INCREASING DEMAND FOR AGED CARE SUPPORT SERVICES

VOLUNTEERS DOING THE HARD YARDS

Tasmania has been identified as one of the quickest ageing populations in the Nation and most elderly people are choosing to remain living in their own home for as long as possible. To assist elderly people to achieve this goal it is vital that they have access to reliable community home support services.

Mersey Community Care Association (MCCA) has been providing community home support services to frail, older people, younger disabled persons and their carers, living within the Devonport, Latrobe and Kentish municipalities for the past 44 years and has recently launched service provision within the Central Coast Municipality.

President of the organisation, Ron Pankiv said, “Our organisation is very lucky, because we have a team of fantastic volunteers who consistently give up their time to do all the hands on work to support frail, older people in our community who want to remain living independently. The Government is promoting programs aimed at keeping elderly people in their own homes for as long as possible and our organisation can provide the support they need to achieve this”.

Mr Pankiv went on to say, “The demand for MCCA services are growing rapidly and the organisation consistently exceeds the statistics that are used by the Government for funding purposes”. Mr Pankiv also said, “The Board of Directors is hoping that additional funding will be available in the near future to ensure that the organisation can continue to meet the demand for services and support those clients who wish to remain in their own home. Since the introduction of the My Aged Care website in July this year, the organisation has received many new client referrals for people, who in the past may not have been aware of the organisation and what we can offer. Our current client data base is 1525 and I am sure that the number of people who will need our services will continue to grow”.

Operations Manager Kathryn Edmunds said “MCCA is unique in the respect that we utilise the support of volunteers who work at the coal face and do all of the hands on work. The services that we provide including, Transport, Home Maintenance, Spring Cleaning and Social Support are so important for the health and well-being of our clients and our volunteers just love providing the care and support that our clients need”.

Ms Edmunds also said “The geographical area we cover includes a lot of rural communities and our volunteers often find themselves assisting clients in some very remote locations. The volunteers will often share a story about a client who is living alone, in a very isolated or remote area, who have very little or no support. The contact our volunteers have with the clients is so important, because the volunteers have a lot of knowledge of the services that are available to assist people and are proactive in providing feedback if they are concerned about a client’s welfare. Our organisation is just one important part of a support system that frail, older people rely on to remain independent and we love what we do and are always looking for ways to improve our services”.

If you are interested in finding out more about the services offered by MCCA a Client Open Day is being held at our premises at 167 Steele Street, Devonport on Friday, 23 October, between 11am and 2pm.

The Open Day coincides with Seniors Week and is a great opportunity for both existing and potential clients, and members of the community to come along and check out our newly renovated premises and meet the volunteers and staff.
Kathryn Edmunds Operations Manager Mersey Community Care Association Inc.