Improving access to the aged care system for those who need extra support is at the heart of a new care finder program available in WA.
Care finders support senior Australians who are not able to arrange services without intensive support and do not have a family member or friends who can help.
WA Primary Health Alliance have commissioned care finder service organisations to form part of the national network of care finders who will support improved integration between the health, aged care and other systems at the local level.
The service is available to people 65 years or older (50 years for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people or people) or 50 years or older (45 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) on a low income and homeless or at risk of being homeless who:
- need intensive support to understand and access aged care services as well as to connect with any other supports they need, such as health, housing services, and social supports, and
- could otherwise fall through the cracks due to isolation, communication or cognitive issues, or a history of past experiences with institutions or government.
Resources and support for providers
Join our care finders community of practice Teams group to find a range of support materials, including brand guidelines, referral pathways and reporting resources.
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As a Primary Health Network, we are responsible for commissioning care finder services, with a focus on supporting you through the service establishment phase. At the heart of our vision and mission is an ongoing commitment to working closely with GPs, health professionals, service providers, hospitals, government and the community to strengthen primary health care state-wide.
Care finder organisations play an important role supporting the integration of the care finder network into the local aged care system. If you have questions relating to health planning, current or future opportunities to advocate your service you can contact one of our regional integration managers who have a local understanding of the primary health care system in your region.
We have established a care finders community of practice to share local experiences, lessons learned, innovations and key evaluation findings across care finder organisations.