One of our friendly and caring CarePath Navigators will first take the time to get a good understanding of the day-to-day challenges that are present. No matter how small or large these challenges are, we'll be sure to have them all written down so that there is a clear picture of the situation to resolve. ​ We'll then discuss with the care recipient and family members their preferred solutions to such challenges. If you're stuck on ideas, your experienced home care navigator can offer comforting suggestions. Now that a good understanding of the situation is in place, the various government-funded home care support options and subsidies can be presented.

Your CarePath Navigator will then speak to relevant government departments and assessment teams to advocate on your behalf to assist with getting registered for the required home care support services. ​ This service is highly beneficial for those who find it difficult or stressful to speak to a government department call centre about the challenges they are experiencing. ​

So that the care recipients and any family members are well prepared for the upcoming home care assessment, your CarePath Navigator will step you and your family members through a pre-assessment coaching session. This will ensure everyone is well prepared for the upcoming aged care assessment; everyone understands the questions they will be asked and can articulate the challenges they are looking to solve clearly and productively. Without such preparation, it is widespread for people to be under-assessed for their genuine support needs. This is because an assessor will often not fully appreciate the full extent of the struggles and challenges that were indeed going on behind the scenes. ​ If an underassessment does occur, it can take many months, if not years, to rectify the situation. So it's essential to get assessed the first time correctly. ​

Once the aged care assessment has taken place, you will be notified by the relevant government agency within 1-2 weeks of the assessment outcome. Usually, this will be the government's "My Aged Care" department. Understanding the various aspects of the My Aged Care assessment letter and the terminology used can be highly confusing for many. Your CarePath Navigator will take the time to explain the assessment outcome letter to the care recipient and family members and follow up with government departments if additional support is required.

With the relevant home care approvals now in place, it's time to find service providers that can begin delivering your required services. This can often be a stressful and frustrating experience for many care recipients and family members as it can be tough to find an aged care service provider available to take on additional clients. To alleviate this stress, your CarePath Navigator will do the research for you and provide a short list of local service providers available to take on additional clients.

In the same way a person should carry out due diligence and negotiation when hiring a service provider for any household or day-to-day service (eg, a plumber, a car mechanic, a gardener, etc); hiring someone to provide home care support is no different. Your CarePath Navigator can book meetings with preferred home care providers and negotiate pricing and service agreement terms on behalf of the family. This ensures maximum value and consumer experience.

To ensure things are going well and all needs are met, your CarePath Navigator will conduct a six-week follow-up once home care services have started. If additional needs aren't being met, your CarePath Navigator can provide further guidance and advocacy to address the challenges.