What is Service Coordination?
Service co-ordination is the process of putting solutions into place that will meet the identified/assessed support needs.
With your permission the information resulting from the assessment is used by the service co-ordinator to help with the co-ordination of services. The aim is to help you live as safely and as independently as possible with the services arranged often having restorative components to assist you to restore (where possible) and/or retain your abilities. This may mean getting help from family/whanau and friends or setting up home support services (some of which may be publically funded; others you may have to pay for yourself). All options are explored and you will be asked what you think the solutions might be or what goals you would like to set.
In many instances the solutions will include increasing or varying services or support received at home. An ideal ‘restorative’ solution will factor in your personal needs and goals and assist you to reach these. The assistance provided will be to help you retain and possibly regain skills so instead of doing household tasks for you, they may work with you to assist you to do these tasks yourself. As an example an older person who is finding it difficult to vacuum the house may be encouraged to set the goal of vacuuming a room a day.
Where an assessment indicates a high level of need, residential care may be considered. If residential care is seen as being the best option the service co-coordinator will assist you to prioritise the things that are important, discuss the options that are available and assemble a list of residential facilities for consideration. Every individual is different and what is important to you may not be as important to the next person. There is therefore no such thing as ‘one best place’. Common priorities are:
• Location – near to family, friends or church etc
• Language – where your first language is spoken
• Homeliness - a smaller facility
• A place where you can take a pet
For further information about selecting a residential care facility see the CHECKLIST.
It needs to be noted that occasionally the services or support that you need may not exist or be immediately available e.g. perhaps your first choice of rest home does not have a vacancy (you may be able to go on a waiting list and wait elsewhere) or maybe you live in a remote area and no home help is available there. You service coordinator will have noted the problem but you may feel that you want to do something more. If you do not feel able to take the issue up yourself you may wish to contact the free Advocacy Service.
The service co-ordination process takes time and is not completed until the person concerned has settled into the service and indicated their satisfaction. The service co-ordination agency may be re-contacted at any time and the situation reviewed.
Updated 17/09/2012
© Eldernet 2014