You will have regular carers, however the times when carers are off sick or on leave we need to have other staff provide your service. It is impractical to have only one carer. When this occurs you will be advised that a different carer will be attending.
It depends on which funding program you come under. All costs will be discussed with you prior to commencement of the service.
We have a list of preferred products and equipment that we use to comply with OHS standards. We require all equipment to be in good condition. Again these will be discussed with you either at your initial assessment or by the coordinator when she comes to do an OHS home inspection.
Yes, you must be in attendance for the duration of your services. You cannot leave the door open, or ask a neighbour to let the carer in if you are not home.
You need to advise us at least the day prior, (except in an emergency).
Clients needing personal care, showering etc, have priority for morning services as it is a necessity for maintaining client health and wellbeing. Domestic assistance services are generally scheduled late morning and afternoons.
We are primarily a low level maintenance service to increase the possibility of you to remain in your own home for as long as possible. Our care staff have a minimum of a Certificate III in Aged Care and Community Care – they are not ‘cleaners’. As well as assisting with your tasks, they are also monitoring your condition and report any concerns they may have about your health.
We abide by the Active Service Model and the Reablement and Wellness guidelines, which require us to assist you in maintaining as much independence as possible, by only undertaking the tasks you are not able to do, to maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness in your home. It would be a good idea to have a cleaner come in quarterly for a scrub where needed.
If you have a Home Care Package, there is more flexibility of services we can provide for you. Cleaners are available who can provide a more intensive clean, within our Occupational Health and Safety guidelines.
It is a legal requirement that we take measures to ensure the work environment for our carers is as safe as possible. Our staff assist many clients each day and prolonged contact with these chemicals is detrimental to their health. We therefore use chemicals that are less harmful, with no bleach or ammonias.
We have investigated different mops and buckets and have determined the ones that pose the least stress/pressure on the carers. Again, it is vital that we protect our workers as much as possible and they may be providing three domestic assistance services in a single day.
The funded services are available to ensure you can access your property safely without hazards and risks to your health. We can provide these services but not at subsidised funded rates.
Why can’t we just get someone to bring our meal if we don’t answer the door (e.g., fell asleep or did not hear volunteer) or are not home and missed our meal delivery?
Food Safety Standards state that meals must be kept at regulated temperatures and for the length of time they can be kept hygienically and safe to eat. Legislation states that we are not allowed to leave meals. You must be ready and keeping an ear out for the volunteers/staff when they knock to deliver your meal.
Cancellations on the day of scheduled services are charged at the standard service rate. Westmont must pay the carers if a service is cancelled on the day. It is important that we meet our employment obligations to staff.
Our scheduling staff ensure enough travel time between clients, but sometimes there are instances where a carer is delayed leaving an earlier client for health or emergency reasons. Also, traffic can impact the time taken to travel from client to client. That is why we prioritise personal care and showering for early in the day and advise that your domestic assistance service will be either in the morning or the afternoon. It is impractical to specify domestic service times other than morning or afternoon.
Hairdressing, lunch dates and non-urgent appointments should not be booked on the day you are due for a home care service. We understand that at times, urgent medical appointments become available, and they need to be taken when the opportunity arises. Fees for late cancellation will only be waived for urgent hospital admission, urgent medical transport or short notice specialist appointments.
All care is taken, but accidents do happen from time to time. Westmont and its staff are not responsible for replacement or repairs of your belongings. You must have your own insurance cover.
All Westmont staff have current police checks and are carefully screened for employment. Always ensure money and valuables are secured and not left lying around. This is to protect you and our staff.
We are funded by the Government, either State or Federal, depending on your age. Westmont is only allocated a certain number of funded hours and we need to ensure they are provided fairly and equitably and ensure that we remain within these funding parameters.
We can provide extra services when you want them, however they would not be at subsidised rates. Services are available on a fee for service basis and rates are available upon request.
