The Community Home Care Support Service is intentionally using local people and local contractors to deliver the support services at home. The support services offered, range from basic needs like cleaning and pet care, to high level care and support such as meal preparation, nursing care, and medication support. They are intentional in making sure that the necessary physical supports are provided alongside the social support that enable seniors to attend regular social events and to maintain their mental wellbeing through connection to people and community. The initiative is already supporting more than 45 people.
This initiative has brought benefits for the whole community. The place-based approach strengthens the local economy and workforce with 25+ part-time contractors currently employed as support workers and more than 8 full-time job positions have been created as a result of the project.
Pingelly CRC, like many CRCs, has a strong and positive relationship with their community. This has been fundamental to extending aged care support to sometimes reluctant families and individuals. Fiercely independent and resilient community members, with an in-built “can do” attitude meant that some were not aware of, or chose not to, access support services that would allow improvement to both their day-to-day needs and their wellbeing. The CRC team were empathetic to peoples concern that seeking support felt like a failure and to the reality that many people were just not aware of the types of support they were eligible to receive. They have assisted many community members to become aware of the assistance that they are eligible for, and have helped more than 50 people apply to receive rental assistance, carer support payments, and age pension payments.
Inspired by the success of the Staying in Place project in Pingelly, at least another 12 CRCs have taken steps to start a Staying in Place project in their communities, with more in discussion to do so.
Using local place-based approaches to improve the wellbeing of seniors in rural communities, ensures that they can age well, stay connected to the friends and community they belong to, and receive the help and support they need in their own homes. This approach greatly improves the lives of individuals and strengthens the community as whole. It means that seniors can continue contributing to their communities, retaining their dignity and maintaining the friendships and relationships that are the foundation of positive mental health.
The most exciting part is hearing how it has affected the lives of people, such as one lady who stopped into the CRC to thank them for the difference having support in the home has made to her life. She is now picked up and taken to the local shops to do her grocery shopping and is attending bingo every fortnight and Mah-jong group weekly. In her words “I forgot what it was like to be with people and how much it makes me smile – so much better than sitting home every day feeling sad.”