Choosing a home care provider…it’s about more than just money

Flexibility

Do you want a provider who employs their own direct care staff, one who has relationships with a range of service providers that they trust and regularly use or do you want to find your own care delivery staff and advise the home care provider of who you want?  Most providers will have a primary business model.  If you think that one particular option is better suited to you, ask the provider how they operate. 

Communication

Most home care providers will come to visit you in your home initially.  After that initial meeting, what do you need?  Are you confident that you can manage your care goals and needs and do most of your communication online? Some providers offer a low cost administration model based on you doing most of the leg work.   At the other end, if you have complex or changing needs or you prefer to build a long term personal relationship with someone who gets to know you and can assist you to anticipate your changing needs, you might want someone local to you who can give you regular face to face assistance. 

Quality

How do they monitor the skills & standards of their workers or contracted staff.  What is their feedback process?  What is the process if you are not happy with the service provider or staff who are delivering your services?

Fees and charges

Home care providers all have their own business and pricing models so understanding what the actual fees and charges are can be a challenge.  The percentage for core advisory or case management is just one fee to consider.  Also ask about entry and exit fees, booking and cancellation fees, limits on case management or other services  and what happens after the limits are reached.  Do they charge the daily care fee, under what circumstances it can be waived or put on hold and if it’s not being charged, for what term does this apply.

Service delivery costs

There can be significant variations in the cost of getting the same service into the home and getting quotes on some of the core services you will regularly be using will help to determine how many hours of direct care you might get.  Remember to weigh it up with booking and cancellation fees.

From self-managed options to a fully managed personal service model there a will be a home care provider that’s right for you.  Karista can help you to get accurate and relevant information to assist you to make the right choice for you.

The 3 P’s - Planning, patience and persistence is key when applying for funding

I have had a lot of conversations with people of late around the need to plan well and execute patience and persistence when applying for funding.

But it's worth putting that time aside and spending time planning.

So put that diary entry in your calendar and spend the time researching and investigating and if Karista can help contact us a info@karista.com.au or go to www.karista.com.au

Some useful links for our young ones

It can be difficult to talk to children or young adults who are finding it hard to articulate their needs. Below are some easy to access online resources to help. Considering our young ones are so computer savvy sending them to links to assist in the process, or it could be something you access yourself to assist in the discussion. See below - some great links:

Bullying at work - WorkSafe Victoria - click here

Victoria Legal Aid - Workplace Bullying - click here

Kids Helpline – click here

Lifeline – click here

Beyond Blue - click here

Youth beyond Blue – click here

Headspace - click here

Youth Off the Streets - click here

Department of Health Victoria - click here

StreetSmart Australia - click here

Homelessness Australia - click here

Department of Health and Ageing - Mental Health - click here

Asperger Syndrome and Adults - Better Health Victoria - click here

Autism Victoria - click here

Autism Help – click here

What is important when searching for care for a loved one?

Whether you are looking for your child who has particular needs, or for your mum who is getting older and needs assistance with things at home, it is important to balance care with cost. It is without a doubt that care is most important but very few of us can afford to splash out testing and trying different services to understand what is best. So, reviews play a big part as does the quotation process. Karista allows carers to review providers, the services available and has implemented a star rating system. As the business is new it needs support from the community to get reviews. Help out your peers, or people like you, by rating your provider. Your opinion does matter, a review by you could mean the difference for the next person who is in a similar position to you. Search and review your provider in Melbourne or Geelong at www.karista.com.au

Search and review your provider

www.karista.com.au

How to save time researching home care or disability support services.

It really is hard finding services that meet the needs of a loved one that requires assistance at home. Services for just one person can vary from personal care to nursing services as well as someone to provide transport. It can often even extend to OT or physio services. And then you need to ensure that the services are delivered to the right area, that the service provider is accredited and also provides care for your funding type which could vary across all of those services. It can be a nightmare! Karista is learning from the community what services are needed across the board. Today Karista offers a range of services, across multiple funded and non-funded options for all age groups in Melbourne and Geelong and over time will increase its service offering and location (soon to be national). Karista is a super quick and easy to use tool that uses an algorithm to collate important information from the user in order to provide extremely relevant and accurate information, you can then review each of the relevant providers and request a quote. Features are being added regularly as information comes from carers and the community. Feel free to drop us a line - we love feedback! info@karista.com.au Or request a quote - www.karista.com.au

Karista - making finding home care and disability support services easy!

Hello and welcome to Karista – the place that makes finding the care and support services that suit you, easy!

We appreciate that if you’re looking for disability supports or home care services, you probably have enough on your plate without spending hours trying to find what you’re after. And even when you have a provider, sometimes you just want to check what’s out there to make sure you’ve still got the right one for you.  That’s why we’re pulling all the service providers together on one website.

Karista provides the information, consumer reviews and technology that allows you to quickly identify the services in your area that best match your requirements. When you see something you like, request a quote with just a click. How easy is that?

Unlike some sites, at Karista, we won’t ask for a raft of personal information before you can access anything – you can jump straight in and start having a look around.

We’re in the process of uploading many more providers as we aim to be thorough. It’s a massive task so please bear with us and pop back regularly to see what we’ve added in your area. (If you’re a provider, please contact us, and we’ll make sure to get you included as soon as possible.)

And finally, we’d love your input! If you’ve used a provider, please add a review or simple let us know what you think of the site.

Happy searching – and finding!

The Karista Team

Carer Community - Your reviews count

Making decisions about somebody else’s care needs is a huge responsibility and can be a daunting task.  Choosing a provider for someone who needs help at home, we know you’ve got their bests interests at heart but how do you know you are really making the right choice of provider?  It is such an important decision and one that will never be taken lightly. 

You can be safe in the knowledge that there are many others like you and we like to think that we might be able to help.  Karista is creating a community of likeminded people who share their experiences in order to help others make informed decisions.  We want to encourage you to take the time to provide feedback about your experience with providers you have used.  We also want you to use the ratings and reviews that others have provided to guide you in making the right decisions for your loved one. Karista wants to help you make informed decisions because we know how important your role is as a carer and we know how much you care.

You can find us on our website at www.karista.com.au