Townsville pensioner left fearful after home care crackdown

Changes to aged home care left a Townsville man in the lurch with a garden he was scared could burn his house down.

Changes to aged home care have left a Townsville man in the lurch with a garden he was scared could burn his house down.

Townsville pensioner William Bell woke up every morning terrified his unkempt garden would burn his and the neighbours’ houses down.

The 83-year-old has limited mobility and has been left frustrated by the service he gets from his aged care provider, Ozcare.

The former merchant sailor and cancer survivor is grateful for the home care support package he receives from the federal government, but feels let-down by services in Townsville.

“The money from the government is very good,” Mr Bell said, and claimed he had not used $12,000 of entitlements last year.

Townsville man William 'Bill' Bell. Picture: Blair Jackson

Mr Bell wants other people in his situation to be aware of what services they’re entitled to, and better communication from aged care providers.

Mr Bell’s frustrations stemmed from a large swath of vegetation which he could not maintain himself, and the subsequent radio silence when he tried to get it sorted.

A host of services became excluded from home care packages earlier this year.

He has a level three care package - level four is the highest level of care. Home care packages provide for ‘light gardening services’, but not extensive gardening which he needed.

However, those guidelines were tightened in January this year, explicitly excluding extensive gardening, leaving Mr Bell with a problem he incorrectly thought he was covered for.

“It was a fire hazard. I used to wake up in the morning, my neighbour is a 94-year-old who lives alone, my house might survive a fire, hers wouldn’t,” he said.

Mr Bell’s home care package and associated guidelines make repeated reference to safety of the policy holder; Mr Bell felt the garden infringed his safety.

The previous home care guidelines said light gardening was covered, but also simply list ‘gardening’ as an included support service.

The new January guidelines bring in the word ‘light’ to describe included gardening services.

“Home maintenance, reasonably required to maintain the home and garden in a condition of functional safety and provide an adequate level of security, such as cleaning gutters,” are services the current guidelines say are included.

Mr Bell is recently separated from his wife and does not use a computer; repeated attempts to get an answer about what he was entitled to went begging.

From there he contacted the Community Information Centre Townsville.

Centre co-ordinator Teresa Hudson shared Mr Bell’s frustrations at the aged care system, but got on the phone and managed to get gardeners at a heavily discounted rate brokered by St Vincent de Paul’s.

An Ozcare spokesman said package entitlement guidelines were tightened this year.

Even with a privacy waiver, Ozcare would not comment on Mr Bell’s situation specifically.

“At all times, Ozcare ensures that it is providing the best possible care for clients in home according to these guidelines,” he said.

The tightened guidelines state light gardening, but not extensive, were provided, the spokesman said.

The federal government published an updated Home Care Packages Program Operational Manual on January 13, changing what residents could claim as part of the scheme.

Home care packages have been budgeted $2.2bn this year.

Originally published as Townsville pensioner left fearful after home care crackdown