WARATAH NEWSLETTER

January 2012

A very Happy and Healthy New Year everyone, I hope this letter finds you cool & dry

Thanks to everyone who attended the Christmas party, it is always great to be able to catch up with you all and have a chat. Well done to the winners of the hampers and lucky door prizes!

Well things are busy again with Day Club back for 2012. Could those of you who have the special waratah name tags bring them into Waratah to wear while at the club, but keep your membership card in your purse or wallet club .

The cottage has reopened after the replacement of the vinyl and carpet over the Christmas Week. It is looking very nice.

Carers, If you are considering having a break soon we do have some beds available from mid January until the end of February. Call the staff on 66483610 and they can tell you what is available and assist you with making a booking.

 The Coffs Harbour Dementia Carer Support Group meets every third Tuesday of the month commencing in February. All family and friends of people caring for someone with any form of memory loss / dementia is very welcome to come along for information and support. It is a wonderful friendly informal group who welcome new members. Take the opportunity to come along and meet people who have something in common. For more details please call Judy Bartholomew on 66592011 .

 Alzheimer’s Australia provide excellent education for carers and family members of someone who has memory loss / Alzheimer’s.

Family Carer Education is coming up on Thursday March 15 th 9.30 – 2pmfor more information and to book a seat ring Judy on 66592911.

Nambucca Heads will have Family Carer Education on the 26 th March – again contact Judy Bartholomew.

Carers don’t forget we can entertain the person you care for, while you attend education ,support groups or counselling; there is no charge, just call Waratah the day before your appointment so we can cater for the extra person.

W e are only a phone call away. Your Friends @ Waratah .

Commonly asked questions regarding residential respite

• I have never accessed residential respite, what do I do? Answer: to be eligible for residential respite an Aged Care Assessment is required. If you have not had an Aged care Assessment, ring Intake on 6567646 and request an assessment.

• What is an Aged Care Assessment? Answer: An Aged Care Assessment is when a professional from the Aged Care Assessment Team ( ACAT) visit you at home and ask you a series of questions about your health and the support you may need to remain safely at home. The assessment is recorded on a Aged Care Client Record (ACCR) and the person being assessed is graded as requiring low or high care. ( if you have a package of care such as an EACH or CACP package, you have already had an assessment)

• How many days residential respite am I entitled to each year? Answer: 9 weeks or 63 days per financial year ( 1 st July – 30 th June) unless you have a CACP or EACH package of care in which case it is 56 days per financial year.

• Will the Department of Veterans Affairs pay for the residential respite? Answer: if you or the person you care for have a DVA Gold card, you may be eligible. Call DVA on 1300550450 to enquire.

• Can I book Residential respite all at once? Answer: Yes! if you wish to plan your breaks for the whole year and you have had the ACAT assessment you can book it in any combination you like i.e in one block of 9 weeks , weekly , two weeks etc .

• What are the admission and discharge days? Answer: each facility is different. At Waratah it is Wednesday to Wednesday.

• What do Carers need to do after they have booked their respite? Answer: Make an appointment with their doctor for about a week before they are due to come into respite. Request a current medication chart and a medical profile. Take the medication chart and tablets to your chemist and request them to pack them into a webster pak and ask for a signing sheet. Bring the sheets and medications on the day of admission.

• How much is residential respite? Answer: the cost is set by the Department of Health and Ageing; it is currently$289.10 per week.

• What do I pack for respite? Answer: pack at least 4 changes of comfortable clothes and any special items like photos or favourite pillow. At Waratah we wash the persons clothes inhouse, so we request that you simply mark each item of clothing using a texta pen on the clothing / designer tag at the rear of the item i.e. The name Wendy Connor would be “W.C.”. Any other questions regarding respite you can contact Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre on 1800052222 or Waratah staff on 66483610.