Aged Care – How to Employ a Personal Live-In Home Carer

Thinking of having a live-in Home carer? Not sure if the carer can also claim the Carer Payment through Centrelink. This guide can assist you with this information and more.

Living independently in your own home is the wish of most people. Some people may reach a point in their lives where they need some help to do this. This can either be through an accident, an illness, a disability or increasing age.

The assistance a person requires to live independently can take many forms. Help can include assistance with meal preparation, personal hygiene, dressing, going to appointments, companionship, gardening, housework, visiting family or friends, or just supervision in completing tasks.

This assistance can be provided by many of the private care agencies in WA. Alternatively, you can choose to employ someone yourself. This method has some advantages, but it also comes with added responsibility on your part. Advantages include the opportunity to interview and select the best person for the job, to show them exactly what you would like them to do, to develop a relationship and to manage your own money.

This package has been developed to assist you to employ a Care Worker, and also manage the Care Worker you employ.

This package has been designed as a guide only, and we encourage you to clarify any issues you have with a legal representative.

This package is not, and is not intended to be relied on as legal advice. The package summarises what the writers understand to be the position at the date of writing on August, 2007. The law on these issues is subject to frequent change.