nurses, as there are no minimum minutes for enrolled nurses, only registered nurses. These providers are beginning to replace enrolled nurses with personal care assistants that have lower salaries, which helps them to be more profitable at the expense of the level of care they provide. Providers exploiting this say that there is inadequate funding for enrolled nurses under the new reforms, and so they have resorted to firing these staff.  

One proposed measure to prevent this loophole from being exploited is for the government to allocate minimum care minutes for enrolled nurses, like they did with registered nurses. Aged care minister Anika Wells is considering this idea seriously because she knows that enrolled nurses play a very important role and if they’re lost, a lot more pressure will fall on registered nurse.

 

            

Know more about our Aged Care Services

Try our calculator for self-funded individuals!

We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

New medication for Alzheimer’s disease that slows cognitive decline

A new drug called lecanemab developed by Biogen is the first Alzheimer’s medication found to slow the cognitive decline on Alzheimer’s disease. It works by attacking the buildup of amyloid protein which is one of the main reasons for cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease, while other medications have only helped boost brain chemicals but don’t slow cognitive decline.

Lecanemab is reported to cause brain inflammation known as ARIA-E in 12.6% of people which has the potential to be lethal but is treatable if taking Lecanemab is stopped or the dose reduced. Brain scans can detect ARIA-E in most people. 

Lecanemab has yet to receive FDA approval but could be approved as early as January 2023. This medication is most effective for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Lecanemab is not a cure but can slow the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s disease by 27% as was shown in an 18-month study.

When the medication gets FDA approval and released to the community, we will better understand its benefits and side-effects. People with prescriptions will require regular MRI scans to ensure they keep on top of brain swelling side-effects.                  

Know more about our Aged Care Services

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We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

RAC Staffing issues made apparent with star rating system | My Aged Care | Australia

With the recent addition of star ratings for residential aged care (RAC) providers on the my aged care provider finder, we are seeing that currently 91% of Australian nursing homes score 3-stars or more, meaning they are ranked as having an acceptable overall standard, with the other 9% of nursing homes scoring below the 3-star overall rating over four criteria, ranked as being below standard overall classed as ‘improvement needed’ for 2-stars or ‘significant improvement needed’ for 1-star.

It’s good that we’re seeing just a small percentage of nursing homes with below standard overall scores. However, we’re seeing a whopping 65% of nursing homes totalling to 1,600 that rank below standard rating with improvement needed or significant improvement needed for the staffing criterion. This finding is unsettling, as seniors have the right to high quality care.

Aged and Community Care Providers Association head Tom Symondson said, “I think the reality is we cannot find enough people in Australia today to fill all the roles we need.”

There have been major staff shortages since covid, paired with low wages adding to the problem. Staffing issues are likely not to go away until pay rises start to get introduced mid next year, and when more international workers come to work in the industry.

In-home aged care reduces the number of possible staffing issues, due to in-home care being 1 to 1 care. Caregivers are personally matched based on the preferences of clients and other compatibility factors.

Know more about our Aged Care Services

Try our calculator for self-funded individuals!

We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

How accurate is the aged care rating system? | My Aged Care | Australia

The star rating system rates residential aged care providers from one to five, with 1 star being below standard, 3 stars being average, and 5 stars being outstanding.

The aged care rating system gives older Australians, families, and carers the opportunity to compare residential aged care providers to make informed decisions on the care they want to receive or who they choose to work for.

If the rating system is not accurate, people will be misinformed about the quality of care they can expect. Senator Ruston said compliance data should be updated daily, to prevent any out-of-date and misleading information being released to the community, and for the government to provide this information to the public domain knowing that the information may not be accurate is distressing.

An example of the information being out-of-date is Blue Haven Bonaira aged care facility in Kiama, that has a 3-star overall rating and 4-star compliance rating, with a comment stating it has had no compliance issues in a year as of the end of September. However, in November it was revealed that Blue Haven Bonaira failed six of eight compliance standards, and an improvement notice was issued over its finances.

Some people believe that the system should be scrapped due to these star ratings scaring older Australians and their families, while others believe that it will raise the standards for residential aged care facilities.

Know more about our Aged Care Services

Try our calculator for self-funded individuals!

We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.

Covid-19 Oral Treatments Now Available | My Aged Care | Australia

Covid-19 oral treatments are now available, reducing the effects of covid-19 and help the immune system to kick in. Research suggests that both Lagevrio and Paxlovid are effective in reducing the likelihood of hospitalisations and deaths. Paxlovid is far more effective than lagevrio at reducing hospitalisations and deaths, however it is not recommended for those that have pre-existing medical conditions such as kidney or liver disease. Paxlovid also has several interactions with other common medications that makes this an unsuitable option for some people.

Not everyone is eligible to access these antiviral medications. As seen on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Eligibility criteria:

If you test positive for COVID-19, you may be eligible for antiviral treatments if you are:

  • 70 years of age or older, regardless of risk factors and with or without symptoms
  • 50 years of age or older with 2 additional risk factors
  • First Nations person, 30 years of age or older and with 1 additional risk factor
  • 18 years of age or older and moderately to severely immunocompromised.

These treatments require a prescription, so before making this prescription, your doctor will choose the treatment that is right for you.

Check your risk factors and eligibility.

Know more about our Aged Care Services

Try our calculator for self-funded individuals!

We understand that it can be stressful trying to figure out how much money the care you need will cost. We’ve made it easy to figure out how much it will cost for even the most complicated of care plans.