We all want to stay in our own homes as long as possible, but sometimes, it is just not possible.
Most Australians want to grow old and receive care in their own homes, research conducted by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety shows.
A survey of more than 10,000 Australians reveals that 80 per cent of older people want to remain in their current home and 62 per cent want to receive care services in their own home.
Things can sometimes happen quite quickly eg. hospitalisation and your condition may mean you cannot return to your own home.
This can be devastating for both you and your loved one.
Having your own home prepared in advance (sometimes Years in advance), can not only be helpful for you to return to your own home, but can be the difference between this decision and having to move permanently to a nursing home.
Assessing your senior housing options:
Aging is a time of adaptation and change, and planning your future housing needs is an important part of ensuring that you continue to thrive as you get older. Whether your search for senior housing is prompted by a serious medical condition or the desire for a lifestyle change, finding the right place to live can be challenging and stressful for both you and your family. However, the earlier you assess your current needs and how those needs may evolve over time, the more choices and control you’ll have.
Of course, every older adult is different, so the senior housing choice that’s right for one person may not be suitable for you. The key to making the best choice is to match your housing with your lifestyle, health, and financial needs. This may mean modifying your own home to make it safer and more comfortable, or it could mean moving to a housing facility with more support and social options available on site. It could even involve enrolling in a network of like-minded people to share specialized services, or moving to a retirement community, an apartment building where the majority of tenants are over the age of 65, or even a nursing home. By learning about the different types of senior housing available, you can make the choice that’s right for you and ensure you enjoy a happy, healthy, and fulfilling home environment as you age.
Increasingly, older people in Australia are choosing to remain living in their own homes for as long as possible.
While not everyone has family members and friends to support them, many older Australians benefit from carers who provide assistance of various forms, ranging from help with domestic work through to personal and health care needs. Caring is often associated with a pre-existing relationship, and can be a positive and rewarding experience for both the person needing care and the carer. Caring can also change the nature of that relationship, and it can become a source of financial, emotional, social and physical strain.
Home modifications are changes made to the home environment to help people to be more independent and safe in their own home and reduce any risk of injury to their carers and careworkers.
Modifications to the home include changes to the structure of the dwelling e.g. widening doors, adding ramps, providing better accessibility etc. and the installation of assistive devices inside or outside the dwelling e.g. grabrails, handrails, lifts etc.
The added advantage of 'being prepared', is that often the hospitalisation is the result of a FALL, which possibly could have been prevented if home modifications have been put in place.
Recommended:-
Download this excellent Queensland Department of Housing practical guide to staying in your own home:
"100 Ways to Improve Home Access"
It is now quicker and easier to find information about assistive technology (AT) and home modifications (HM).
A new landing page is available and specific pages developed to explain:
These are just one of several changes underway to make it easier for NDIS participants, providers and the general community to find and access the information they need about AT and HM. Find out more about AT and HM.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Your Home -
Australian demographics are changing rapidly, with average households becoming both smaller and older as an increasing number of people live independently in their later years. The balance between home and work life also places altering demands on our houses as many people choose to work from home. A single space may act at different times as a home office, a teenage retreat, a family study or a bedroom for an elderly relative. Practical advice and certification for home modifications and details on local support networks. The site also has information about the latest technology equipment to assist the aged living at home.
Liveable House Design -
http://livablehousingaustralia.org.au/library/help/Livable_Housing_Design_Guidelines_Web1.pdf
For more information visit: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/housing/livable-and-adaptable-house
Household needs vary over time in relation to physical capabilities. Most people can expect temporary or permanent variations in their physical capabilities in their life due to injury, illness or age. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the percentage of individuals with a disability increases significantly with age, rising to more than 50% of people aged over 60. Longer life spans and higher proportions of older people in our society make it more likely that every home will be required to respond to the needs of a person with a physical limitation whether they are the primary resident or a visitor.
For those with:
LifeTec provides Minor and Major Home Modifications services including occupational therapy assessments and certified building construction. Government assistance may be available.
Changes to LifeTec’s Service Model
Friday, 31st January 2020
Consumer directed care reforms have resulted in many benefits for consumers and our sector. These reforms have also seen new consumer expectations emerge which have led to many providers, including LifeTec, making changes to their service model to better meet peoples’ wants and needs.
A significant shift we have experienced is consumers’ preference to receive services at their place of residence rather than at LifeTec’s premises. In response we have increased the mobility of our health professionals to enable them to provide more services to consumers at a time and place of the consumers’ convenience. This means that many of our clinical consultations, including the trialling of relevant assistive technology equipment, now take place in peoples’ place of residence. This new approach has resulted in changes to LifeTec’s Brisbane office in Newmarket, which are designed to better meet peoples’ expectations. Although LifeTec will remain in the same Newmarket premises we have been at since 2006, our office will be reduced in size and will no longer provide a dedicated assistive technology equipment display. We expect renovations will be completed by early February 2020. There are no planned changes to LifeTec’s Townsville premises at this stage.
It is important to confirm that LifeTec will continue to provide valuable assistive technology services that have assisted thousands of people achieve their needs and aspirations over the past 40 years. These include LifeTec’s Information Services and Clinical Consultations Services. Our Information Services will continue to assist people obtain expert advice on assistive technology via our information line, assistive technology fact sheets, the National Equipment Database and via education and training programs. Our Clinical Consultation Services will continue to see our experienced and friendly health professionals assist people to choose the most suitable assistive technology to achieve their aspirations via LifeTec’s evidence-based pathway – Imagine Seek Choose Live.
Our friendly staff would be pleased to assist you to live your potential. Feel free to access LifeTec’s services in any of the following ways:
LifeTec's display centres at Newmarket in Brisbane and in Townsville showcase more than 1,500 item of assistive technology and are open to the public six days a week. It is free of charge, and you are invited to explore equipment on display, browse the library, search for items on the database of more than 6,000 assistive technology solutions at lifetec.org.au or seek assistance from professional staff member.
If you can't get to a display centre, there is an enquiries hotline on 1300 543 383 or LifeTec can come to you.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Home Assist Secure is a service for Queenslanders aged 60 years and over, or people of any age with a disability, who can’t perform or pay for critical home maintenance without assistance.
This service provides safety-related information, referrals and subsidised assistance.
Your local Home Assist Secure service can provide information about:
Staff can also help you:
Enhanced support to older Queenslanders during COVID-19
Home Assist Secure will provide extended services to eligible older Queenslanders and people with a disability who need extra support to remain in their homes, self-isolate and continue to access essential services.
As well as home maintenance, repairs and modification work that Home Assist Secure already delivers, service providers can offer further assistance including:
Deliveries of essential items
Home Assist Secure will work with you to ensure that you can access essential items such as groceries, medication, and health products, while you are impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. Your local provider can offer contact-less delivery (knock and drop-off), if required.
Regular welfare checks
Home Assist Secure will conduct regular welfare checks if you require to ensure you’re well, have food and medication and are coping with isolation.
Referrals to community support services
Home Assist Secure will connect you to referrals for mental health support, cleaning services and other support services required.
Subsidised assistance
If you’re eligible, you may receive a financial contribution towards labour costs for minor home maintenance or modifications that both:
This assistance may include:
To be eligible, you must meet all these criteria:
Hire a Hubby
CALL 1800 803 339 AUSTRALIA'S LEADING HANDYMAN FRANCHISE
All around Australia and on the Gold Coast too!
Too time poor/just 'never' get around to it? Try "Hire a Hubby"
https://hireahubby.com.au/
Do have a look at changes being completely built to your specification, no more will you all have to juggle in the space to open the fridge, cupboards and dishwasher at the same time
https://hireahubby.com.au/residential/renovations/
or just need a hand for those little/Big jobs - anything from roofing, gutter cleaning, locks and screens, fencing, painting, maintenance, tiling and flooring, furniture assembling... You get the picture :-)
https://hireahubby.com.au/residential/handyman-services/
to give you some ideas :-)
Most Australians want to grow old and receive care in their own homes, research conducted by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety shows.
A survey of more than 10,000 Australians reveals that 80 per cent of older people want to remain in their current home and 62 per cent want to receive care services in their own home.
Things can sometimes happen quite quickly eg. hospitalisation and your condition may mean you cannot return to your own home.
This can be devastating for both you and your loved one.
Having your own home prepared in advance (sometimes Years in advance), can not only be helpful for you to return to your own home, but can be the difference between this decision and having to move permanently to a nursing home.
Assessing your senior housing options:
Aging is a time of adaptation and change, and planning your future housing needs is an important part of ensuring that you continue to thrive as you get older. Whether your search for senior housing is prompted by a serious medical condition or the desire for a lifestyle change, finding the right place to live can be challenging and stressful for both you and your family. However, the earlier you assess your current needs and how those needs may evolve over time, the more choices and control you’ll have.
Of course, every older adult is different, so the senior housing choice that’s right for one person may not be suitable for you. The key to making the best choice is to match your housing with your lifestyle, health, and financial needs. This may mean modifying your own home to make it safer and more comfortable, or it could mean moving to a housing facility with more support and social options available on site. It could even involve enrolling in a network of like-minded people to share specialized services, or moving to a retirement community, an apartment building where the majority of tenants are over the age of 65, or even a nursing home. By learning about the different types of senior housing available, you can make the choice that’s right for you and ensure you enjoy a happy, healthy, and fulfilling home environment as you age.
Increasingly, older people in Australia are choosing to remain living in their own homes for as long as possible.
While not everyone has family members and friends to support them, many older Australians benefit from carers who provide assistance of various forms, ranging from help with domestic work through to personal and health care needs. Caring is often associated with a pre-existing relationship, and can be a positive and rewarding experience for both the person needing care and the carer. Caring can also change the nature of that relationship, and it can become a source of financial, emotional, social and physical strain.
Home modifications are changes made to the home environment to help people to be more independent and safe in their own home and reduce any risk of injury to their carers and careworkers.
Modifications to the home include changes to the structure of the dwelling e.g. widening doors, adding ramps, providing better accessibility etc. and the installation of assistive devices inside or outside the dwelling e.g. grabrails, handrails, lifts etc.
The added advantage of 'being prepared', is that often the hospitalisation is the result of a FALL, which possibly could have been prevented if home modifications have been put in place.
Recommended:-
Download this excellent Queensland Department of Housing practical guide to staying in your own home:
"100 Ways to Improve Home Access"
It is now quicker and easier to find information about assistive technology (AT) and home modifications (HM).
A new landing page is available and specific pages developed to explain:
- how to provide AT and HM assessments and quotes,
- choosing an AT or HM provider, and
- arranging the repair or replacement of AT.
These are just one of several changes underway to make it easier for NDIS participants, providers and the general community to find and access the information they need about AT and HM. Find out more about AT and HM.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Your Home -
Australian demographics are changing rapidly, with average households becoming both smaller and older as an increasing number of people live independently in their later years. The balance between home and work life also places altering demands on our houses as many people choose to work from home. A single space may act at different times as a home office, a teenage retreat, a family study or a bedroom for an elderly relative. Practical advice and certification for home modifications and details on local support networks. The site also has information about the latest technology equipment to assist the aged living at home.
Liveable House Design -
http://livablehousingaustralia.org.au/library/help/Livable_Housing_Design_Guidelines_Web1.pdf
For more information visit: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/housing/livable-and-adaptable-house
Household needs vary over time in relation to physical capabilities. Most people can expect temporary or permanent variations in their physical capabilities in their life due to injury, illness or age. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the percentage of individuals with a disability increases significantly with age, rising to more than 50% of people aged over 60. Longer life spans and higher proportions of older people in our society make it more likely that every home will be required to respond to the needs of a person with a physical limitation whether they are the primary resident or a visitor.
For those with:
- limited mobility,
- reduced vision or
- other impairment,
- the ability to perform common tasks such as carrying shopping into the home,
- cooking a meal,
- using the bathroom or
- accessing items from high shelves may be unnecessarily limited by the physical design of a home. As the needs of individuals are specific to their personal circumstances there is no single solution to designing a home to meet changing needs.
LifeTec provides Minor and Major Home Modifications services including occupational therapy assessments and certified building construction. Government assistance may be available.
Changes to LifeTec’s Service Model
Friday, 31st January 2020
Consumer directed care reforms have resulted in many benefits for consumers and our sector. These reforms have also seen new consumer expectations emerge which have led to many providers, including LifeTec, making changes to their service model to better meet peoples’ wants and needs.
A significant shift we have experienced is consumers’ preference to receive services at their place of residence rather than at LifeTec’s premises. In response we have increased the mobility of our health professionals to enable them to provide more services to consumers at a time and place of the consumers’ convenience. This means that many of our clinical consultations, including the trialling of relevant assistive technology equipment, now take place in peoples’ place of residence. This new approach has resulted in changes to LifeTec’s Brisbane office in Newmarket, which are designed to better meet peoples’ expectations. Although LifeTec will remain in the same Newmarket premises we have been at since 2006, our office will be reduced in size and will no longer provide a dedicated assistive technology equipment display. We expect renovations will be completed by early February 2020. There are no planned changes to LifeTec’s Townsville premises at this stage.
It is important to confirm that LifeTec will continue to provide valuable assistive technology services that have assisted thousands of people achieve their needs and aspirations over the past 40 years. These include LifeTec’s Information Services and Clinical Consultations Services. Our Information Services will continue to assist people obtain expert advice on assistive technology via our information line, assistive technology fact sheets, the National Equipment Database and via education and training programs. Our Clinical Consultation Services will continue to see our experienced and friendly health professionals assist people to choose the most suitable assistive technology to achieve their aspirations via LifeTec’s evidence-based pathway – Imagine Seek Choose Live.
Our friendly staff would be pleased to assist you to live your potential. Feel free to access LifeTec’s services in any of the following ways:
LifeTec's display centres at Newmarket in Brisbane and in Townsville showcase more than 1,500 item of assistive technology and are open to the public six days a week. It is free of charge, and you are invited to explore equipment on display, browse the library, search for items on the database of more than 6,000 assistive technology solutions at lifetec.org.au or seek assistance from professional staff member.
If you can't get to a display centre, there is an enquiries hotline on 1300 543 383 or LifeTec can come to you.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Home Assist Secure is a service for Queenslanders aged 60 years and over, or people of any age with a disability, who can’t perform or pay for critical home maintenance without assistance.
This service provides safety-related information, referrals and subsidised assistance.
Your local Home Assist Secure service can provide information about:
- home maintenance
- repairs
- minor modifications
- other assistance that the Queensland Government provides.
Staff can also help you:
- employ tradespeople to do repairs or modifications
- plan future work.
Enhanced support to older Queenslanders during COVID-19
Home Assist Secure will provide extended services to eligible older Queenslanders and people with a disability who need extra support to remain in their homes, self-isolate and continue to access essential services.
As well as home maintenance, repairs and modification work that Home Assist Secure already delivers, service providers can offer further assistance including:
Deliveries of essential items
Home Assist Secure will work with you to ensure that you can access essential items such as groceries, medication, and health products, while you are impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. Your local provider can offer contact-less delivery (knock and drop-off), if required.
Regular welfare checks
Home Assist Secure will conduct regular welfare checks if you require to ensure you’re well, have food and medication and are coping with isolation.
Referrals to community support services
Home Assist Secure will connect you to referrals for mental health support, cleaning services and other support services required.
Subsidised assistance
If you’re eligible, you may receive a financial contribution towards labour costs for minor home maintenance or modifications that both:
- relate to your health, safety or security
- need to be done so you can remain in your home.
This assistance may include:
- yard and outside maintenance
- small repairs and maintenance
- smoke alarm-related jobs, e.g. installation, battery changes, vents cleaning
- jobs, repairs and maintenance requiring a licensed tradesperson (e.g. an electrician).
To be eligible, you must meet all these criteria:
- at least 60 years old or of any age with a disability
- a Pensioner Concession Card holder
- unable to complete the work yourself because it requires technical expertise or is a risk to your health and safety
- unable to use alternative assistance, such as through:
- the Commonwealth Home Support Program
- the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- family or friends.
Hire a Hubby
CALL 1800 803 339 AUSTRALIA'S LEADING HANDYMAN FRANCHISE
All around Australia and on the Gold Coast too!
Too time poor/just 'never' get around to it? Try "Hire a Hubby"
https://hireahubby.com.au/
Do have a look at changes being completely built to your specification, no more will you all have to juggle in the space to open the fridge, cupboards and dishwasher at the same time
https://hireahubby.com.au/residential/renovations/
or just need a hand for those little/Big jobs - anything from roofing, gutter cleaning, locks and screens, fencing, painting, maintenance, tiling and flooring, furniture assembling... You get the picture :-)
https://hireahubby.com.au/residential/handyman-services/
to give you some ideas :-)