Commonwealth Carelink Centre                    Far West

Your Link to Living Independently

Free call 1800 052 222*

*Call from mobile phones are charged at applicable rates.

Community Services

The Commonwealth Carelink Program is to enhance the quality of care delivered to older Australians and younger people with disabilities, through the expansion of relations between general practitioners, community care service providers and the wider community. The aim of establishing Commonwealth Carelink Centres is to provide the general public, carers, service providers, general practitioners and other health professionals with a single point of access for information about, and referral to, community care services.

The establishment of Commonwealth Carelink Centres will provide information that may assist access to community care services. This should result in improved integration of service delivery, particularly for people needing packages of high level community care as an alternative to at least low level residential care. The Centres will assist the coordination of information regarding the HACC (Home and Community Care) Program and CACPs (Community Aged Care Packages) and provide a crucial link to the range of Commonwealth and State funded health, aged and community care projects.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

The establishment of Commonwealth Carelink Centres seeks to enhance the quality of care delivered to older Australians and younger people with disabilities, through the expansion of relations between general practitioners, community care service providers, and the wider community. The Centre will provide a central source for older Australians, younger people with disabilities and the community to easily find the information they need about community and other aged care services in their local area.

It was clear that for many people there was no easy way to get in touch with the agencies providing community care or residential aged care services without having to navigate a maze of service providers. The Commonwealth Carelink Program 1800 number will be a vital link between older Australians, younger people with a disability and the community with the wide range of services that are available to assist them to live at home and remain independent.

The purpose of the Commonwealth's Aged and Community Care Program is to enhance the quality of life for older Australians through support of active, healthy ageing and the provision of appropriate high quality and cost effective care services. Australia's aged care system is structured around two main categories of care delivery, residential care and community care. These care systems operate in the broader system of health delivery, income support, housing and community services. Together, these systems offer older people and people with a disability a broad range of services and support, depending on their needs and circumstances.