/Adjusted%202021%20Originals/DRCS%20Logo%20BrandMark%20Positive%20w%20Square%20BG%20Left%20Aligned%20PNG-min.png?width=95&height=99&name=DRCS%20Logo%20BrandMark%20Positive%20w%20Square%20BG%20Left%20Aligned%20PNG-min.png "DR Care Solutions | Your Care, Your Support, Your Way | Aged Care & Disability Care Consulting Services")
Having Power of Attorney and Enduring Guardian documents in place certainly gives a person in need of care better care outcomes.
© Danielle Robertson Consulting Pty Ltd t/as DR Care Solutions
Last month we recognised the benefits of advance care planning in National Advance Care Planning Week. We’re returning to the topic this week in a case study where the decision-making process on care proceeded like clockwork as the legal paperwork was in place.
The scenario
A busy executive from a national law firm needed some guidance and support for her father living with dementia.
Pandemic lockdowns and the slow reopening of society had the executive and her three siblings concerned that their father, living alone on the Central Coast of NSW, was socially isolated. This isolation was causing his condition to deteriorate more rapidly and making him prone to trips and falls in the home.
As a short-term remedy, the adult children, living in Sydney, Canberra, Mittagong and Wagga, weighed in by having their father reside with them from one week to a month at a time. However, with all working full-time, the strain on their own family life came to a head. Their father started insisting that he return to the Central Coast and his circle of friends.
The solution
They reached a solution with their father. It involved: modifying his home to make it safe; finding respite care on the Central Coast for the six-week home renovation period; and once completed, arranging regular in-home care. A self-funded retiree, the father had the means to fund 24/7 in-home care. He was able to add his level 4 home care package as part of the funding so it wasn’t all out of pocket.
DR Care Solutions was engaged in August 2021 by the two adult children/representatives, appointed by the father under Power of Attorney and Enduring Guardian documents, to bring the solution to fruition. Having those legal documents in place allowed DR Care Solutions to act immediately.
DR Care Solutions took the steps of:
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Meeting with the father, with the two representatives present, via Zoom to establish his wants and wishes and draw up a Life Plan™ that respected those wishes.
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Using our bespoke software on residential aged care facilities to identify the top 10 facilities on the Central Coast.
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Arranging tours of residential aged care facilities via Zoom with the father (due to covid restrictions), the two representatives and Danielle present. Fortunately, Danielle had visited the facilities in person prior to the pandemic and this helped find the ideal residential facility for respite care.
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Seeking agreement on the preferred Central Coast residential facility and arranging the father’s six-week stay.
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Sending the client’s Life Plan™ to several quality Central Coast home care providers on the DR Care Solutions Care Provider Network. All providers on the Network are pre-vetted by us.
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Engaging, with the father and his two representatives, the home care provider offering a team of four experienced and skilled carers, with dementia experience, to manage the father’s care and home support.
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Organising for that provider to undertake a risk assessment of the home and handing the risk assessment to an occupational therapist who confirmed the necessary home modifications.
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Engaging a builder and other tradesmen to commence work to make the home safe for the father and his carers.
The outcome
By mid-October 2021, the father had returned to his modified home with 24-hour in-home care in place. He has settled into a daily and weekly routine with his carers and obtained a Level 4 Home Care package to subsidise some of the costs.
The family are keen to keep their father at home for as long as possible. If his condition deteriorates or his behaviour alters, residential aged care may need to be investigated. So far, the home modification and in-home care arrangement has been a great outcome for the father and his family.
For recommendations on lawyers experienced in advising on and drafting delegated decision-making documents such as Powers of Attorney and Enduring Guardianship, reach out to Danielle Robertson at DR Care Solutions.
Remember, having these documents in place in advance allows us to set up the right care, support and assistance for your loved one at the right time and in the right place.
