Aged and Community Care

The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) is the entry level for Australia's aged care system for people aged 65 years and over (or 50 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) who need assistance to keep them living independently at home and in their community. Carers of these clients will also benefit from services provided through the CHSP.

Users pay fees according to income, however the cost of services are subsidised by the Commonwealth Government and Local Council so that the services are available to all who need them.

To find out if you need an assessment and if you are eligible for help at home services, you can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or follow this link:

Depending on your needs, support services that you may be eligible for include:

Community and home support

• domestic assistance
• personal care
• home maintenance
• home modification
• nursing care
• flexible respite
• social support
• transport

Food services

• providing meals at a community centre
• helping with shopping for food
• help with making meals and storing food in your home
• assistance with learning to cook
• delivering meals to your home.

Allied health support services

• physiotherapy
• podiatry
• speech pathology
• occupational therapy
• advice from a dietician

Home Care Packages Programme is for older people who have care needs that can only be met by a coordinated package of care to support them to continue living in their own home and to enable people to have choice and flexibility in the way that the aged care and support is provided at home.

Through a Home Care Package a case manager can work with you to provide the resources and supports needed to maximize quality of life, safety, maintaining community access and independence. A Consumer Directed Care Approach in the provision of a Home Care Package offers the client more choice and flexibility about the types of care and services they receive, how they are delivered , by whom and when.

To find out if you need an assessment and if you are eligible for help at home services, you can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or follow this link:

FOR MORE INFORMATION YOU CAN CONTACT WANGARATTA AGED & COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES BY PHONING: 1300 982 662

An Aged Care Assessment Team will first assess your needs to determine whether a Home Care Package is suitable for you.

An income tested fee may be applicable and clients will only be asked to pay a fee if their yearly income is above the set thresholds.

Each package is designed for your particular needs. Packages may include assistance with:

• Case management of your care package
• Personal assistance
• Activities of daily living
• Nutrition, hydration, meals and diet
• Management of skin integrity
• Continence management
• Medication management
• Home maintenance/gardening
• Social activities/transport
• Housework/shopping/laundry
• Respite
• Nursing, allied health and therapy services such as speech therapy, podiatry, occupational or physiotherapy services

The HACC Program for Younger People provides help at home services for people with disabilities and their carers. Younger people are defined as those aged under 65 and aged under 50 for Aboriginal people. Some people willl be eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme from October 2017.

The HACC Program for Younger People provides basic support and maintenance services to help people with disabilities remain living at home as independently as possible. The HACC Program for Younger People is funded and managed by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. Local Council makes significant contributions to this program. Fees paid by people who use this program also contribute to this program’s resources. 

To find out if you need an assessment and if you are eligible for help at home services, you can call Council’s Assessment Service officers on 03 5722 0885 or 03 5722 0713.

After a referral is received and processed, an Assessment Officer will visit you in your home to talk about your needs. The Assessment Officer might ask a lot of questions so they can understand your situation and any support services you need. After the assessment you will discuss an individual care plan that you and the Assessment Officer both agree on. The plan will outline the services and supports you need. The Assessment Officer might also give you other options and help with referrals to other agencies or programs to help improve your ability to live within your home and community.

Services are targeted to younger people with moderate, severe or profound disabilities and their unpaid carers. Not everyone who is eligible can receive an immediate service.

The main types of HACC PYP service are:

• domestic assistance
• personal care
• nursing
• allied health services (such as physiotherapy, podiatry and dietetics)
• food services (delivered meals and centre-based meals)
• planned activity groups
• property maintenance
• respite services
• social support
• transport

FOR MORE INFORMATION YOU CAN CONTACT WANGARATTA AGED & COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES BY PHONING: 03 5722 0790

Veterans’ Home Care is a Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) programme designed to assist those veterans and war widows/widowers who wish to continue living at home, but who need a small amount of practical help.

If you are a Gold or White DVA Card holder living at home and have been assessed as needing home care assistance by a VHC Assessment Agency, you may be eligible for support through VHC.

You must have an assessment by a VHC assessor who will discuss your circumstances to identify the range of services that may be needed. Most assessments are done over the phone, however if the VHC assessor determines that an assessment in the home may be of more benefit than over the phone, they will arrange a time and day suitable to you.

To arrange an assessment call a VHC Assessment Agency on 1300 550 450.

VHC services include:

• Domestic Assistance
• Personal Care
• Safety-related Home and Garden Maintenance
• Respite Care

Below is information for clients accessing Rural City of Wangaratta Aged and Community Care services.

Our Latest Client Newsletter can be accessed here.