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Information Sheet 3 - Community Aged Care Packages

Information sheet on Community Aged Care Packages are indvidually planned and coordinated packages of care tailored to help frail older Australians remain living in their own homes.

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What are Community Aged Care Packages?

Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) are individually planned and coordinated packages of care tailored to help frail older Australians remain living in their own homes.

What help is available?

CACPs are flexible and are designed to help with individual care needs. The types of services that may be provided as part of a package include:

• personal care;
• social support;
• transport to appointments;
• home help;
• meal preparation; and
• gardening.

Who will provide the care?

The Australian Government provides CACP approved providers with a daily subsidy per package to supply and coordinate care services for frail older people. The individual services within a CACP may be provided by a variety of organisations in your local area, arranged and coordinated by the approved provider and based on your assessed care needs.

How can I access a CACP?

To receive a CACP, you must be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) as requiring at least low level care. Information on ACATs is available from doctors, hospitals and community centres or by phoning 1800 200 422*. ACAT assessments are free of charge.

If your ACAT assessment approves you as eligible for low level care and you have expressed a preference to be cared for in your home, the ACAT will refer you to a local approved provider who may offer you a CACP if there is one available.

How is a CACP arranged?

When an approved provider accepts you, a package of services will be tailored to meet your needs as assessed by the ACAT. The approved provider will discuss the options available for meeting your care needs and a Care Recipient Agreement will be created.

You, your family or representatives including your carer have the right to negotiate with the approved provider on the types and levels of care to be provided. After you have agreed on your care, the approved provider will give you a copy of your Care Recipient Agreement and Care Plan setting out the services you will receive, by whom and when.
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How much will I have to pay?

You can be asked to pay a fee for a CACP. The amount charged forms part of the Care Recipient Agreement between yourself and the service provider.

For older people on the maximum basic rate of single pension, fees must not exceed 17.5% of that pension. The maximum fee changes each March and September, in line with changes to the pension. The current maximum fee is available from the Department of Health and Ageing website at www.health.gov.au or by calling 1800 200 422*.

People on higher incomes** may be asked to pay additional fees. This is limited to 50% of any income above the maximum pension rate. The approved provider must inform you of its fees policy.

However, no one will be denied a service they need, based on an inability to pay fees.

** ‘Income’ means income after tax and the Medicare levy.

What quality of service can I expect?

The Australian Government has specified Community Care Common Standards, which approved providers are legally required to meet, to ensure care recipients receive care of the highest quality. Recipients of a CACP (or their representative) are entitled to:

• quality services that meet their assessed needs;
• where possible, their preferred level of social independence;
• having their dignity and privacy respected at all times;
• access information about the care options available and the facts they need to make informed choices;
• access to details of the care being provided; and
• take part in developing a package of services that best meets their needs.

What are my rights and responsibilities?

On 1 October 2009 the Australian Government introduced the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Care (the Charter).

The Charter is a legal document that explains the rights of people receiving aged care services in the community, as well as their responsibilities, including their responsibilities towards care workers.

Copies of the Charter are available electronically on the Department of Health and Ageing website.

What if I have a complaint?

If you, your family or your representatives are not happy with the service provided as part of your CACP, you have the right to complain.

The Australian Government has put arrangements in place for people to do this. If after talking to your approved provider the problem has not been resolved, the Aged Care Complaints Scheme is available. This is a free service which is overseen by the Aged Care Commissioner.

The Aged Care Complaints Scheme can be contacted on 1800 550 552*.

Recipients of a CACP, their family and their representatives are also able to access advocacy services. Advocacy services help people find out what they are entitled to. For information on advocacy services, please call 1800 200 422*.

What is the subsidy rate for a CACP?

The subsidy rate changes each year on 1 July. The current rate is available on the Department of Health and Ageing website at www.health.gov.au or by calling 1800 200 422*.

*Cost of phone calls

• Calls to 1800 numbers are generally free to the caller when made from a land line.
• Calls to 13 or 1300 numbers are charged at a low fixed amount to the caller when made from a land line.
• All calls made from mobile phones are charged at the rates applicable to each phone provider.
• All calls made from public phones are charged at the rates applicable to each phone provider.

All information in this publication is correct as at September 2012

Disclaimer: This document is only a guide to the Government’s law and policies, and cannot take account of individual circumstances. The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing recommends that you seek appropriate professional advice relevant to your particular situation.

D0943 September 2012
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