New care finder program welcomed

The North Coast Primary Health Network, Healthy North Coast, has started a free service for seniors to help them connect to aged care services.

NVC Group Home & Community Care Manager Jacqueline Wills said EACH is a new care finder service that assists elderly people needing assistance to access home care services or other aged care services.

“I would like to welcome the EACH Care Finders and thank Healthy North Coast and the Australian Government for providing the free service,” she said.

“The service will help local residents when talking to My Aged Care, should they need assistance, and help connect residents to home care providers or other aged care services in their area.

“I encourage any local resident experiencing challenges in accessing services or navigating the My Aged Care system to give an EACH Care Finder a call.”

Local seniors living between Boambee and Kempsey can contact Care Finder Rachel Trotman on 0497 657 319 or  rachel.trotman@each.com.au.

Seniors living in the Coffs Harbour region can contact Care Finder Program Leader Lily Norman on 0474 131 093 or lily.norman@each.com.au.

EACH care finders can help seniors by:

• Talking to My Aged Care on their behalf and arranging an assessment
• Attending and providing support at the assessment
• Finding and short-listing aged care providers in their area
• Completing forms and understanding aged care service agreements
• Checking-in once services are up and running to make sure everything is OK
• 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.

For more information on EACH visit the Healthy North Coast website.