FAQs

There are many allied health professions, including physiotherapy, podiatry, speech pathology, exercise physiology, occupational therapy and dietetics. Allied health professionals are university qualified practitioners, who have specialised expertise in preventing, diagnosing and treating a range of conditions and illnesses. Our allied health practitioners work within a multidisciplinary health team to provide specialised support for different client needs.

Find out more about our allied health services.

Wellness involves practicing healthy habits regularly, so you can maintain good physical and mental health. Many areas of life have an impact on wellness, including social connectedness, exercise and nutrition, sleep quality, and mindfulness. We can support you in pursuing activities, choices and lifestyles that promote wellness in your life.

No referral is needed to access our allied health services. You can use your Commonwealth Home Support Programme or Home Care Package funds to make an appointment with an allied health professional who can come to your home or assist in our Healthcare Centres across Adelaide. We have also partnered with Thrive Health Centre in Port Pirie, to offer a range of allied health services for our regional South Australian clients.

We would love to help you arrange a group! Give our office a call on 1300 444 663 and we can get the ball rolling.

Read more details about our current social groups.

Yes. We can arrange tours of our homes by appointment. Entry restrictions may apply depending on current government regulations, and current vaccination requirements are in place. Please call us on 1300 653 600 or click here to arrange a tour.

You can also take a virtual tour of our homes any time on our website, see residential locations page, tours are listed on each care home’s page.

All residents at our residential aged care homes have access to the following services and assistance:

• Staff onsite at all times to assist where needed, including in emergencies
• Assistance with daily living activities including, showering, dressing and help to move about
• Assistance with medications
• Meals and refreshments, including catering for special dietary needs
• Laundry and housekeeping services
• Building and grounds upkeep and maintenance
• Social and lifestyle activities program
• Basic furnishings including curtains, chairs, beds, bed linen, bath towels, soap and toilet paper are also included, and residents are encouraged to bring items of furniture or personal possessions with them to personalise their home.

The cost of residential aged care varies from person to person, depending on which home you are moving into, and your own personal financial situation. The Government may contribute toward your care costs, and you may be asked to contribute towards them too if you can afford it. My Aged Care provides an overview of the costs involved on their website, and we also have an overview on our website, and publish our fees for our homes on each of our residential care home pages.

If you are considering moving into a residential aged care home, you will first need an assessment with a member of an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). A member of an ACAT will talk to you about your current situation and help you work out what your options are. Once you have completed the ACAT assessment, you will receive a letter to let you know if you have been approved as eligible for Australian Government subsidised aged care services, including home care services and residential aged care accommodation. Your letter will tell you what type of services you’re eligible for and approved to receive, as well as the reasons why.

The Australian Government developed the Charter of Aged Care Rights in July 2019, which you can download here in several languages. It gives information about your rights as a user of aged care services in Australia.

If you would like more detailed information about your rights as an older person, the Legal Services Commission, in partnership with the Office for the Ageing, has developed a guide called Knowing to Know.

In-home care allows you to continue living independently at home. You can tailor the care you receive to meet your needs, and support is offered on a sliding scale from basic to high care needs.

Residential care is there for people who are no longer able to live independently at home, either due to physical frailty or the need for increased support due to conditions such as dementia. Support and care is provided 24/7, including meals, assistance with daily living activities, and lifestyle and activity programs.

A retirement village provides accommodation for people who are over 55, and who are either still working part time or are retired. Retirement living is designed for people who can live independently in their own home.

Friends and family are welcome to visit and stay with you in your retirement unit. Part of living in a retirement village is the sense of community and knowing who your neighbours are. This means that if you are planning on having a visitor for an extended stay, you will need to talk to the Housing Coordinator and let them know who is staying, and for how long.

Small pets such as birds and fish are usually welcome at our retirement living homes, with each pet being approved by the Housing Coordinator before coming to live with you. There will be some circumstances where pets are not allowed, so please check with the Housing Coordinator before you move in.

Retirement living is designed for people over 55 who are still active enough to live independently, providing a close community of like-minded people. An aged care home provides an increased level of support for people who are no longer able to live independently, with round the clock care available.

Retirement village living is designed for people who are independent, without the need for 24/7 care.

However, we understand that health issues or changes in your circumstances can sometimes arise unexpectedly. For this reason, Helping Hand can assist with home care services should the need arise, to keep you living independently in your home for as long as possible.

Usually when you buy into a Helping Hand retirement living property, Helping Hand retains ownership of the home and the land. You will be purchasing a license to live in the unit for as long as you wish. There are also some properties which are offered as rental units. To understand your options fully, please talk to our Housing Coordinator, and read more about Retirement Living costs here.

It is normal to be unsure when thinking about arranging support at home – it is a big step. Additionally, people may be worried that an assessment means a fast-track to a nursing home. The reality is that having an assessment to arrange home care services can help you to remain independent at home for longer, and can even improve your quality of life. You can get started by calling My Aged Care on 1800 100 422.

Helping Hand also offers an alternative – Elevate by Helping Hand – which doesn’t require any assessment. All home care services we offer can be provided through Elevate, through a pay-per-service hourly fee arrangement.

The cost of help at home services varies from person to person, depending on what services you are receiving, and your own personal financial situation. The Government may contribute toward your care costs, and you may be asked to contribute towards them too if you can afford it. My Aged Care provides an overview of the costs involved on their website, and we also publish our fees for Home Care Packages and Elevate by Helping Hand on our website.

Transition care provides short-term care after a hospital stay to help you get back on your feet. You can have nursing, physical therapy and personal care services. You will need to have hospital staff arrange an assessment while you are still an inpatient, or you can arrange this yourself by phoning My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) supports older people who are still managing well, but want some extra assistance, at home. Home Care Packages (HCP) provide more care and support services on an ongoing basis, for people whose needs are more intensive or complex. Both programs give you support to stay at home, but there are some differences:

CHSP:

• choose from a set menu of services – there isn’t much flexibility
• only pay for the services you use
• dip in and out of the program as you need things
• have your eligibility assessed by the Regional Assessment Service (RAS).

HCP:

• a Home Care Coordinator helps you understand the system and work out a care plan that suits your individual needs and preferences
• you get your own funds to use and can decide how to spend it, rather than choosing from a menu
• once you have a package, it stays in place for the long term
• your eligibility is assessed by the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).

You can talk to our Home Care Services team with any queries about your account, on 1300 444 663. You can also contact our Accounts Department on 08 8366 5426 if you are having trouble with a payment. Please have your Client ID number ready – this can be found on the top right-hand side of your Tax Invoice/Statement.

Yes. We’re really happy when you find a worker that you click with, and encourage you to let us know if you’d like a specific team member to visit you regularly. We will do our best to make sure we schedule them in with you, however at times it may not be possible if there has to be a last minute change to your service date or time. We will always let you know in advance if someone different to usual will be visiting you.

Please call our Home Care Services team on 1300 444 663 during business hours, and have your Client ID number ready (this can be found on the top right-hand side of your Tax Invoice/Statement). Please allow at least 24 hours notice when calling, to avoid being charged for a cancelled or changed visit.

Finding the right age care service is really important. We created a podcast to help people do just that by providing information and advice from people both delivering and receiving quality age care.

In the first episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care we discuss Home Care. With the help of Jo Carter Jones, Group Manager of Retirement Living and Housing at Helping Hand, and one of our Home Care clients Reg, we’ll help you learn:

• The difference between Home Care Packages and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme
• Who is eligible for Home Care
• What sort of services are available
• How best to start the process
• The documentation you need ready, and other tips for making the process run smoothly
• Where to seek the best advice
• Why you should be open to help
• And how accessing Home Care can make a happy life even happier!

Qualified nurses can visit clients in their home and make them feel safe and comfortable. They can help with managing wounds, medication, continence and more. They can carry out health assessments and reviews, and help with monitoring blood pressure, oxygen levels and more. Our nurses are a great support for people who are recovering from injury or illness and need some help to get back on their feet.

To work at Helping Hand, you need to be eligible to live and work in Australia. You will need a current national police clearance certificate, or we can help you get one. Many of our roles require specific qualifications, make sure you read the Job Description carefully to see what qualifications are needed. Here are some of the common ones:

Care Worker (residential or community)
Certificate III in Individual Support or equivalent qualification/experience
Community care workers must have a full South Australian driver’s licence and a safe, reliable and registered car

Home Support Worker
Current first aid certificate
Current full South Australian driver’s licence
Safe, reliable and registered car

Enrolled Nurse
A Diploma of Nursing
Current Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registration
Previous aged care industry experience

Registered Nurse
A Bachelor of Nursing (or equivalent)
Current Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registration
Minimum 12 months working experience

Once applications close for a current job vacancy, we will review all submissions. If you are successful in obtaining an interview for the position, we will contact you to arrange a suitable date and time. If your application is unsuccessful, we will contact you to let you know.

You will meet with friendly, professional people on an interview panel. Usually there will be two people, but this varies depending on the role you have applied for. Generally interviews last an hour, but again this will vary depending on the role.

We use a combination of traditional and behavioural questions when interviewing. Examples of traditional questions are “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “Describe a typical work week.” Examples of behavioural questions are “Tell me about a time when you had to take initiative” or “Give me an example of a new approach you developed for tackling a problem.”

It’s important to remember that there are no right or wrong answers. The interviewer is simply trying to understand how you behave in a given situation. How you respond will determine if there is a fit between your skills and the position we are seeking to fill.

If we want to progress your application once we have interviewed you, we will contact your referees. If a functional capacity test is needed for the role, we will contact you to arrange a time for you to have the test (see question below What is a functional capacity test and do I need one?). If your application is unsuccessful after interview, we will let you know.

Yes, we need the details of two referees who know you professionally. These can be your recent supervisor(s) and ideally your current employer. We contact your referees if we would like to progress your application after interview to provide us with more information about your previous working experience and roles. Please provide their full name, job title, the company they work for and a contact phone number or email address. Please contact your referees before giving us their details, so they are aware we may be in touch.

Not all prior offences disqualify you from gaining employment with us. We review all applicants with a criminal record on an individual basis when making a decision regarding employment.

A functional capacity test is a physical assessment that measures your ability to cope with the physical aspects of a role. It helps us to make sure you can do the job safely, without risking personal injury. If you are applying for a role that involves direct care for our clients, you will need to undergo a functional capacity test if your application progresses. It involves various tests and observations relating to:

• Physical strength
• Stamina
• Range of movement
• Tolerance to functional activities such as lifting, carrying, etc

Once you have had an interview and a functional capacity test (if applicable), we will endeavour to let you know within ten working days whether you have been successful. All employment offers are conditional on having a satisfactory national police clearance certificate or criminal history check.

Yes. All employees need a valid NDIS Worker Screening clearance, or be willing to obtain one, to work at Helping Hand.