Frequently asked questions about accessing services
Page content: Aged Care Assessment Services
(ACAS) |
Carer assistance |
Eyes |
Feet |
Financial advice | What are State
Concessions? |
Free train trip |
Home & community care |
Home maintenance & Renovations |
Influenza immunisation | Local
Government |
Personal alarms |
Senior citizens clubs |
Victorian Seniors Festival |
Seniors health care card |
Smoke detectors |
Taxis |
Teeth |
Victorian seniors card |
Wills
Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS)
My elderly mother had a fall at home last week. Every time I go
to see her, there seems to be something else that she is having difficulty
with. What should I do?
Contact your local government’s aged services
team. They will be able to advise you of local government services available
that may be able to assist. If the issues are more complex the council
staff can refer you to the Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS).
The Aged
Care Assessment Service makes assessments in a person's home to make sure
they gain access to the care services appropriate to their needs. They are
able to refer to a wide range of service providers, including Commonwealth
Aged Care Packages (CACPs), Home and Community Care (HACC) Services and
residential aged care options.
Do I need a referral for an Aged Care Assessment Service?
ACAS
will accept referrals from any source. So you can refer yourself, be referred
through a GP or any other service provider, such as a local government
Assessment Officer.
How do I make contact with the Aged Care Assessment
Service?
You can find
your local Aged Care Assessment Service on the Department
of Health and Ageing website.
Will
I have to pay for an Aged Care Assessment Services assessment?
No. Aged
Care Assessment Services are free of charge.
Carer assistance
Can I get help to care for my partner?
A number of organisations
can offer practical help to carers such as personal care, home help or
food services. You can ring Care Line 1800 242 636 to get details of
the services available to you. (Care
Line website).
How can I get a rest from caring?
Each region
in Victoria has a Carer Respite Service. You can arrange respite care on
a short, emergency or longer term basis by ringing your closest Carer Respite
Service on 1800 059 059. A Carer Support Worker can help you decide what
will work and put the services in place.
I need help looking after my partner.
Who can I talk to?
The Victorian Government, through its Victorian Strategy
for Carers and the Commonwealth Government, through its National
Respite for Carers program have jointly funded nine regional carer support
and respite coordination centres. To organise planned in-home, out-of-home,
residential and flexible respite, as well as emergency respite, telephone
free call 1800 059 059 to be connected to your nearest regional service.
The Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres in Victoria can be found at the Department
of Health and Ageing website.
My elderly mother will be living with me soon. Can I get any financial
help for her care?
Yes, there are two forms of regular payment available
to carers through Centrelink (Centrelink
website)
or phone the Centrelink number for Disability, Sickness and Carers on 13
2717
Carer
Allowance: a supplementary payment for people who care for an adult with
a disability, severe medical condition or who is frail aged at home.
Carer
Payment: an income support payment for people who cannot support themselves
through participation in the workforce while caring for someone with a disability,
severe medical condition or who is frail aged.
There may be other financial assistance available for specific
purposes. Carers Association Victoria operates a Care Line 1800 242 636,
9am-5pm Monday to Friday. The Care Line worker on duty can give you
more information about both payments and other financial assistance.
Eyes
Where can I get eye examinations and spectacles?
Free eye
examinations and low-cost glasses are available for pension card holders
from the Victorian
College of Optometry for metropolitan residents and for
people living in the country through the Victorian Eyecare
Service. The Victorian
Eye and Ear Hospital provides a similar service for those people with medical
eye problems.
Free eye examinations only are provided for you and your family
by optometrists who bulk bill Medicare. For further details see the Victorian
Eyecare Service seciton.
Feet
Where can I get my feet attended to?
Check with your local
community health centre, your general practitioner or the listing
of Podiatrists on the Australian
Podiatry Association website. A
fee is usually charged for these services.
Financial advice
Where can I get basic financial information?
Centrelink operates the Financial
Information Service which provides independent, free and confidential services.
The service can provide advice on dealing with a broad range of financial
issues.
To make an appointment, or get more information about the Financial
Information Service, you can telephone:
- 13 23 00 - to make an appointment,
or to request booklets, leaflets and factsheets about investment products
- 13 63 57 - to find out more about seminars and to make a seminar booking
What are State Concessions?
State Concessions are designed to improve the affordability of key services
to pension card holders and low income households. Areas covered by State Concessions
include energy, water and sewerage, municipal rates and transport. Visit the
Victorian
State Concessions website for details.
Free train trip
Are there special transport fare concessions for Victorian Seniors
Card holders?
Yes, there are number of transport fare concessions available
for full details visit the Office
of Senior Victorians website under New
public transport concessions for Victorian Seniors.
Home & community care
My mother lives in her own home but is very frail and needs
help with personal care, shopping and caring for her home. Where can she
go to get help?
For a range of home and community services contact
your local council, community
health centre, migrant
resource centre, ethnic or koori
organisation, carer support group or district nursing service.
Home maintenance & renovations
Where can I get financial assistance for home maintenance/renovations?
The Home Renovation Service conducts free home inspections and provides
condition reports that include an estimate of the cost of works. The service
also provides home renovation loans. The service is available to people
over 60 years of age or people who have a disability or a household caring
for someone with a disability. Telephone 1800 134 872 Toll free. Contact
your local
council.
The Home
and Community Care Program provides assistance with home maintenance
tasks necessary to maintain the security and safety of a consumer’s
home, such as the installation of ramps and rails. Although a fee is charged,
people who are unable to pay will not be denied a service. The service
is eligible to people who are frail aged, people who have a disability
or a household caring for someone who is frail or has a disability. Contact
your local council.
For free Home Safety Inspections call 9815 1900 or
1300 136 513 funded by the Department of Human Services.
Influenza immunisation
When and where can I get a free flu injections?
Have the influenza
vaccine in the early months of autumn, ideally between March and May. If
you have missed that period, immunisation is still worthwhile as late as
August. The vaccine takes effect in about two weeks and then protects you
right through the influenza season. (Also ask about the pneumococcal pneumonia
immunisation).
Both of these vaccines are available from your local doctor,
free to:
- Everyone 65 years or older; and
- All Kooris
and Torres Strait Islanders over 50 years of age.
While the vaccines are
free, you may be charged a fee for the doctor’s time.
Local Government
How do I contact my local Government?
The following link will take you the
Municipal
Association of Victoria’s website, with links to every
local government in Victoria. Local governments provide a range of community
services that may be of use to you including the Home and Community Care
services, pet registration, waste removal, and rate payments. Find
your local council in your area.
Personal alarms
What is a Personal Alert?
Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) is a personal
monitoring service that responds to calls for assistance and is funded
by the Victorian Government through the Department of Human Services. PAV
enhances the confidence of frail, older people and people with disabilities,
who are isolated and vulnerable, to live independently in their own home
by providing contact 24 hours a day.
To be eligible for PAV you must be
assessed by one of the designated PAV assessment agencies. For more information
about assessment for PAV please contact one of the following agencies:
Senior citizens clubs
How do I join my local Senior Citizens Club?
Call
your local council for details on the senior citizens clubs available in your area.
Many local governments provide transports services to these clubs. Senior
Citizens Clubs are good places to meet other people in your area to share
in social activities and outings.
Victorian Seniors Festival
When is the Victorian Seniors Festival?
The 2007 Victorian
Seniors Festival will run from Sunday 7 to Sunday 14 October 2007. The Victorian Seniors
Festival (VSF) is a week-long celebration for seniors held each year. It
includes hundreds of free or low cost events, forums and activities, across
Victoria, as well as free public transport for Victorian Seniors Card holder.
Seniors health care card
How can I get a Pensioner Concession Card?
To apply for the Commonwealth
Seniors Health Care Card, telephone Centrelink on 13 23 00 or visit your
local Centrelink Customer Service Centre. Further information is available
from the Centrelink
website.
What
does a Seniors Health Care Card entitle me to and who can have one?
To
qualify applicants must be an Australian resident, living in Australia,
and have reached age pension age but do not qualify for Age
Pension, and
have an annual income of:
- less than $50 000 (singles)
- $80
000 (couples combined), or
- $100 000 (couples combined who are
separated due to ill health).
The limit is increased by $639.60 for each
dependent child you care for.
What is the difference between a Seniors Card
and a Seniors Health Care Card?
A Seniors Health Care Card is means tested
and gives access to subsidised pharmaceuticals.
Seniors Card is a retail
discount card administered by the Victorian government. Seniors Card holders
can also take advantage of the discounted Sixty Plus fare on the Met and
half price fares on nominated off-peak V/Line services.
Smoke detectors
My smoke detector battery needs changing. Who can do this?
Contact
your local
council’s aged services team
or
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade
run Change
your Clock Change your Smoke Alarm Battery program each
year, two weeks prior to the end of daylight saving. Daylight saving is
the last Sunday in March. Call the MFB community Education Department on
Tel: (61 3) 9665 4464.
Taxis
How can I get low cost taxi fares?
The Multi
Purpose Taxi Program provides half price fares for people with a severe, permanent disability
who cannot use public transport. People must make an application, which is
completed by a medical practitioner. Telephone 03 9320 4361.
Teeth
Where can I get dental assistance?
Subsidised dental treatment
is available through Community
Dental Clinics, some Hospital Dental Clinics
and the Royal Dental Hospital. A patient contribution is required for all
adult dental services. Free dental care for children is available through
the School
Dental Service.
Victorian seniors card
What is the Victorian Seniors Card?
The Seniors
Card is a Victorian Government
initiative, in partnership with the private sector. Cardholders are able
to obtain a wide range of discounted goods and services from participating
businesses and retailers including travel, accommodation, hospitality,
entertainment, leisure and further education.
What is the eligibility for
a Seniors Card?
Any permanent resident of Victoria, who is aged 60 years
and over, who is retired or not working more than 35 hours per week is
eligible to have a Seniors Card. There is no income or assets tests, and
people may apply irrespective of the age or employment status of a partner.For
full details of the program visit the Seniors
Card entry at the Office
of Senior Victorians, Department
of Victorian Communities website.
Wills
Where can I get a free will made?
Your nearest Community
Legal Centre can provide you with advice on preparing a will, changing the
terms of a will, challenging the terms of a will, and probate.
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