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Our 12-day challenge for Mental Health Month

Posted on by Afea Care Services

Looking after our mental health at Afea   

With everything that’s been going on with lockdowns and isolation, many of us have found it challenging to prioritise our mental health.

Maybe you’re busier, you have more caring responsibilities than normal and you don’t have time to prioritise yourself? Or perhaps the social isolation and loneliness have made you feel unmotivated to try anything new?

It’s important that we work on our mental health as often as we can. Good mental health is how we cope with these life stressors and take part in our community.

October is Mental Health Month, and the theme is ‘Look after your mental health, Australia’.

Our People and Culture Manager Joseph Assad explains how Afea has been prioritising mental health throughout this lockdown.

He also shares our 12-day challenge that everyone can try to help improve mental health.

We all need connection

At Afea, looking after our mental health is a big part of our culture. We’re very passionate about supporting our team to have good mental health and we try to provide as many tools as possible to help them.

We’ve stepped it up a notch over the past few months of lockdown. We’ve introduced lots of new programs to help support our Afea staff who are working from home.

We’ve had online yoga and Zumba training sessions, a STEPtember challenge and even a virtual Taronga Zoo tour.

However, our most popular idea was something a little different – we gave everyone a $20 Uber Eats voucher.

It wasn’t so much about giving everyone a day off cooking (although that was certainly appreciated!). It was more about our teams relaxing and sharing a lunch together.

Our team in lockdown is stuck at home and isolated from each other. They are socially distant in all senses of the word.

By giving a simple voucher it allowed everyone the opportunity to forget about work. They could sit back, relax and interact in the way they ordinarily would in the office.

Connecting with our friends and colleagues is an integral way of working on our mental health.

We’re learning about resilience

Resilience is being able to cope with tough times and it’s something we’ve all needed a bit more of over the past 18 months.

We wanted to make sure our staff had the resilience skills they needed to cope with the current situation and any other future challenges that come their way.

There are lots of ways to strengthen resilience, so we set up team training sessions that focused on how we were facing some challenges that we were experiencing.

It gave us all an opportunity to have an open discussion with the people they work closely with.

R U OK day with the Afea Tribe

Our 12-day challenge for mental health

Another initiative that proved to be a great success was our daily challenges. These were challenges posed by our Learning and Development Specialist to help us try different things.

We shared how we were going in our company intranet portal – Employment Hero. It was a wonderful chance for us to understand a bit more of each other’s lives and share how we’re really doing.

Here is the 12-day mental health challenge if you’d like to give it a try.

Monday Day 1: Meditation challenge

Whether it’s one minute or 60 minutes, it doesn’t matter how long you meditate for. Starting the habit is the important bit.

You could try an app like Smiling Mind to give you some pointers.

Tuesday Day 2: Digital detox

This can be tough, but today’s challenge is to reduce your reliance on your phone or other devices. Try to stay off your phone all day or just turn it off for an hour before bed.

Wednesday Day 3: Swap a Netflix binge for a book binge

You might just want to substitute one episode for a bit of reading or swap your entire night of TV for a good book.

Thursday Day 4: Exercise… your mind

Challenge your mind with a mind puzzle. Whether it’s a crossword, Sudoku or even Tetris, today is about giving your brain some exercise.

Friday Day 5: Push up challenge

The push-up challenge shouldn’t be about beating other people. It’s all about beating your best. Get an extra push up in each time you try.

Saturday and Sunday Day 6 & 7: Cookie challenge

No matter whether they’re healthy or unhealthy, the challenge is to create your best batch of cookies. Cook with your kids, your partner, roommates, or just enjoy some time cooking solo.

Monday Day 8: Share your inspiration

Share with your colleagues where you turn to when you need some inspiration. It could be an influential leader, an entrepreneur, sportsperson, or some other leader in your life. There is no right or wrong.

Tuesday Day 9: Sleep

Go to bed one hour earlier tonight. You may not fall asleep right away, but it will give you a chance to wind down and relax.

Wednesday Day 10: Let’s get walking

The challenge is to take a 10-15 break and go for a walk around your block, up and down your street or in the park. Whatever works for you.

Thursday Day 11: Share what keeps you motivated

In lockdown, we often have to be creative to keep our routine going. Share your tips on how you stay motivated with your colleagues.

Friday Day 12: Share your WFH life

Share a photo or create a meme that represents Work from Home or lockdown life for you.

Working on our mental health is ongoing

What we realised from our team lunch date, resilience training and 12 Day Challenge is that we need to work on our mental health every day.

We all need to make the effort to stay connected with each other. We need to give ourselves the time and space to think about what makes us feel happy, healthy and inspired.

If you’re finding it hard to work on your mental health, it might help to talk to a professional. Chat to your GP or contact one of these organisations for some support:

Find out how we help our clients with our mental health.

Our very own Afean Paralympian – Wayne

Posted on by Afea Care Services

One of the highlights of the past few months of lockdown has been watching the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games. It was amazing to see these athletes work so hard to represent Australia.  

We recently discovered that we have a Paralympic champion in our ranks! One of our clients, Wayne Maher, represented Australia in the Kick ball in the Seoul Paralympics in 1988.

Memories of the 1988 Paralympics

The 1988 Paralympic Games were significant as they were considered the first Games of the modern Paralympic era. According to the first President of the International Paralympic Committee Dr Bob Steadward: “The 1988 Seoul Paralympics dramatically demonstrated the effects of proper organisation and the shift from sport as rehabilitation to sport as recreation to elite sport.”

 Wayne represented Australia in Slalom, Kick ball and Wheelchair racing.

“Cerebral Palsy Alliance ran their own internal Olympics, and that’s how I got started,” he told us.

There were many challenges in preparing for the Games, particularly as it was the first. Wayne said it was an exciting moment when he found out he’d qualified.

“I was really happy, but also a little anxious. I had to do a lot of competing to qualify and I was very proud of my achievement,” he said.

His sister Lorraine remembers her brother going to the Seoul Paralympics. Although she couldn’t join him to watch, she remembers she also had lots to do to get him ready for competition.

“I had just bought a new sewing machine. You could program it to write ‘Wayne Maher – Australia’. I hit the button, and it made hundreds of labels so we could sew it on all his clothes. Everything had to be labelled,” she told us.

Wayne didn’t win any medals in the Paralympics, but he had better success in the Commonwealth Games.  

Wayne said when he was in the Paralympics, he had more movement with his legs.

“He would race in his wheelchair backwards. He’d push with his foot and go backwards,” Lorraine explained.

 Wayne also remembers enjoying his time in Seoul, particularly “when they let us out without armed guards.”

Fun with Afea Carers

Wayne lives with an acquired brain injury and communicates through a computer and joystick.

After stints in group homes, he’s been living on his own for over 20 years and he loves the independence.

“He really loves it because he’s by himself. He’s got his own things. No one is borrowing them or anything like that,” Lorraine explained.

Wayne can live on his own thanks to his carers who visit multiple times a day. While getting out and about during lockdown was obviously difficult, before the outbreak, his Afea Carers used to take him to the shops, to clubs and to the beach.

Despite his communication difficulties, Wayne’s sense of humour shines through.

“We can still have a good joke. He has a wicked sense of humour!” Lorraine said.

According to Wayne, that’s what he most likes about his Afea Carers.

“I like to joke around with them. Sometimes I call them budi (sic),” he said.

 Thanks for sharing your Paralympic memories with us Wayne!

If you’d like to know more about our disability support services, get in touch

Introducing: The Afean Way

Posted on by Afea Care Services

Our company culture takes on a new look

At Afea, our company culture is really important to us. We even have a book dedicated to our goals, mission and values called our Culture Book.

We know we have a strong culture, but we wanted to come up with a clearer definition for it. Which is why we developed ‘The Afean Way’.

What makes us different?

When people join Afea, they realise it’s not like other companies.

According to our People and Culture Manager Joseph Assad: “The way we do business is unique. It’s different to how other businesses operate.”

What makes Afea different is a variety of factors. It’s the way we operate, it’s the way we behave, and it’s the way we think.

We narrowed down those differences to 9 principles that characterise and define the Afean Way.

What is the Afean Way?

At the centre are our values – Authentic, Purposeful, Responsible and Understanding. These values are at the core of every decision we make.

Surrounding these values are 9 principles that characterise the Afean Way. They are:

   -Care & Compassion

   -Can-Do Attitude

   -Being Present with Intent

   -High Performance and Goal Focused

   -Going Above & Beyond

   -Growth and Continuous Improvement

  -Discipline and Commitment

   -Flexible and Adaptive

-Family Focus

The Afean Way

When new employees join, they often have heard a lot about our culture and resonate with what it stands for.

“When they’re here, they feel it as well. They feel that family focus. They feel that we’re present and have good intentions, that we care and are compassionate. Going further, that we’re disciplined, have a high-performance culture and are goal focused. We have a can-do attitude. We’re continuously improving and growing,” Joseph said.

How does our culture impact our daily operations?

Everyone who works at Afea lives by these principles and the senior management team takes notice.

“We have ‘Employee of the Month’ awards for each of our Chatswood and Parramatta offices. The individuals presented with those awards have demonstrated alignment with our culture,” Joseph explained.

People like Milan who won a recent Employee of the Month Award. In his nomination, they described him as being always helpful with a positive attitude. He always goes above and beyond to help everyone out, no matter how busy he is.

Another example is Sally, who hasn’t been at Afea for very long but has already found her home. Her nominee described her as having a happy attitude that is contagious. As a leader, she always supports her team and they trust in her.

How does culture lead to success?

According to Joseph, it’s sometimes hard to measure culture.

“Sometimes it’s just a feeling. Defining it is difficult. We live it and feel it,” he said.

However, our culture has led to many recent successes. Earlier in the year, we were ranked one of Australia’s Best Places to Work in the Australian Financial Review BOSS Magazine.

We also won Employer of Choice for Sydney Metro in the 2021 Business Awards, Delivered by Business NSW.

These awards are thanks to the contribution of staff who make our organisation a great place to work. It shows the value our people hold in our culture.

What’s more important is how our culture affects the way we care for our clients. We hear every day the difference our Afea support workers and coordinators make in the lives of the families we support.

Ultimately, the Afean Way helps us to fulfil our core mission – To be the Most Trusted Care Provider.

Want to join us at Afea?

From STEPtember and beyond: How we care for our complex needs clients

Posted on by Afea Care Services

This month, many of us Afeans are doing the STEPtember challenge to raise funds for people with cerebral palsy. We’re dutifully taking 10,000 steps every day for 30 days. We hope the money we raise will go towards vital support like customising a wheelchair for a child or even help fund research to better understand the genetic causes of cerebral palsy.

STEPtember for Cerebral Palsy

For many of us, supporting people through complex care needs is not something we do just in September. At Afea, we work every day to provide care and support for some of our beautiful clients who live with a variety of conditions, like cerebral palsy.

Jesse is one of these Afeans. He has worked at Afea for three years, mainly as a Care Coordinator. Here he explains what he does in his role to facilitate care for Michael, one of our clients with cerebral palsy. He explains in his words

It’s important to listen

I’ve been a Care Coordinator for Michael for a few years. During that time, I’ve built a great rapport with him and his wife Janet.

Michael is almost non-verbal, although when I listen carefully, I can understand what he is saying. I think it’s important to take the time to listen to our clients with complex needs.

I think you should always do your best to understand what they’re communicating.

The nature of Michael’s disability limits his capacity to lead a normal life. Because of that, I understand how vulnerable he is. It’s so important to find him the right supports to help him achieve his goals.

For Michael, his primary goal is to have a meaningful life with dignity. He has 24 hour supports to help him with everything from showering and daily needs, cooking and cleaning and someone there overnight to make sure he stays safe and secure.

Finding specialist carers for someone with complex care needs

For people with physical disabilities like Michael, it’s important you find the right carers. In my role as Care Coordinator, I had to make sure every person who cared for him had the right training.

They need to have completed hoist training so they can move Michael out of his bed or chair and transfer him into other rooms.

They need experience with manual handling and using a pelican belt.

We also sometimes use our Registered Nurses for training due to some specific complex care needs.

It’s also important to have Support Workers who have plenty of experience. Some people may have done some training in an aged care facility, but it’s different working in NDIS because the work is so broad, dependent on needs.

Michael was in hospital last year after having surgery on his neck. After the surgery Michael had two Support Workers with him while he was there providing personal care, feeding him and giving him social support.

An occupational therapist also trained them to massage his neck and other areas where he had difficulties, like his hips. This helped him recover better after his surgery.

An ongoing relationship with Michael

I have to admit that it’s sometimes emotional work. I‘ve built a rapport with Michael and I see what he goes through. I can only do my best to facilitate his needs to help him live a meaningful life.

Recently, Michael had an issue with his wheelchair. There were a few issues with getting a repairer before his OT assessment. So, I went over in my own time and fixed his wheelchair. He appreciated that.

I wish I could do more to help him, although I visit when I can. I’ve recently taken on a new role at Afea but lucky for me, I will still be assigned to Michael and Janet, and even have access to a company car to help me get there. I can continue being there every step of the way, as much as I can.”

If you’d like to know more about our complex care support services, get in touch

Your questions answered about the COVID-19 vaccine

Posted on by Afea Care Services

A recent survey found that many disability support workers don’t have confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine. The survey found that most support workers agree that people being vaccinated is the best way to stop the pandemic. However, they admitted they feel concerned about the side effects and safety information of the vaccines available in Australia.

At Afea, we want our disability and aged care support workers to feel safe and supported. With news and developments about the vaccines coming out every day, it’s normal to feel concerned and maybe even hesitant about getting a vaccine. So, we thought we’d look at some of the common questions from our carers and provide answers from evidence-based sources.

Are disability support workers eligible for a vaccine?

Yes, as a health care worker who provides care for a vulnerable group, disability support workers are eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccine. To find out where you can get this vaccination, visit the Eligibility Checker.

Will I have to pay for a COVID vaccine?

No. Everyone in Australia can get a free COVID-19 vaccine if they want to.

Can I choose which vaccine I get?

No. There are currently two types of vaccines – the Oxford AstraZeneca and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. They have been prioritised to different groups. If you are:

If you’d like to learn more about the different vaccines and which group gets what, watch this video from Dr Lucas De Toca, (COVID-19 Primary Care Response First Assistant Secretary).

What are the risks of the vaccines?

As with any vaccine, there are some risks of side effects. Common side effects with both vaccines include:

  • injection site pain or tenderness
  • tiredness
  • headache
  • muscle pain
  • fever and chills

Less common Pfizer side effects

Other less common Pfizer side effects include:

  • redness at the injection site
  • nausea
  • enlarged lymph nodes
  • feeling unwell
  • pain in limb
  • insomnia
  • itching at the injection site.

These side effects are usually mild and usually go away within one or two days. Here is some more information about side effects from the Pfizer vaccine.  

Less common AstraZenica side effects

The AstraZenica vaccine has been associated with a rare side effect called thrombosis in combination with thrombocytopenia (TTS). This side effect is very rare – the rate of TTS is about 6 cases per million people vaccinated. However, the rate is estimated to be higher (20-40 cases per million) in those

under 50 years of age. This is why AstraZenica isn’t recommended for those under 50. Here is some more information about side effects from the AstraZenica vaccine.

Were the vaccine approvals rushed through?

You may have heard that the COVID-19 vaccine was developed quicker than other vaccines, which may worry you. The reason it was quicker wasn’t because they rushed through the development process.

It was because the urgency of the pandemic allowed researchers and developers to prioritise working on the vaccine. There was also a lot of funding to develop new technologies that helped scientists understand the virus quicker and in more detail.

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration made a full and thorough assessment of the vaccines before approving them here. They could review all clinical trial data as it became available rather than waiting for it to be published. This also sped up the process. Read more about the vaccine approval process here.

Can I read about the vaccines in my language?

The Australian Federal Government has translated vaccination information into many languages. Visit this page to find your language.

I’m still not sure. Where can I get more trustworthy information?

Doctors and health professionals have answered many common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

Dr Norman Swan also has a great podcast called ‘Coronacast’ on the ABC which answers your questions about the pandemic.

We always recommend that if you have any health-related questions, talk to your own doctor. They can talk you through your concerns and help you make the right decision based on your own health and circumstances. 

Photo by Thirdman from Pexels

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels

Esha’s interview on ABC Radio

Posted on by Simone Kealy

Founder and CEO of Afea, Esha Oberoi spoke with Nas Campanella on ABC Radio Sydney about the workforce challenges in the support work industry.

After a string of unrewarding jobs that lasted no more than 6 months, Esha Oberoi fell into support work in her early 20s. As Esha puts it, she walked in and had a pulse, therefore was hired. Only on-the-job training, and not much in the way of background checks.

Esha felt a deep connection with her clients, noticing they were feeling the same isolation she had felt through her teenage years due to her depression and anxiety. That’s when she decided to do something about it.

Nas Campanella, Esha Oberoi, Kaitlin Mountain and Jo Berry at ABC studios

Founding a business at 24

Noticing that many of her clients didn’t need full-time care, Esha decided that she would attempt to redefine what care meant, and how it was delivered.

This started not in residential care, but in the home. By educating families to the benefits of home care, Esha was able to keep people in their homes, with their families for longer. All they need is a skilled support worker with whom they have a connection.

Shifting industry standards for support work

The pattern of the industry has always been to hire a support worker, and send them to clients. Esha knew that this wasn’t going to be helpful for anyone, so she decided early on that she would invest heavily in training, and upskilling.

Today our support workers (Afea Carers) have an induction, on-the-job training with their clients, and regular on-site check-ins from our Care Managers.

Challenges with finding support workers

The industry has seen many changes since the role out of the NDIS, which has seen many providers pop up, and a shortage of support workers. Esha wants the community to know about how rewarding this industry is, and how many opportunities can come from it.

She spoke with ABC’s disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella about these challenges, and how we fix it – by telling our stories!


Click here to listen now!

Selfie of Esha, Kaitlin and Jo with headphones on in ABC radio studio

NDIS funds can now be used to pay for PPE

Posted on by Afea Care Services

The NDIA has announced another update to the Price Guide to offer more flexibility and protection to its participants. From now until September, participants can claim up to $50 from their Core Supports funds to pay for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

NDIS participants in NSW and Victoria who receive an average minimum of one hour per day of face-to-face Daily Living supports may be eligible for the new item.

PPE that may be claimed includes face masks, face shields, and gloves however they may only be used within their face-to-face supports. Hand sanitiser and protective equipment for the use of participants outside of their homes and services are considered to be a personal expense and will not be reimbursed by the NDIS.

What this means for participants

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 breakout, many NDIS participants have put their non-essential services on hold to avoid risk of infection. Even ‘non-essential’ services have an impact on people with a disability. Clients should feel safe getting the supports they’ve previously received.

People who have services on hold may find themselves with surplus funding. Unfortunately, this could result in a reduction in the amount of funds they’re approved for in their next plan.

This PPE funding update not only provides participants with extra protection and reassurance during tough times. It also allows them to receive the supports they need and continue to do so in their next plans.

How to claim PPE expenses

Plan and Agency Managed participants

These participants must buy their PPE from registered NDIS providers, such as: Bright Sky and Confidence Club. Participants will need to give the details of their Plan Manager, or the NDIS Portal to the PPE provider so they can receive payment for the goods.

Self-Managed Participants

Participants with Self-Managed plans can buy PPE from any provider and claim the cost (up to $50) against their Core Funding. The process is the same with any other service or goods being claimed whereby they record the transaction and claim reimbursement from the NDIS Portal themselves.

It is important for Self-Managed participants to ensure they have adequate funding to claim costs against.

For more information about the update, visit the NDIS website here.

Updates to the NDIS Price Guide

Posted on by Esha Oberoi

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has published the NDIS Price Guide and Support Catalogue for 2020-21. The new Price Guide has been updated as a result of the Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2019‒20. The latest Price Guide, effective from 1 July 2020 and can be accessed here.

In accordance with your Services Agreement, Afea will be charging as per the price limits specified under the amended NDIS Price Guide 2020-21. Your plan funds have been automatically indexed as of 1 July 2020 to offset the annual indexation. An NDIS systems update is expected to occur on 11 July 2020 and new funds balance should reflect on PRODA once updated. There will be no impact to the services you currently receive.

There is also no action required from you to seek a plan review to access additional funds.

The NDIA has removed COVID-19 pricing where a 10% temporary increase was applied in March 2020, which means you will be able to get more service hours in line with your NDIS Plan funding. Other temporary arrangements introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic such as late cancellation notice (from 10 business days’) and its charges have also changed. 

As per the new NDIS Price Guide, clients will be required to give 2 clear business days’ notice of cancellation for supports that is less than 8 hours of continuous duration with an agreed total price of less than $1000, or 5 clear business days’ notice for any other supports.

Whilst the NDIA is recommending 2 or 5 clear business days’ notice of cancellation, Afea will keep our cancellation policy unchanged where you can continue to provide 24 hours’ notice if you wish to cancel a service.

If you have any questions relating to the changes, please feel free to contact our helpful Afea Care Coordinators at 1300 65 11 33 (option 1).

Updates to transport funding in the NDIS Price Guide

Posted on by Simone Kealy

As you’ve probably heard, the guidelines around transport in NDIS plans have once again been updated. Participants now have the ability to use core support funding to cover additional non-labour costs associated with transporting them to and from NDIS funded community-based activities. There is also more flexibility in accessing transport funding in within plans. The changes were brought about in response to feedback from clients and providers asking for a fair and consistent solution to claiming non-labour transport costs to ensure participants can continue to access supports in their community – worry free. In this update, we provide you with an explanation of what has changed and what that means for Afea’s NDIS Clients.

The changes explained

In a nutshell, the NDIA now allows participants to claim the non-labour costs associated with transport from their core support funding. These costs, on top of the Carer’s time, are at a per kilometre rate, and are charged separately to the service they are receiving. Prior to this, the participant was required to claim funds from their transport funding and/or contribute out of their own pocket. This offered little flexibility to participants as the transport budget is determined at the beginning of a plan and is often a limited amount.

The other significant change is that participants need not contribute themselves for other costs relating to transportation, such as road tolls, parking and transport fares.

The NDIA has laid out a guide for what providers can charge their participants for costs associated with travel. Now, providers can claim:

  • A mileage cost per kilometre that is agreed upon by the provider and participant
  • Up to the full amount for other costs (including road tolls, parking and public transport fares)

What it means for participants

NDIS participants and their providers must agree on the amount that is to be charged. This is in the form of the service agreement which participants would have signed at the beginning of their plan (or review). In other words, the participant and provider must agree to have the amount deducted from core supports using the correct support item.

Participants and their providers will need to consider the costs of transportation when creating a budget and schedule so as not to run out of funds too early.

And for Afea’s NDIS Clients?

Afea Clients will be charged at $1.10 per kilometre (GST exempt) for transport in their scheduled services. Our transportation is often as a part of another service by a Carer. In which case, the travel costs will be charged from core supports under the correct line item as part of the supports to help the client participate more in the community.

If you have any transport or other NDIS-related questions, reach out to our experts now! 1300 65 11 33

Want to stay up to date with industry and Afea news? Subscribe to our newsletter in the bottom right-hand corner of this page

How can NDIS and HCP funding help people during COVID-19 lockdown?

Posted on by Simone Kealy

The core purpose of both the NDIS and Home Care Packages is to help people achieve their goals and live independently. During a pandemic such as we are experiencing now with COVID-19, where people are restricted to their homes and have limited to no interactions with others, it can be difficult for people to maintain health and quality of life.

The wellbeing of our clientele is just as important as their physical health. That is why we are continuing all current in-home services, as well as revolutionising the way we provide basic supports to our clients. 

We’ve put together some ways of putting funding from NDIS and Home Care Package to use to maintain positive mental and physical health during this time.

Shopping

Buying groceries has been a challenge for everyone during this time due to panic buying. The crowds that have been observed in grocery stores pose a risk to everyone, but especially those in the community who are already vulnerable. Luckily, there are a number of options available to the elderly and people with a disability to get groceries.

Shopping by List

An Afea Carer can take a shopping list created by the client or their family, shop for them, bring the goods back and pack them away. Meal preparation can be added to this service so clients need not worry about making meals themselves. 

Shopping Assistance

Shopping Assistance

This has always been a common service for us, and that hasn’t changed. However, what has is that large supermarkets have dedicated hours for vulnerable people, and we can help clients get there during those times to avoid crowds and have first pick of stock.

Online Shopping Assistance

Our Afea Carers can assist clients to create a log in and order goods online. At this time, Coles and Woolworths have suspended online shopping, but have promised to roll out priority service for the elderly, people with a disability and people in quarantine soon.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

Afea Carers can provide disinfecting services if clients are worried about the virus being brought into their home by visitors. This can be organised as a daily, weekly, fortnightly, or once off service depending on clients’ circumstances. So clients can continue to receive needed services, we can add personal domestic assistance before and after each regular service to take special precautions.

Remote Services

Loneliness will be one of the biggest challenges we will need to overcome as a society in a world where we cannot see others or interact with the community. Afea is about to roll out remote services so clients can remain social, without any risk of infection. Clients and Carers can talk, watch movies or even play games together without being in the same place.

Connection to Support Networks

As a part of a face-to-face service, Afea Carers can help clients learn to use technologies that will allow them to connect with their support networks. This could be family, friends, counsellors or any other allied health professionals.

Exercise

Although there are restrictions on the amount we’re allowed to go out, and the reasons for it, we are still able to leave the house for exercise in groups of two or less. If a client wishes to get some fresh air and stretch their legs, Carers can accompany them for a walk around the neighbourhood, whilst practicing social distancing.

Regular Services

The supports provided by our Carers are vital to the lives of many, therefore we are not stopping any essential services. In particular, supports such as domestic assistance (cleaning), medication assistance, exercise and personal care are vital to the health of many of our clients and will continue.

We have rolled out COVID-19 training, provided extra Personal Protective Equipment, ordered 5,000 more masks, and are asking Carers and clients to communicate if they are unwell before any service.

Please get in touch if you would like to know more about any of the above on 1300 65 11 33 (option 2) or hello@afea.com.au.