Finding care in the home

Harold* is an older man with disability in his late 70s. He is a wheelchair user living in a rooming house with a private room and a bathroom and shared kitchen. He has lived in the same property for 13 years and considers it his home. The Community Housing Provider that manages the rooming house referred Harol to HAAG’s Care finder service. At the time of referral, Harold had no hope of living and was smoking and drinking heavily as a result of stress and the unliveable condition of his unit.

Harold has complex needs that directly relate to his mobility. Although the building is wheelchair accessible, the main entrance to the rooming house is a heavy door that is not automatic. Harold needs support from another person to enter and exit the building or has to get off of his wheelchair to physically open the door which is a significant safety risk. Given his challenges with the entrance door to go out for smoking, he sometimes smokes inside his unit which is another safety risk.

Due to his mobility issues and challenges with using the main entrance, he is often unable to take his garbage out. If food or anything else falls on the floor of his unit, he’s unable to clean it due to lack of room to manoeuvre his wheelchair inside the unit. As a result of his health issues, he has also had issues with using the bathroom and has excrements on the floor and his mattress that he has been unable to clean.

He has been approved for an entry level Commonwealth Home Support package (CHSP). However, given the situation of his unit, the service providers consider it a health and safety risk and are not providing him with any services.



The HAAG Care finder team member immediately worked with the Community Housing Provider to get a new mattress and is working on organising an industrial cleaning of his unit. The staff member is also working with others to get the entry door changed to an automatic door so it does not pose a safety risk. She is also working on getting Harold reconnected with health services and obtaining a number of support letters that accurately reflect the level of his support needs.

Harold's current living situation and health issues make it evident that he needs a Home Care Package that includes in home intensive support. However, he cannot access these without exhausting his CHSP package funding. Without the industrial cleaning and support to find providers who would deliver the necessary supports.

Since the Care finder team member started supporting Harold, his drinking has reduced significantly. He is optimistic about living in the unit and receiving support once the industrial cleaning is completed.