A retired Long Beach couple got a nasty surprise recently when they received the bill for their in-home care package.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Evan Holt contacted the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner on behalf of his wife, Norma, after they had been charged $829.50 for home care provided by Eurobodalla Home Nursing Service (EHNS).
The fee astounded Mr Holt given Norma had received only 7.5 hours of assistance over a period of 21 days. This included cooking and preparing meals and wheeling their garbage bins down their steep driveway.
“We provide all the ingredients, so it doesn’t include the cost of the food,” Mr Holt said.
“Yes, the meals are enjoyable and much appreciated, but they are expensive.
“How 7.5 hours of home assistance (for the) preparation and cooking of two double meals a week for three weeks can cost us $829.50, I have no real idea.
“I had steam coming out both ears.”
Norma Holt started receiving home assistance after two serious falls. She was hospitalised twice and suffered temporary short-term memory loss. Her sense of smell and taste have also been affected.
I had steam coming out both ears.
- Evan Holt
The classical artist was then approved to receive a Level 1-2 in-home care package.
Mr Holt said they were originally quoted a fee of $65 per visit.
After contacting Merimbula Home Nursing Service, of which EHNS is a subsidiary, this did little to quell his frustration.
“(They) explained that their service is based on how many days are in the month, not how many hours we had help during the month,” Mr Holt said.
“We were charged the minimum daily rate for each and every day of that month we had home assistance.
“Merimbula Home Nursing says it is the government’s system. If it is, it needs changing.”
The Bay Post/Moruya Examiner contacted Merimbula Home Nursing Service, however, a spokeswoman declined to comment at this stage.
Mr Holt said, to make matters worse, they had been charged the maximum daily rate as they were unable to complete their aged care income assessment form in time, as they were waiting on tax information.
Since first contacting the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner, Mr Holt has advised their income assessment form has been processed, but Norma will still be charged $297 per month for 10 hours of care.
“It will be cheaper to go to Club Catalina or the Soldiers Club twice a week for meals,” he said.
“I thought the government subsided aged care package was intended to encourage us oldies to stay at home for as long as we could.”
Ann Sudmalis said Mr Holt’s situation was 'horrendous'
Federal Member for Gilmore, Ann Sudmalis, said Mr Holt’s situation was “horrendous” and the processes were onerous.
“He’s opened up a lot of doors on things that need to be fixed,” Mrs Sudmalis said.
“Because he wasn’t known in the Human Services system, it didn’t give them access to all his information,” she said.
“A lot of older people have a complicated financial picture.
“To put an 18-page analysis of their finance situation on an older person … many of them give up or ask a younger person."
Mrs Sudmalis said she would pursue the issue with the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ken Wyatt, the Minister for Human Services, Alan Trudge, and the Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter.
