Services

What is the background of system care finder network :

My Aged Care was set up to be the entry point to access aged care services. Significant enhancements have been made to My Aged Care in recent years including a new website and face-to-face services in Services Australia offices.

Despite this, some older Australians will need additional support to use My Aged Care channels due to :

• Communication and language barriers
• Difficulty processing information due to cognitive decline
• Reluctance to engage with government services

The Royal Commission recommended the establishment of :

• Aged Care Specialist Officers (ACSOs)
• Care finder services
• Trusted Indigenous Facilitators (TIFs)

The target population of CASS care finder services :

(1) People who are residence of the following region : Canada Bay, Canterbury, Marrickville – Sydenham – Petersham, Strathfield – Burwood – Ashfield and Sydney Inner City

(2) The language we offer services in : Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Indonesian

(3) The care finder target population is people who are eligible for aged care services and have one or more reasons for requiring intensive support to :

• Interact with My Aged Care (either through the website, contact centre or face-to-face in Services Australia service centres) and access aged care services and/or
• Access other relevant supports in the community

Reasons for requiring intensive support may include :

What should happen if a person falls out of the target population ?

If a person wants help from care finder service but is not within the target population, they should be referred or, where required and where possible, given a warm handover to the most appropriate support for them.

How will CASS care finder services support clients ?

The functions of this service will include :

• Assertive outreach
• Engagement and rapport building with potential clients and local intermediaries
• Supporting people to interact with My Aged Care so they can be screened for eligibility for aged care services and referred for assessment
• Support to explain and guide people through the assessment process including, where appropriate, attending the assessment
• Support to help people to find the aged care supports and services they need and connect with other relevant supports in the community
• High level check-in with clients on a periodic basis to see if services are still in place and meet client’s need
• Follow up support if needs change or services have lapsed
• Solving other challenges and connecting to supports in the community, such as health, mental health, housing and homelessness, drug and alcohol services and community groups

How will people access CASS care finder services ?

People will not need a professional referral to access CASS care finder services.

Main referral pathways include :

• Via an intermediary (such as health professionals, aged care and disability sector professionals and people from within community and voluntary organisations)
• Following assertive outreach and engagement and rapport building undertaken by care finders
• Older support person/representative) may directly approach a care finder organisation
• Referred by staff in the aged care system (such as aged care assessors and the My Aged Care contact centre)

About funding body – Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Networks (CESPHN) ?

PHNs are not for profit, regionally based organisations set up to strengthen primary care, work towards integration across sectors and commission health services to meet the health needs of the local community.

CESPHN’s vision is ‘Better health and wellbeing for all’. CESPHN is committed to investing in strategies that will contribute to individual and population health outcomes, including fewer preventable deaths and hospitalisations, reduced health risks and health inequities and more prevention behaviours.