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Growing older in Australia comes with many choices

Growing older in Australia comes with many choices. Choices about where you live, whether in sunny Queensland or rural Dubbo, and how you live, whether you are golfing or grand parenting. Many things affect your choices, but often your health plays a major role in your lifestyle, as you get older. 

For many people, living in the comfort of their own home is an important part of growing older, but for some older people this may become difficult without extra help. This is where in-home help comes into the picture - providing help with everything from housework, meals, and personal care, to assistance getting out and about for social activities and medical appointments.

DIAL-AN-ANGEL have been providing eldercare services across Australia for more than 40 years and understand that sensitivity and discretion are vitally important factors in the aged care. Our eldercarers and registered nurses provide a range of aged care services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so an Angel is there when you cannot be. Angels are available on a live-in or live-out basis for temporary, regular, and long-term engagements.

In-home Care Options

When it comes to arranging in-home help to assist with aged care there are a number of choices:

Live-in companion-housekeepers

Live-in companion carers can be provided on an "as required" basis for a full 24 hours a day. This can be organised as a long-term arrangement with relief staff or with individually prepared rosters of carers.

Daily companion care

Intelligent, compassionate Angels can be called upon to provide light services for the elderly. These services may include undertaking errands and shopping, meal preparation, light cleaning, assistance with bathing/showering, hygiene and dressing, medication reminders, organising doctors' appointments and visits, hospice support, or just some very important supportive companionship and pampering.

Convalescent care

Home nursing and personal care services can be supplied for early discharge from hospital patients and respite care to relieve the regular carers.

Respite care

Carers need to take a break as well so we provide Angels to give carers temporary relief from tasks associated with full-time care giving

Qualified nurses and personal care attendants

Qualified Registered Nurses, skilled and fully trained Enrolled Nurses, Assistants in Nursing, and Personal Care Attendants can be supplied for private in-home nursing. Our Angels provide services such as wound care, medical transportation, supervision of medication, critical care, peri-operative care (pre and post surgery).

Palliative care

Sometimes referred to as comfort care or hospice care, palliative care is a comprehensive approach to the management of terminal illness. The focus is on keeping dying patients comfortable through pain control and addressing psychological, social, and spiritual concerns, instead of treating the disease or condition.

Specialling

Special duty Registered Nurses or Attendant Carers may be provided for private one-to-one care for your loved ones who are in hospital, or residing in hostels or nursing homes. "Specialling" means that patients can have company, additional care, and special attention from qualified and/or skilled Angels.

Moving into residential care

Having a condition that is severe or likely to worsen does not necessarily mean that residential care will be required. In fact, people who are highly dependent often manage quite well at home with the support of a carer, family, friends, and community services.

However, if you are finding it difficult to look after yourself in your home and it is not possible for your carers to meet your daily needs, you may consider applying for residential care in an aged care home. This is generally a very difficult decision to make for everyone concerned, so it is important that you become familiar with all your options.

Your first step is to contact an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT or ACAS in Victoria), who are teams of health professionals who assess your care needs and help you access appropriate services. You can contact your local ACAT directly by calling the nearest Commonwealth Carelink Centre on 1800 052 222. You will be given a free assessment by a team member, who will discuss the level of support you require and help you consider your options. To contact an ACAT in your location phone 1800 500 853 or the Commonwealth Carelink Centre on 1800 052 222.

You can also get more information by talking to your doctor, an aged care organisation, or some community groups in your area. If you are a carer you can also call the Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre on 1800 242 636 for more information and support.