Care Finder Program

The Care Finder Service is designed especially for older people who need extra help to find and use aged care, housing assistance, and local services. This guide will explain who can use this service and how it can help improve their lives, particularly for those facing homelessness. Spectrum delivers Care Finder services in Hume, Merri-Bek and Darebin.

To find a local care finder organisation, click here.

Eligibility for Care Finder Support:

To use the Care Finder Service for aged care and housing assistance, a person must:

1. Not have anyone to help them, or not trust the person who could help them, and
2. Be able to get government-funded aged care (check your eligibility here).

They should also have one or more of these issues:

• Trouble with communication due to language or reading problems
• Difficulty understanding information and making decisions
• Hesitant to work with aged care or government
• Be in danger if they don’t get help, including the risk of homelessness.

How Care Finders Help:

Care finders assist older people, including the homeless or those at risk of homelessness, in finding and using aged care services and housing assistance to improve their life quality. They can help get services for the first time or find new ones. Some ways they help are:

• Talking to My Aged Care and organising an assessment for you
• Joining and supporting you during the assessment
• Searching for and listing aged care providers and housing assistance options nearby
• Helping with paperwork and understanding service agreements
• Checking in once services have started to ensure everything is fine
• Assisting with other issues and connecting to community support like health, mental health, housing, drug and alcohol services, and community groups that help the homeless.

If you would like to learn more about the Care Finder program and find out if you are eligible for assistance, please get in touch with us.

You can call us at 1300 735 635 or send an email to connect@spectrumvic.org.au. We’re here to help!

Additional questions to help identify a Care Finder client;

• Is the person 65 years and over, or 50 years and older for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, OR 50 years or older (45 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) and homeless or at risk of homelessness due to a low income?
• Does the person require assistance or aid from another person to perform daily tasks such as walking, dressing, preparing meals, making decisions, eating, managing medication, managing housework, transportation, or social connections? Or are they frail or prematurely aged and experiencing housing stress or lack of secure accommodation?
• Does the person lack family, friends, carers, or representatives who can help them access aged care services?
• Does the person have difficulty communicating in English or have limited literacy skills?
• Does the person struggle with processing information to make decisions?
• Is the person’s safety at immediate risk, or do they face a crisis within the next year, yet they are hesitant to engage with aged care? (In case of immediate danger, connect them with the appropriate emergency service)
• Does the person have past experiences that make them hesitant to engage with aged care, institutions, or the government?