Self Managed Home Care Packages Gympie

Aged Care Assessment – Wide Bay Burnett Region

ACAT assessment is an eligibility requirement to access Commonwealth-funded residential aged care, residential respite care, transition care and home care packages.

ACAT undertakes a comprehensive assessment of care needs for older people needing access to residential and/or home (community) care, and helps the elderly and their carers to determine what kind of support will best meet their needs.

Target group are older people, typically over the age of 65 or for indigenous Australians, people over the age of 50, or people who have an age related condition.

Often comprises of a doctor, nurse, social worker and occupational therapist, the team will recommend services deemed to be the most appropriate to meet care needs through a series of questions, and with the client’s consent will liaise with families/carers and health care providers.

Referral Procedure, by care recipient themselves or others:

• The care recipient, carer, family must be aware of and consent to the referral
• All referrals are to be made via MyAgedCare: 1800 200 422

Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) – Wide Bay Burnett

There are a number of ACAT teams servicing the region including

Fraser Coast ACAT – who cover North Burnett,  Bundaberg and Fraser Coast.

West Moreton ACAT  who cover South Burnett

Sunshine Coast. ACAT  – who cover Gympie and Sunshine Coast

Contact for all regions: 1800 200 422

Local Information & Initiatives for Seniors

Within the Gympie Local Govt area, there are a number of non-council organisations that provide help and assistance to senior and elderly members of the community. These include:

• Gympie Medical Transport – offer transport services to non-urgent medical appointments for residents of the Gympie Regional Council area. https://gympiemedicaltransport.org.au/
• The Access Advisory Committee – Gympie Region – is a community-based advisory body committed to creating universal access to public facilities for all members of and visitors to the Gympie Region community. http://www.aacgympie.org.au/accessible-gympie/
• The Cooloola Human Services Network (CHSN) – represents the human services sector across the Gympie Region. https://www.chsn.org.au/
• Country to Coast Queensland and  Primary Health Network CQm- is an independent not-for-profit commissioning organisation funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health to improve the health outcomes of the region.   They identify where there are areas of need, such as lack of health care services, difficulty in accessing these services, or regions with particularly high health needs. They work closely with GPs, allied health care providers, hospitals and the broader community to ensure patients can receive the right care in the right place at the right time. https://c2coast.org.au/     &    http://www.ourphn.org.au/

The Gympie Regional Council has a number of programs and initiatives geared towards the senior and elderly members of the community. These include:

• What’s On in Gympie  -a council operated website with information about events and activities in the gympie region. https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/recreation-tourism/what-s-on
• Heart Foundation Walking is fun, social and free! It helps to reduce stress, have a healthier body, build stronger relationships, and most of all, be happy.  The Heart Foundation invites people to join a walking group to increase your physical activity while making friends.  Find a walking group in your area or start a new group. https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/residents/your-community/heart-foundation-walking
• Services, Program and activities for Seniors – a Gympie Regional Council webpage that includes information relating to services, programs, and activities across the Gympie region to help residents age well. https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/seniors
• Community transport – Country to Coast Qld provides information on available transport services, costs, and wheelchair accessibility. There is medical transport, community buses and more. https://c2coast.org.au/accessing-health-services/
• Bus Services.  Translink provide public transport via a range of bus routes within Gympie connecting Town Centre to surrounding suburbs, as well as to Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay. https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/residents/transport-roads/public-transport
• Disasters and Emergencies – In collaboration with emergency services, Gympie Regional Council plays an important role in coordinating and managing disasters within the boundaries of the Gympie region. The following resources are provided to assist you – before, during and after – disasters, emergencies and major weather events. https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/disasters-emergencies

Financial help and assistance : 

• Queensland Government –  Emergency hardship assistance. https://www.qld.gov.au/community/disasters-emergencies/disasters/money-finance/types-grants/emergency-hardship-assist
• Salvation Army financial assistance – https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/anti-poverty-week/how-we-can-help-when-finances-are-tight/