Bungree to deliver care finder services to Central Coast, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Maitland
Bungree Aboriginal Association is expanding its service offering and locations with the commencement of a new care finder service in February 2023.
The care finder service is designed to support ageing and older people in accessing My Aged Care services and other relevant supports in the community. Available to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal clients, care finder services will be offered to residents in Central Coast, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Maitland local government areas.
Bungree Aboriginal Association CEO, Suzanne Naden, commented on how vital the care finder services are in supporting vulnerable people.
“Care finder services are designed specifically to assist older vulnerable people who need intensive support,” said Suzanne.
“This could be an older person who has no trusted carer or support person, someone who has difficulty communicating, finds it difficult to understand information, is reluctant to engage with aged care or government or who will be in an unsafe situation if they do not receive services.”
Bungree’s care finder services will be delivered in a collaborative and culturally responsive manner. Clients will be allocated a dedicated care finder staff member who will conduct regular in-home visits or in-person meetings to understand the client’s situation and assist them to connect with the relevant aged care services and community supports.
Care finder staff will assist clients with items such as talking to My Aged Care on their behalf, arranging assessments and appointments, attending and providing support at appointments, finding aged care providers and services in the client’s area, completing forms and providing assistance with understanding service agreements.
In addition to My Aged Care, care finder staff will help clients connect with other relevant supports in the community including health services, mental health services, social services, housing and homelessness services, drug and alcohol services and community groups.
“Accessing aged care and health services can be quite daunting due to the volume of information and administration work required.
“It can be even more daunting for older people who are isolated or those who have difficulty communicating or comprehending information and often these are the individuals who need the support services the most.
“I’m thrilled Bungree Aboriginal Association is able to launch this vital service to further assist vulnerable people within our community access the care they need.
“This launch will also see Bungree expand our geographical footprint to service clients across a larger area. I’m pleased to announce we will be opening an office located in Cessnock in March this year,” she concluded.
Bungree Aboriginal Association is currently recruiting for several positions within the new care finder service team. Those interested in finding out more and applying by following the links below.
Intake and Administration Officer
care finder Service Co-ordinator
care finder Team Leader
To access care finder services, community members can contact Bungree on 02 4350 0100 or enquiries@bungree.org.au.