As World Elder Abuse Awareness Day approaches on Sunday, June 15, regional community service organisation Social Futures is reminding seniors that free help is available through its care finder program.

Operating in Dubbo and surrounding areas, care finder helps older people who are feeling isolated or unsure about how to access My Aged Care and other community support services.

Social Futures Care Coordinator Carissa Perkins said even a simple conversation about meals, transport, or home-care, can open up a whole new world of support for someone who’s been doing it tough.

“We often meet people who have been trying to ‘go it alone’ –- and it can be overwhelming,” Ms Perkins said. “They might not know what help is available, or how to start navigating My Aged Care, especially if they don’t have anyone around to support them,” she added.

Care finder support workers sit down with individuals, walk them through the steps of accessing aged care, help link them to local services, and continue to check in to make sure they’re getting the support they need in a way that works for them.

“A common concern we find people have around reaching out for assistance is, ‘Is this going to put me in a nursing home?’ That’s one of the biggest things we hear; and it’s absolutely not.

“It’s important to emphasise that this is about supporting individuals in retaining full choice and control, you have full choice over what services you want, who you want to go with, which provider, you have full choice and control over who’s coming into your home,” Ms Perkins said.

The care finder program is designed specifically for older people who don’t have a family member or friend who can assist them.

“Some of the biggest risks for elder abuse or neglect come from isolation,” a care finder team member explained. “Our role is to make sure people are seen, heard, and supported early — before a small problem becomes a crisis.”

With permission, Carissa shares a de-identified story from her recent work, which speaks to the life-changing potential of the program:

“A colleague of mine Danni and I supported a wonderful client who had moved into town from a rural property. She didn’t have any close friends or family and, although she had settled into a small retirement village and made some lovely connections, she felt overwhelmed and unsure how to access the services she needed.”

Carissa said the woman had experienced a long history of trauma and domestic violence, which left her feeling unable to speak up for herself when it came to services and she didn’t know where to start.

“She just didn’t know where to begin — she’d never had the chance to develop that knowledge or those skills,” Carissa said.

With the team’s support, the client began advocating for her own needs, expressing what was and wasn’t working for her, and even decided, at the age of 74, to seek counselling to help with trauma.