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

• Not have anyone to help them, or not trust the person who could help them, and
• Be able to get government-funded aged care (check your eligibility here).
• Be living in Hume, Merri-Bek and Darebin areas of Melbourne

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
• Reluctant to work with aged care or government
• Be in danger if they don’t get help, including the risk of homelessness

Spectrum’s Care Finder service team assist older people (including the homeless or those at risk of homelessness) in finding and using aged care services and getting housing assistance to improve their life quality.

We can help you get services for the first time, or find new ones.

Some ways we can help:

• 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 near you
• Helping you with paperwork and understanding service agreements
• Checking in with you once services have started, to ensure everything is going well
• 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

Age

Care Finder is for people aged 65 years and over, or 50 years and older for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person. If the person is homeless or at risk of homelessness due to a low income, the eligibility age drops to 50 years or older, or 45 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.

Assistance needs

Care Finder is for people who need assistance or aid from another person to do daily tasks such as walking, dressing, preparing meals, making decisions, eating, managing medication, managing housework, transportation, or making social connections. They may also be frail or prematurely aged, and experiencing housing stress or lack of secure accommodation.

Lack of support

Care Finder is for people who might not have family, friends, carers, or representatives who can help them access aged care services.

Communication

Care Finder is for people who have difficulty communicating in English or have limited literacy skills; or they may struggle with processing information to make decisions.

Safety

Care Finder is for people whose safety at immediate risk, or they may face a crisis within the next year, yet they are hesitant to engage with aged care.

Reluctance to engage with services

Care Finder is for people whose past experiences make them hesitant to engage with aged care, institutions, or the government.