Program guidelines: Support for carers of people with dementia

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Background

The directions paper Pathways to the Future, 2006 and Beyond - Dementia Framework for Victoria, and the accompanying Implementation Plan 2006-08, identify the implementation strategy of support services for people with dementia and their unpaid carers, especially flexible innovative services that are responsive to the diverse needs of people in care relationships.

The Department of Health Aged Care Branch funds a number of programs to support the families and carers of older people including people with dementia. They include the Support for Carers Program which:

• provides respite and support options to carers of older people with support needs,
• develops support and respite networks,
• assists with linking carers and care recipients into other community supports,
• provides flexible and innovative support to older and younger people with dementia.

Support for Carers program services respond to short term needs and provide varied assistance with longer term needs and planning.

The 1999 report Targeting in the Home and Community Care Program indicated that the highest levels of unmet need for carers were for home maintenance and day respite. Carers identified the need for more:

• longer stay and regular weekend out-of-home respite, particularly in facilities close to where they live,
• responsive forms of day centre respite,
• in-home respite particularly on weekends and overnight,
• in-home respite especially for those with high care needs or cognitive behavioural needs.

Increased opportunities to access flexible support facilitates families and carers continuing their carer role in the longer term, and a person with dementia being able to stay longer at home. Carers can have greater capacity to undertake other family or carer responsibilities. In addition, increased access to flexible support delays intensive use of a range of health, aged care, and other services by people with dementia.

Furthermore, the Evaluation of the Support for Carers Report indicates that carers value ongoing support, especially around caring for a person with dementia.

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Program guidelines: Support for carers of people with dementia - July 2010 (126kb, pdf)

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