Consumer Directed Care (CDC) is a term you’ll often hear in reference to home care packages. But what does it mean for those needing home care support?
Here we’ll look at how consumer directed care works and how Envigor differs from other providers in how they deliver this care.
In short, Consumer Directed Care is about giving you more choice and control over the type of care you receive and who provides that care.
While Home Care Packages used to be allocated to service providers, from February 2017 the move to a CDC model meant that packages are now allocated direct to you, the consumer.
This means you can choose any approved home care provider that best suits your needs and the types of care and services you wish to access. You can also switch service providers more easily. While this has brought more choice and competition to the market it has also meant that consumers need to know and understand the system to ensure they are getting the best value out of their home care packages.
What are the benefits of consumer directed care?
The move to consumer directed care means that your personal goals form the centre of your care. This goal planning approach aims to uncover what is important to you so that support and care services can help you live the way you want to live. This means that your care plan is personalised to suit you and your lifestyle.
Whether it’s help with your garden, support to remain socially connected, assistance with the chores or staying active, your plan will reflect what’s important to you. It will also tie in with your current circle of support, giving family carers assistance while helping them to remain active in the aspects of the caring role that are important to them.
The overall aim of CDC is to allow people to remain living confidently and independently in their own home with the right support.
How Envigor’s community business partner structure helps you remain at the centre of your care
The Envigor Home Care business model is defined by small, ‘individual focused’ teams. These teams are led by Envigor Business Partners within each local community. Envigor Business Units are never too big that the person on the end of the phone is not well known to the person receiving care or their family. This means that you are not just a number and won’t need to explain your situation over and over again every time you phone up about your care.
Alicia Wooding, Envigor’s General Manager – Operations, says that this personalised and accessible care model allows Envigor to deliver a true consumer directed care model.
“Each business partner is personally invested in delivering you the best care that suits your needs and is the person directly responsible for matching you with carers that are the right fit and organising your care hours and visits. This streamlines the process and allows your care to be more flexible and responsive,” says Alicia.
“Another bonus of having your home care delivered by Envigor is that this streamlined process means less admin and case management fees. Envigor only charges a 10% case management fee and we have a minimum visit time of 15 minutes, rather than 30 to 60 minutes, which means you can access more frequent visits to suit your needs.”
Related content: The Envigor difference
It’s important to note that service providers all have their own fee structures which can directly affect the amount of care you receive. Many home care providers charge case management and admin fees that can eat up as much as 40-45% of your package, which has a huge impact on the funds you have left for your care.
Accessing consumer directed care
If you’ve not yet navigated the home care package system, the first step is to register with My Aged Care, either by visiting www.myagedcare.gov.au or calling 1800 200 422. My Aged Care is an Australian Government service that helps you check your eligibility for aged care services, get assessed for a home care package and discover and compare the service providers near you.
Related content: How to unlock more of your home care package
If you would like more information on Consumer Directed Care or require assistance accessing My Aged Care, your local Envigor representative is more than happy to help.