Read some of our case studies to see what we have supported people with in the community and how we can help you.
Isla’s story
Isla* aged 76, owned her own home. When she mentioned to her daughter she was considering downsizing, her daughter suggested Isla move in with her and her family, and with the proceeds from the house sale fund an extension to their home. Without discussing the matter with anyone else in the family, Isla accepted her offer.
Initially the arrangement worked quite well, however after a while some problems emerged. Isla’s other two children were not happy with the money spent on improving her daughter’s property and disagreements within the family became a big issue. Over time Isla’s health needs became greater placing more strain on her family relationships. Her daughter became increasingly hostile towards her.
Eventually her daughter told Isla she needed to find alternative accommodation. Isla felt rejected and hurt by her family. In addition she didn’t have enough money to purchase a new home. Her daughter was not prepared to give Isla any of the money spent on the house extensions as she viewed them as a gift from mother to daughter. Isla found herself a pensioner with limited funds and housing opportunities.
Isla contacted Advocare for help. We provided information and a referral to appropriate housing services and helped her access some counselling. Once settled in safe and secure housing, we were also able to assist Isla to recover some of the money from her daughter.
Brian’s story
Brian* had been successfully receiving help with his gardening via home care services for a few years. When his usual gardener Dave retired, Brian experienced issues with the new gardener who often turned up late. Not only was that inconvenient, but the situation caused Brian to miss several other appointments. Sometimes he couldn’t wait any longer and had to leave prior to the gardener arriving.
Brian spoke to Advocare to try to work out a solution. He was happy to raise the concern directly with the home care provider, but wanted to make sure he had all the right information beforehand. Advocare provided Brian with information about his service agreement, his rights as a consumer, and some tips on talking to the manager.
Brian called Advocare back the next day to let them know that the conversation with the provider had been a success, and the manager had personally agreed to make sure that his gardener arrived promptly in the future.
Dorothy’s story
Dorothy* is 53 years of age and lives in her own home. She looks after her three grandchildren during the week and often takes them to school. Dorothy has Type 2 Diabetes, her health had been deteriorating for several years. Cleaning, washing and looking after the garden had become more of a struggle, especially as she didn’t have anyone to help.
Dorothy wasn’t aware that because of her health condition, she could get aged care services to help her. She met an Advocare representative at a health event, explained her situation and was told that she could access help at home through a home care services program.
We helped Dorothy with the steps needed to get an aged care assessment, and now she has a support worker regularly visiting to help her with cleaning and gardening. This has given her the ability to care for her grandchildren as well as maintain her home and attend to her own health needs.
Gwen’s story
Gwen* contacted Advocare via her Residential Aged Care facility. She was upset her son was taking advantage of her through the abuse of an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA).
Gwen had set up the EPA when she went in to hospital for major surgery. After she recovered, Gwen wanted to take back control of her finances and discovered her son had been using her money for his own purposes and not paying her bills. As with many people who find out a member of their family is involved in financial abuse, Gwen was highly distressed at the thought of confronting her son. She also felt ashamed about the situation.
One of our advocates discussed various options open to Gwen and she requested assistance to remove her EPA. We prepared a letter revoking the EPA for Gwen, and her Residential Aged Care facility then assisted Gwen to provide copies of the letter to Centrelink and her Bank. It was important to Gwen to be able to make her own decisions and be back in control of her own money.
* All of the names on this website have been changed to protect privacy