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Step 3: Choose St Louis & Begin Services
You can choose a provider to deliver your services.
You will be notified of your approval for Support at Home via letter, which will be in the form of a ‘notice of decision’ along with and individual support plan. Once you have received these, you can choose a provider to deliver your services. This is where St Louis Home Care comes in, and we’d be honoured to be your chosen provider.
Individual Support Plan:
Your My Aged Care approval letter (‘notice of decision’) will contain an individual support plan for the services you’re approved for. To start receiving services, the approval and individual support plan need to be given to your provider. If you already know you want St Louis Home Care – simply contact us with your details, and we will activate them in the system to assign your funding to St Louis.
Service Planning:
After you’ve chosen St Louis, we will sit down with you (and your family if you wish) to develop your support plan. This involves discussing which services you want to use your budget on, how often, and what schedule. Remember, you’re in control, we tailor the plan to your preferences. We’ll also talk about who will be coming (meet some of our care team), and establish how we’ll communicate (e.g., regular check-ins by your Care Partner). This care planning meeting can happen in your home or over the phone, whatever is comfortable, and we’ll make it as soon as possible so you can start services promptly.
Signing Up:
You’ll sign a Service Agreement with St Louis Home Care which outlines the services, the funding, and any contributions (if applicable). We will explain all the terms. This agreement is simply a contract that confirms we’ll be providing your care under the Support at Home program. It will include a schedule of fees, but as discussed, many people (full pensioners) won’t have to pay anything beyond what the government funds. If you do have a contribution, we’ll detail how much per service or per day that would be, all very transparent. Once the agreement is signed, we officially become your provider in the My Aged Care system and your services can commence!
Starting Care:
We will finalise a start date with you. Often, services can start within a couple of weeks of your approval letter (or even sooner, depending on staff availability and your readiness). Because St Louis operates in Adelaide, Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula with a dedicated team, we strive to start services quickly. Once you have funding in place, there’s usually minimal wait on our end. On the start date, our caregivers or nurses will arrive as scheduled, and your Support at Home journey begins! We’ll monitor things closely in the first few weeks to make sure you’re happy with how everything is going. If adjustments are needed (maybe you want your cleaning on Tuesdays instead of Thursdays, or need an extra visit), we’ll sort that out. Our goal is to make you comfortable and confident with your new support routine.
Orientation & Support:
We’ll provide you with a Welcome Pack containing key contact numbers (including your Care Partner’s direct line), information on how billing/statements work, and tips for getting the most out of your services. We’ll also set up your monthly statements so you can see what services were delivered and how your budget is tracking (we can mail these or email, your preference). Remember, you can change your mind or tweak services anytime. If something isn’t working for you, just tell us, we’ll fix it.
Choosing a provider is a personal decision. We encourage you to consider factors like experience, range of services, staff qualifications, and that “gut feeling” of trust. At St Louis, we pride ourselves on being family-run, experienced (since 1946), and having a personal touch that larger providers may not. Our clients often say they feel like part of the family. We hope you’ll feel that way too.