care finder

care finder program

Connecting older Australians in country South Australia to aged care services and other community supports

The care finder service (the service) provides a network of staff across country South Australia, to assist people 65 years or older, or 50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Is the service available to all older people?

This service is supported by funding from Country SA PHN through the Australian Government's PHN Program.

To be eligible for the service, people should require individual and intensive help to understand, access and connect with aged care services and other community supports.

This may be due to:

• having no-one else to assist,
• communication difficulties,
• finding that processing the aged care information is too difficult, or
• difficulty engaging with help, due to past experiences with aged care, institutions or government.

This service is available for both:

• those who have never accessed aged care
• people already in the system who may have lost their way

A care finder will contact, meet, listen and begin to provide expert support, guidance and practical help to those they assist. This assistance can range from:

• helping to register with My Aged Care,
• completing relevant forms,
• guidance through the assessment process,
• support to find aged care or community services, including housing and homelessness.

The care finder will keep in contact and support until services are in place.

The care finder service is free.

Why is this service needed?

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety's final report in 2021 made 148 recommendations on a wide range of areas in aged care. It heard the aged care system is complex, with some people finding it more difficult than others to navigate and access the services they need.

While My Aged Care is the starting point to find out about and access aged care services for most people, there have long been calls for more localised and face-to-face support, especially for people who require intensive help. The care finder service helps address this need.

In January 2023, the care finder program commenced when Country SA PHN and the other 30 PHNs across Australia established a network of care finders within each of their regions.