Veterans Home Care

The Regal services available under the Veterans Home Care programme are:

Personal Care

Activities may include assistance with:

• eating;
• bathing/showering;
• toileting;
• dressing and grooming, including:
  • application of compression stockings;
  • application of skin care creams and lotions (non-medicated or prescribed/non-prescribed cortisone cream), pressure area prevention aids and protective bandaging; and
  • fitting of aids/appliances such as splints, callipers.
• getting in and out of bed; and
• moving about the house

Domestic Assistance

Activities may include assistance with:

• house cleaning;
• dishwashing;
• clothes and linen washing and ironing;
• bed making;
• internal window cleaning*;
• unaccompanied shopping for the Entitled Person using a shopping list;
• unaccompanied bill paying for the Entitled Person;
• meal preparation but not complete food services (meal preparation cannot be the primary focus of Domestic Assistance); and
• chopping/splitting, moving and/or stacking of firewood on the Entitled Person’s property in rural and remote areas.

Home & Garden Maintenance

Activities covered are minor maintenance or repair work to minimise environmental and health and safety hazards that can be carried out by a handyperson and do not require a qualified tradesperson. Activities may include:

• replacing light bulbs;
• changing batteries in smoke and/or security alarms;
• cleaning gutters, external and internal windows, ceiling fans, exhaust fans and/or airconditioning/split system units;
• minor home maintenance (e.g. cupboard door adjustment);
• pruning or weeding where an environmental health and safety hazard exists**;
• clearing of debris following natural disasters;
• chopping/splitting, moving and/or stacking of firewood located on the Entitled Person’s property;
• one-off yard clean up where a safety hazard exists (e.g. fire reduction, mobility limitation); and/or
• regular lawn mowing services

In Home Respite

In-Home Respite allows a Carer to have a break while a Care Worker comes into the home to take over the caring role. In-Home Respite can be for regular visits or for one-off situations, from one hour to an overnight stay. It gives the Carer the opportunity to attend to everyday activities and supports Carers who have other work/education commitments or those re-entering the workforce. For example, In-Home Respite helps a Carer to:

• attend a medical appointment;
• receive planned surgery or treatment;
• attend an event, show, movie, sport;
• attend to self-care activities, relaxation;
• go on a weekend short-break;
• recover from an illness or a stress-related event; or
• attend to work/employment or school/education commitments.

The provision of In-Home Respite may occur while the Carer is absent from the home or while they are at home, but it must enable the Carer to be relieved of the caring tasks.