Transitioning to accommodation support arrangements
This initiative is designed to assist older carers and their family member to take active steps to plan for the future. Many older carers may not have a sense of certainty about what will occur when they can no longer continue in the caring role. Similarly the person with a disability may not feel prepared for this transition.
To experience greater certainty about their family member's future lifestyle, older carers are invited to participate in this initiative.
Respite service providers operating from 25 locations across Queensland have received funding to employ a Project Officer to engage with families with older carers and develop a register of local respite users seeking alternative long-term support arrangements. For privacy purposes the information on the register is de-identified and information will only be shared on a "need to know" basis with the consent of the person with a disability and their family.
The information contained in the register will include information on the family member's support needs, plus their preferences in relation to future accommodation support arrangements. If a shared support arrangement is preferred, the Project Officer will consult further with respite users and families to gain agreement about possible future cotenants and then plan opportunities for identified cotenants to meet with each other. This can be facilitated by scheduling concurrent periods of respite to compatible cotenants at the same location. This practice will establish small groups of compatible cotenants that would share viable and cost efficient support arrangements in the future.
Besides identifying shared support arrangements older carers and their family member may identify an individual arrangement, such as receiving in-home support to:
- live with other family members
- to live with other people who do not receive funded support
- to live alone.
Please note that proposed support arrangements will need to be viable and sustainable long term. Each person will be assessed for their support requirements and considered for support based on available resources and relative need.
Last updated March 2009