Suzanne's Aged Care Journey:
Finding the Right Aged Care Provider
Suzanne shares her personal story about navigating aged care decisions with her husband Peter, finding the right support, and feeling more confident about her next steps.
Key Takeaways
- Suzanne felt overwhelmed and unsure where to begin when she first started exploring aged care options for Peter.The process felt complex, emotional, and difficult to navigate alone.
- As Peter’s care needs increased, it became harder for Suzanne to manage everything at home.She was balancing daily care, personal support, and interrupted sleep, which gradually became physically and emotionally exhausting.
- Support from Aged Care Decisions helped Suzanne feel heard, supported, and more at ease.Clear guidance and practical advice gave her a better understanding of the care options available for Peter and what steps to take next.
- Respite care gave Suzanne the space to step back and recognise the level of ongoing support Peter needed.It helped her realise his care requirements had grown beyond what she could reasonably provide at home on her own.
- While the decision was still emotional, knowing Peter was comfortable, settled, and receiving the carehe needed brought Suzanne a sense of reassurance and relief.
Support Through a Difficult Decision
Read the video transcript
When I started looking at aged care, I felt overwhelmed and lost.
Not really knowing where to start. You just don’t know, and you don’t know what you don’t know.
My typical day with Peter would be getting up very early in the morning, changing a wet bed, and that would probably be the second time for the night.
I’d get his breakfast and feed him. Being the main carer for someone meant that I had to have a carer here.
If I needed to go shopping. We had four goes at getting a Home Care Package, I even had a phone call one time where someone just said, well, when your husband can’t get out of a chair, ring me back.
When you need something for someone who has very high needs, like my husband Peter had, you need it pretty much straight away.
You can’t wait another six months. I first found out about Aged Care Decisions online. I’m fairly proactive.
If I want to fix something, I want to find a solution, I look for it.
So, the first time I rang Aged Care Decisions and spoke to someone. I was listened to. I was made to feel really calm, and I was fed up with a lot of information that I needed.
Aged Care Decisions gave me great advice about the Support at Home Package.
Because Peter was on level four, and I was being told by the provider that he
was running out of money.
So Aged Care Decisions said, “Well, you know what you can do?
You can apply for your own home, Support at Home Package. If I could get one, then I could free up some money for his Support at Home.”
When I first found out about Aged Care Decisions,
I tried to tell as many people as I could, and I tell them that it’s free for a start, and its fantastic advice that they give you, and they don’t let go of you until everything is ok.
You need to reach out and get that support.
Yeah, definitely reach out.
Don’t think you can do it on your own because you can’t do it on your own.
Suzanne and Peter's Journey
1. When Care Needs Changed
When Suzanne started looking into aged care for her husband Peter, she felt overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. As his main carer, each day had become physically and emotionally exhausting.
2. Feeling Overwhelmed
Peter’s care needs were increasing, and waiting months for support was not an option. Suzanne knew she could no longer manage everything at home on her own.
3. Finding Guidance and Options
When Suzanne contacted Aged Care Decisions, she felt listened to and supported. The team helped her understand her options across Support at Home, Respite Care and Residential Aged Care, and gave her clear next steps.
4. Feeling Supported in the Decision
Respite Care gave Suzanne space to see what Peter really needed. While the decision was emotional, knowing he was comfortable and well cared for helped take some of the pressure off.
Finding Support When Care at Home Becomes Too Much
Suzanne shares the emotional reality of making the decision to move Peter into care, from the guilt and sadness to the pressure of trying to manage everything at home. When it became clear she could no longer cope on her own, Aged Care Decisions helped her explore aged care options and take the next step. While the journey was difficult, knowing Peter was comfortable and well cared for helped ease some of the pressure.
Read the video transcript
Putting someone into care. You just feel like you’ve let them down.
You feel guilt. Yeah you just…. That’s not the way it should be.
You should be able to be home, together. You’re just robbed.
You’re robbed of a life that you should be able to have together.
When Peter was home in his final days before going to a nursing home,
I found it very difficult to manage his personal hygiene.
That was the most difficult thing for me.
Up until that stage, I had never even had one day of respite.
I just knew that I just couldn’t cope anymore with it at home.
And that was when I rang Aged Care Decisions and thought, yeah, I’ve got to do something about this.
That’s when Aged Care Decisions, sort of came into it and gave me a list of options, three places to choose from for respite care for him.
So, I looked into that. Then I took the full nine weeks of the respite.
After those nine weeks, I realised he couldn’t come home.
It certainly takes a lot of pressure off. Yeah.
I don’t know if it takes the guilt away, but you still feel the sadness.
You know, at nighttime, it’s hard. But, Yeah, but no – knowing that he’s really being cared for will, and he’s been there for a year now, and he’s very comfortable.
What you have to do is you have to try and make the best of a bad thing that’s happening to you.
Just look for the silver linings. You have to. It’s hard to negotiate this whole aged care system, and if you find someone like Aged Care Decisions, you know, that that can help you with your respite care, with your residential care, with home care.
It’s free for a start and it’s fantastic advice that they gave you.
And they don’t let go of you until everything is ok. I just think it’s a fantastic service.
“I was listened to, made to feel really calm, and given the information I needed. It’s free, the advice is fantastic, and they don’t let go of you until everything is ok.”
