When the recent floods devastated parts of NSW and Queensland, many home care providers found themselves on the frontline.
With customers and team members both physically and socially cut off thanks to road closures and power cuts, aged and disability care provider Australian Unity says it had to be agile and flexible to ensure needs were met.
“We’ve had many branches directly affected with flooding and we’ve had a significant number of employees directly impacted,” Executive Manager for home care services Nick O’Callaghan told Community Care Review.
“They lost their homes, lost everything, so it’s been quite a significant impact right across those groups.
“The devastation in those particular areas was incredible, we haven’t seen anything like that before.”
Mr O’Callaghan says many services had to be postponed, but despite the challenges Australian Unity made sure it provided hands-on local support and financial relief, and continued to ensure the welfare of clients in flooded areas.
“That includes directly calling all of our customers…just to check in with particularly the most vulnerable, those who live alone,” he said.
“We rallied together … to support our employees, our customers and the communities in pretty practical ways.”
The company moved to provide home care services at a different location to clients’ homes and contracted external suppliers and partners for services like mould removal and clean-ups.
“There’s home repairs, equipment hire, replacements, we’ve got meal deliveries, temporary relocation services … we’re taking it day by day,” Mr O’Callaghan says.
The provider has also set up a dedicated team to call customers and explain the support that’s available for their specific situations and challenges.
Value of local networks
The floods had highlighted the importance of local home care operations in providing support during a crisis, Mr O’Callaghan said.
“I think we’re at a real advantage that we do live and work in the communities that we serve,” he said.
“In times like these, I think the industry really welcomes that decentralised model of support in the local areas.”
Taking a proactive approach and having clear lines of communication is also vital, he says.
“To be able to be proactive in calling customers, checking in on customers – whether it’s floods or whether it’s Covid outbreaks – I can’t overemphasise the importance of good, clear, regular communication with customers.”
Main image provided by Australian Unity.
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