What is self-management? My Trilogy Care and Dovely Home Care experience.
Do you use a traditional provider to service your Home Care Package?
Then you’re paying up to 35% in care and package management fees, probably more as many add on additional fees and costs. On a Level 4 package that’s at least $51 a day. All that before they provide (and charge for) the actual care. One charges $100.95 for half an hour on a Sunday.
The solution?
Self Management. The fee for a provider to hold and administer your funds is 15% (for example, Trilogy Care trilogycare.com.au) which releases 85% of the money to do exactly what it is supposed to, which is to provide care. Under the Department of Health and Aged Care guidelines, a provider must hold, administer and manage your funds (you can’t hold the funds yourself). The difference with self management though is that you are the boss of your own care.
I am in Perth, Western Australia. I use Trilogy Care for self management and Dovely Home Care (dovely.com.au) to provide care for my 96 year old (young) dad so he can safely stay at home. The obvious advantage of finding your own carers is there are no fees. What you see (in their hourly rate) is exactly what you pay. The carer simply invoices the provider (you get to check the invoices prior). Nothing could be easier and less confusing. Plus, with Trilogy’s new online portal, you know the current balance of your funds at any time. No waiting around for a monthly statement with hidden surprises.
10 Additional Advantages Of Self-Management:
Free yourself from the restrictive and expensive system of traditional aged care. Get your Aged Care Package to provide maximum and quality care for you or your loved one. Move to self management. Give Trilogy a call 1300 459 190 and, if you are in Perth, contact Dovely Home Care (08) 6184 5765 for exceptional care with no additional fees and costs.
- You have control by selecting the carers you want to be invited into your home and when. Unlike many traditional providers there is no window of time as to when the carer might arrive. Your carers arrive at the specific time you nominate.
- You know their contact details (and they know yours). You can contact them directly (and vice versa) providing peace of mind. Contact with a carer from a traditional provider can be problematic as often it’s only made via their office and during office hours.
- Your carers won’t wear uniforms so their care is discreet and your privacy protected.
- You don’t have to ask a carer from Dovely to make a bed or empty the dishwasher, they just do it! Some carers from traditional providers will only do tasks if they are written in “the book”. By self managing you too can find carers with initiative and common sense.
- Traditional agencies sometimes send different carers. After 2 hours when Dad finally got to know one (and she began to understand Dad’s needs), her shift ended, she left and was never seen again. Not the case with Dovely and finding your own carers. It’s all about freedom, consistency of care and empowerment of your home care package.
- Your carer will form real friendship and support. Just look at the smile on Dad’s face on some of the outings initiated by his carer. It’s about finding a carer who will listen to you, find exciting things to do and follow through. I won’t pretend it’s easy to find one (lots of interviewing and reference checking), but it’s worth it when you are dealing with the important job of trusting someone to care for you.
- You can find a carer with aged care and nursing experience. Jenise from Dovely has practical solutions that work. Like providing a fall belt and making the bathroom safe for Dad.
- You have nothing to lose. If your home care package funds are held with a traditional provider just ask to leave. They can’t charge you to exit. Your funds are released back to the government and the new provider you select (I highly recommend Trilogy Care) simply picks it up. If you don’t like self management then you can just move back to the traditional system of high fees.
- There are many ways to find your own carers. Of course they have to meet requirements to be approved (like holding insurance, police clearance and having an ABN). Dovely have done all that work for you and Trilogy Care are brilliant at providing suggestions to help you find carers that will provide the same high standard of care as Dovely and will guide you through the process. The same applies to buying equipment and other services (like cleaning and gardening). You are in control.
- Think outside the box. My elderly neighbour Pat lives alone and was allocated a Package. She has a younger neighbour (Robyn) who always looks out for her. Pat’s daughter approached Robyn about formalising the arrangement. Robyn was delighted, got all the documents together, was approved by the provider and is now paid to care for Pat. Yet another benefit of self management, building and strengthening our local communities.
Wendy (daughter of Reg)
Perth, Western Australia
May 2024