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Community care rights and responsibilities
All service providers have to meet standards in the way they deliver services and how they treat you. They also have a responsibility to make sure that you know what your rights are.
If you receive community care, you have the right to:
- be involved in deciding which care services are the most appropriate for your needs
- be given enough information to help you make an informed choice
- choose, from the community care available, the care that best meets your needs
- be given a written community care plan for the care you will receive
- receive services that take account of your lifestyle and cultural, linguistic and religious preferences
- be able to take part in social activities and community life as you wish
- be treated with dignity and to have your privacy respected
- complain about the services you receive without fear of losing these services, or being disadvantaged in any way, and
- choose a person to speak on your behalf for any purpose.
Aged Care Act
Community care service providers must comply with responsibilities under laws such as the Aged Care Act 1997. For example, if you receive a Community Aged Care Package (CACP) (more information), Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) (more information) and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH D) (more information) you have the right to receive a service that meets government standards, including the right to:- be treated with respect and courtesy
- have your lifestyle and cultural and personal beliefs respected
- be informed and to be consulted
- receive good quality services
- be part of decisions made about your care
- privacy and confidentiality, and to access all personal information kept about you by the service
- a written plan of the services you will receive
- have another person of your choice support you and advocate on your behalf
- have your comments valued and to make a complaint if you’re unhappy with the services your receive, and
- retain your care package for as long as you remain living at home in the community and while it’s still appropriate to meet your needs.
Charter of rights and responsibilities
The new Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Care which came into effect on 1 October 2009 applies to all recipients of Commonwealth Government funded community care packages and the people who provide them with those services.The charter applies to the three types of community care packages funded by the Rudd Government that help older Australians continue to live independently and in their own homes and communities, being:
- Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) - which provide services such as personal care, social support, home help, meal preparation and transport.
- Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) - which provide clinical support such as registered nurses, and allied health professionals; and
- Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACHD) – which provide the full range of services that EACH packages provide, plus services to meet the specific needs of care recipients with dementia.
Since 1997 residents of nursing homes have had a charter that clearly outlined their rights and responsibilities. In recognition of the growing importance and demand from older Australians for community care, the introduction of this charter means recipients of community care packages will now know their rights and responsibilities.
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