Health and Wellbeing Services

The Country SA Services Directory is designed to quickly identify available services across the Riverland, Mallee and Limestone Coast. This directory will provide you with current information about health, community and support services available in your region.

Riverland Services Directory

Murray Mallee Services Directory

Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) supports the independence of older people and their carers by providing a range of in home assistance, social activities, and transport.

The CHSP is an entry-level in-home aged care support program that helps older people to live independently in their home and community.

The program aims to:

• help older people live as independently as possible
• focus on enabling older people, rather than doing things for them
• give a small amount of help to a large number of people.

The Commonwealth Home Support Program is funded by the Federal Government.

Who can access the service?

The CHSP is for eligible older people who need support to live independently and are:

• aged 65 years and over. or
• an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person aged 50 years or older. or
• homeless, or at risk of homelessness, and aged 50 years or over.

What support is available?

A wide range of services are available to support people to remain living independently in the comforts of their own home.

How to access the services?

To access all CHSP support you will first need to register with My Aged Care

My Aged Care is both a contact centre and a referral point.

When you contact My Aged Care for the first time, you should expect the following:

• Your initial registration will be completed over the phone with a My Aged Care staff member who will ask you about your health, how you’re managing at home and any support you’re currently receiving. You can nominate a support person or advocate to speak on your behalf if you wish.
• At the end of the phone registration, you will be informed whether you are eligible for a face-to-face assessment.
• If you are eligible, an assessor will contact you within three weeks to arrange a face-to-face assessment.
• After the assessment, the assessor will either provide you with service referral codes or lodge referrals on your behalf.
• If it is determined that you have immediate needs, My Aged Care may refer you directly to services before your face-to-face assessment takes place.
• If you require more complex care, My Aged Care will arrange for you to meet with an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) to help work out more complex packages of home care (there are four levels) or access to residential care.

Further information about the My Aged Care assessment process can be found on the My Aged Care website myagedcare.gov.au

How to contact My Aged Care

Below are ways to start the registration process with My Aged Care:

• Telephone toll free on 1800 200 422 (weekdays 8am to 8pm and Saturdays 10am to 2pm)
• Use My Aged Care’s interactive website myagedcare.gov.au

The National Dementia Helpline is a free, federally funded service that provides information and advice to:

• people living with dementia
• people concerned about changes to memory and thinking
• people living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
• family, friends and carers of people living with dementia
• people who work in health and aged care.

In addition to sharing information and advice, the team can also:

• provide emotional support and guidance
• connect constituents to Dementia Australia and community support services and programs
• discuss government support, including My Aged Care, National Disability Insurance
• Scheme (NDIS), Carer Gateway and Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service (DBMAS)

The National Dementia Helpline can be accessed via phone on 1800 100 500, webchat at dementia.org.au/helpline/webchat and email, helpline@dementia.org.au.