Frequently Asked Questions
What is My Best Life?
My Best Life is a new service proudly brought to you by Baptcare, that seeks to explore new and innovative ways of supporting our Home Care Package Customers.
My Best Life Self-Managed Packages
My Best Life Self-Managed Packages
Self-Managed Home Care Packages offer you more control and lower costs to make the most of your Home Care Package funding
My Best Life is a new service proudly brought to you by Baptcare, that delivers new and innovative ways of supporting our Home Care Package customers.
The My Best Life Team will support you to learn all of the important skills you need to manage your own care.
We recognise that everyone is unique with individual goals and needs. That's why our team of dedicated and compassionate Local Community Partners ensure that the focus is on you, co-designing flexible Care Plans that suit your needs.
Why choose My Best Life?
Flexibility and choice
We train, coach and support you to self-manage your own home care package, including managing your care workers. You can review the available care workers in your area, and can even meet your preferred workers before you agree to have them deliver care for you. Do you already know someone who you’d like to deliver care to you? No problem, they can be supported to register on the platform and can be part of your support team.
Connecting you to the community
We can help you maintain or re-establish your connection within your community and connect you with your passions and hobbies. We can also help you become a volunteer - allowing you to give back to the community.
Minimising your costs
We keep the My Best Life Care Management fees low so that you can spend more of your home care package on services.
Well-trained and reliable support
We will ensure you have access to well-trained and reliable workers who deliver personal and high quality services.
Access to Local Community Partners
We offer access to a team of dedicated and compassionate Local Community Partners who will provide Care Management support. Our Local Community Partners will work collaboratively with you to identify your support needs, service options and will help you maximise the benefits of your Home Care Package funds.
We will respect you as an individual and listen to what is important to you, supporting you to identify and access services that are aligned to your customs, sexual orientation/gender identity, circumstances and background.
Available services
Available Home Care Package services may include:
- Home respite
- Personal care
- Domestic assistance
- Care management
- Allied health and wellbeing services
- Nursing
- Shopping assistance
- Transportation to appointments
- General home maintenance
- Meal preparation
- Pet therapy
- Learning new skills (e.g. computer skills)
- Companionship and connection to the local community
- Pet care.
Everyday personal care is essential to independent living at home. We provide access to personal services including:
- Help with shopping
- Meal preparation
- Escorted transport (assistance to get to appointments or events)
- Help with dressing, showering and toileting
- Help to move around your home
- Advice and assistance to make your home safer and easier to live in
- Equipment, technological devices or other products to help you with daily tasks, mobility, personal hygiene or staying safe.
Supporting your family
Caring for a friend or family member can be physically and emotionally tiring. In-home respite can help support the person you care for in their home and provide you with an opportunity to have a break.
I’m really excited about the self-managed package, it allows me to care for my mother in a whole new way, at a whole new level, with her firmly involved in what’s happening.Daughter of customer, June 2019
Who is Baptcare?
Baptcare draws on more than 70 years of experience in aged care. We have delivered government-funded Home Care Package services for more than 20 years and are a leading provider of packages in Victoria. In this time we have helped thousands of people, and their families and carers, to get quality care and navigate the complexities of the aged care system.
Baptcare is a customer focused, faith centred and purpose driven organisation providing residential and community care for older people. Our experience and the scope of our services across aged care mean that we are able to offer guidance and provide support if your heath or situation changes over time.
We also provide support to children, families and people with a disability, financially disadvantaged people and people seeking asylum.
One of Baptcare’s core values is respect – understanding and embracing each person’s individuality, and the importance of providing care that recognises each person’s dignity.
What is a Care Plan?
A Care Plan outlines your holistic goals as identified by you and/or your representative, to support you to live your best life at home. Your Care Plan will be reviewed and evaluated by you and/or your representative and your Local Community Partner at agreed intervals, or if there is a change in your situation or care needs.
What type of support can I expect to receive?
My Best Life will provide you support through its Support Worker network. Government guidelines direct that we remain responsible for managing service quality and meeting all regulatory requirements. This includes making sure that police checks are met and that workers are appropriately qualified and trained for the service being provided.
My Best Life will source Support Workers that are most appropriate for your individual needs, and look - wherever possible - to find the best possible Support Workers for your circumstances (for example, speaks your language).
I get Home Care Package services from another provider. Can I change my provider?
If you or someone you care for has a Home Care Package with another provider, recent government changes mean that it is now easier to change to another provider.
Call the team at Baptcare on 13 22 78 and reference 'My Best Life' to further discuss your options. We’ll talk you through the steps and answer any questions you may have.
Step 1. Talk to us about your situation: including the Package level you are on or have been assessed as requiring and your needs and what is important to you to be able to keep doing. We’ll talk to you about getting the most out of your package, and the care and support options we can offer to help you live well, independently and safely in your own home.
Step 2. We’ll get the process started. If your Home Care Package began after July 2013 contact My Aged Care and ask for your referral code, or for your referral code to be reactivated. This code is used to start your services with us. If your package started before July 2013 you’ll just need your Medicare number.
Step 3. Notify your current provider and agree an end date for services.You may be asked to pay an exit fee, which cannot be more than your unspent funds, or what is listed in your Home Care Agreement.
Step 4. Call us and we’ll talk to you about an agreed start date for services. The start date will be on or after the end date with your old provider. We’ll also ask you to enter into a Home Care Agreement with us. We are very happy to talk to a family member or someone who cares for you to answer any questions they may have.