Connections Program
If you are an older person living in the City of Melbourne (or care for someone who is), you can contact the Connections Program Lead for information about aged care and support at home.
This may include information about eligibility, aged care assessments, finding a service provider, and where to get additional support.
The Connections Program can also help you find activities, programs, support, and opportunities in your community.
View Connections Program locations and feel free to drop in at a location and date that suits you. You can also call 9658 9190 or email healthyageing@melbourne.vic.gov.au
Help with the aged care system
The first step in accessing aged care services is to contact My Aged Care – the Australian Government system that connects you with a full range of services for older people.
These services may include help around the home to live as independently as possible, respite care, or residential aged care homes.
My Aged Care is for people aged 65 and over, or 50 and over if you are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
You can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit the My Aged Care website. External link
If you're 65 and over (50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), you need to have a My Aged Care External link assessment to apply. Call 1800 200 422 to access services.
If you're under 65 (under 50 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), contact the National Disability Insurance Agency External link on 1800 800 110.
Funded by the Australian and Victorian governments.
Care Finders
Some older people need extra, intensive support to access aged care services and other supports in the community.
In these situations, a care finder may be able to help.
Care finders is a free service. It exists to support vulnerable people, who have no one else who can support them, to learn about, apply for and set up support services.
Who can use the care finder service?
The care finder service is not available for everyone. It is specifically for vulnerable older people, who need intensive support to access aged care and other local services.
To receive care finder support, a person must:
- have no carer or support person who can help them
- not have a carer or support person they feel comfortable or trust to support them
- be eligible for government-funded aged care.
In addition, they should have one or more of these reasons for needing intensive support:
- have difficulty communicating because of language or literacy problems
- find it difficult to understand information and make decisions
- be reluctant to engage with aged care or government
- be in an unsafe situation if they do not receive services.
Care finders can help vulnerable older people navigate the aged care system and find support services to improve their quality of life. Care finders can help with both accessing services for the first time and changing or finding new services and supports.
They can help someone with:
- talking to My Aged Care on their behalf and arranging an assessment
- attending and providing support at the assessment
- finding and short-listing aged care providers in their area
- completing forms and understanding aged care service agreements
- checking-in once services are up and running to make sure everything is OK
- solving other challenges and connecting to supports in the community, such as health, mental health, housing and homelessness, drug and alcohol services and community groups.
Care finder services that cover Melbourne include:
- cohealth – phone 9448 5536
- VincentCare – phone 8327 7400
- Wintringham – phone 9034 4824
- Housing for the Aged Action Group – phone 1300 765 178
