Maeve’s Story

My family had never experienced something as devastating as when my mother-in- law, Maeve, was diagnosed with dementia very shortly after having a heart attack and two minor brain bleeds. She was always a very independent and sociable woman and suddenly she was not allowed to return from hospital to her own home. We had considered calling in home care so that she could continue living independently but she was now beyond that stage. Finding a suitable nursing home in Geelong became so urgent right at a time that we were all trying to come to terms with the deterioration in the health of a woman that we loved so much. We knew that we couldn’t cope with the stress and emotion of evaluating aged care homes without help from professional aged care consultants, agent or advisor.

Twin Ways Aged Care Consultants were recommended to us through someone who had been through a similar experience and had sought aged care advice and assistance with aged care placement. The health authorities recommended a transitional nursing home placement until we could find an appropriate secure aged care facility. Maeve tended to wander, because she was in an unfamiliar environment, so we absolutely had to find her secure permanent care. Twin Ways treated Maeve’s situation with respect and sensitivity.

At times like this, there can be disagreement amongst family members but Twin Ways involved the whole family throughout the process of short listing aged care homes that suited Maeve’s financial position, health care needs, and in a location where all family members had easy access for visits. Trying to understand the financial planning at the same time as being focussed on Maeve’s care needs was something that we couldn’t cope with without the help from independent aged care consultants. We were already run off our feet with taking control under Power of Attorney, having to sell Maeve’s unit, and dealing with her laundry and other care needs.

Twin Ways did everything for us from finding a placement solution, after several inspections of facilities in the area and checking everything against comprehensive checklists, including evaluation of costs, vacancies, suitability, security, care options, checking of menus and food quality, to completing all of the complicated forms, negotiating the final costs and, at the same time, acting as independent advisors and mediators. As a family, we were able to come to an agreement on Maeve’s future accommodation and care. They took so much pressure off us.

Maeve was moved into a wonderful, very caring home, within two weeks of us accepting Twin Ways’ quote but they didn’t desert us at that point. They continued to check in with us right through Maeve’s settling in period to make sure that everything was to our expectations. Even though Twin Ways is an aged care consultancy based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne (Kew), they were more than happy to travel to Geelong to ensure our final choice was the correct one.

Christine, Geelong

Barbara’s Story

Barbara was a strong, independent person living in her own home and caring for her elderly mother when she began to show signs of dementia. Short term memory loss and repetitive conversation were clearly evident. This was accompanied by unusual behaviour and a real concern for her safety. Saucepans badly burnt, lack of showering, constantly locking herself out of her house, several falls, inability to distinguish a pension statement from a bill, were just a few signs that she couldn’t cope on her own. When she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s many years ago it was a very difficult time for her whole family. She had three adult daughters who provided her with all of the care she needed to enable her to remain in her own home for quite a long time. This extended to cooking, housework and maintenance, attending medical and other appointments, weekly shopping, basic nursing care and assistance with financial management. Unfortunately Barbara, being so independent, rejected any home services provided through her local Council or independent agencies.

It was so important not to rush her into an aged care home away from the environment that she was so familiar with. Any move was likely to result in her becoming more confused.

Eventually it became imperative to find a suitable nursing home and to arrange an ACAS Assessment. Finding an aged care home is not as simple as it sounds. There were so many things that Barbara’s family had to consider. They started off by looking for a place that was close to where they lived, provided a high quality living environment including varied menus and facilities for visitors to dine with Barbara, hairdressing services and sufficient privacy. They visited several homes and selected one that they believed ticked all of the boxes.

It wasn’t long after the move that Barbara deteriorated significantly and required a higher level of care. In retrospect, the family realised that they should have concentrated on the requirements for Barbara’s future rather than just her immediate needs. In addition to the original criteria, other considerations now became very important: the ratio of trained care staff per resident, the number of enrolled nurses on staff at all times, the ability to provide medical care, laundry services, social activities, assistance with showering and other personal needs, access to a mobile dentist and special dietary requirements.

Once the family knew exactly what they were looking for, they prepared a comprehensive list and researched several aged care homes before making a final choice. They realised that they would have been much better off initially with guidance from an independent aged care guidance service before deciding on the first nursing home. Barbara was able to live comfortably in the second home for several years with all of the care that she needed including excellent palliative care when the time came. The daughters continued to manage her finances under Powers of Attorney and looked after her clothing and other personal requirements but the nursing home provided the everyday care, security, and respect that made Barbara’s life still worth living.