Bayside residents with more complex aged care needs will continue to receive in-home services from Council's trusted and familiar team following the expansion of Council's aged care services later in 2022.
Bayside Mayor Cr Alex del Porto said that the work of Council's aged care staff is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of our older community members.
"In 2021, our team of 130 staff provided over 96,000 hours of service to more than 2,800 residents helping support residents' mental, social and physical health and wellbeing.
"Our plan to expand our services to include the delivery of Home Care Packages (HCP) will allow us to continue being there for our older residents who need that extra level of support.
"As a Council, we're committed to continuing to consider the varying support needs of our residents, partnering with our community to protect and care for the community of life in Bayside, making an inclusive, active, healthy and connected Bayside for everyone."
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) that Council has delivered for many years is funded by the Commonwealth Government, a Council contribution and client fees. CHSP is an entry level service to support people with low level needs.
Over time, clients' needs can change, become more complex and require more intensive levels of services. This is when clients transition from CHSP to a HCP.
In the future Council will be able to continue servicing clients who transition to a HCP and maintain our established rapport with clients who have longstanding relationships with our skilled and motivated staff who understand their specific needs.
Over the next 12 months, the Commonwealth is releasing an additional 40,000 HCPs nationally which will allow a number of Council's existing CHSP clients to transition to HCPs.
The expansion of Council's aged care services will occur over 2022.
