Kurri Kurri Community Centre Inc

Providing in-home respite and dementia management

How we can help

Two different programs are available to assist people with Dementia or a diagnosed Memory Loss.

1.     Dementia Monitoring and Social Support

This programme is designed to support people who have Dementia or memory loss and are living at home alone.  The programme is funded by the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC).

The programme can put in place a range of in-home and community based support services which are planned to monitor the ongoing safety and well being of the client and provide social links with others and with the community.

How does the Service Work?

Staff will talk with the person with Dementia and any other person concerned with the well being of that person (usually family or friend) to determine what will best assist.  Appropriately trained Care Workers can be engaged to regularly drop-in and assist in whatever ways will best enable the person with Dementia to remain living safely in their own home, for as long as they are safely able to do so.

Available services can include:

• Drop-ins to prompt the person to take medication or to eat
• Daily phone calls to monitor well being
• Assistance with showering and grooming
• Preparation of some meals
• Maintenance housework
• Shopping
• Outings
• Transport to appointments

Who is eligible?

Anyone who has a diagnosed dementia or memory loss and lives alone in the Cessnock Local Government Area.

Assessment

A staff person will make an appointment to meet with a potential client and any concerned person the client requires to advocate for them.  The most helpful service pattern will then be determined and the necessary information gathered to assist the provision of care.  The staff person can then organize for support services to begin.

2.     Respite for Carers and Behaviour Management

This Programme aims to provide respite (time-out) to Carers of people who have Dementia.  This service is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing.  People who are live-in / primary carers are often isolated and exhausted by the demands of their role.  Respite is provided so that carers have some time to themselves to do what they want to do or have no time to do.

This service is available in Cessnock, Maitland, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and Great Lakes Local Government Areas.

How does the Service Work?

A staff person will make an appointment with the Carer to discuss what will best assist the carer to maintain their well being and continue to meet their responsibilities as a carer.  A Care Worker can come in to fill the Carer role for several hours each week.  This allows the full-time carer to take time-out from direct care – to take a break.

Assessment

A staff person needs to talk through the individual circumstances of each Carer and determine the way in which the Carer believes they will best benefit from respite (time-out).  Some information needs to be gathered to ensure the care is reliable, organized and comfortable for the person who has dementia.

The funding body (DH&A) also requires information to be kept.  This information is never attributed to an identifiable person, but to statistical reporting of where Carers are (postcodes) and how many there are (client numbers reported) so as to plan for sufficient services in the future.

A Care Plan is mapped out and agreed to.  The Care Worker is then engaged to provide respite.  Each 3 to 4 months the Plan is reviewed as circumstances often change.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a central principle of all service delivery.  Any information gathered for either programme is kept secured within the office.  That information is not shared with anyone unless Consent to do so is gained from the client, or from the person who is their Carer, advocate or Guardian.  This will most often be for the purpose of direct service provision.

Service Costs

Clients (Carers) of the service are asked to make a contribution to the actual costs of the care.  This is based on the person’s capacity to pay.  Service will not be denied if there is no capacity to contribute.

Client's Rights

As a client the person will have the right to personal dignity, quality care, respect and privacy.

Services are centered on the individual need of the client and to their changing needs.

Complaints

The Service has a formal Complaints Procedure explained in the Service Handbook and in the Service pamphlet.  All concerns are responded to quickly and resolved as early as they can be.  Where a concern progresses to a complaint, every effort will be made to remedy the problem as quickly as possible and as acceptably as possible, within the best interests of the client.  Any complainant will receive complete cooperation to rectify a problem.