After his home care journey began shakily with a church-based organisation, Peter took control by switching providers and opting to self-manage his services. Here’s his story.
It’s an unfortunate truth that not every home care story is a happy one.
Peter Perkins, 85, can certainly attest to that: his home care journey began in early 2024 and quickly devolved into something of a nightmare.
At the time, Peter lived with his wife, Noela, in a small town just north of Brisbane. His Home Care Package funds had just come through, so he requested provider referrals from My Aged Care.
‘I had no knowledge of the process,’ Peter shares now. ‘I was very busy then, and someone just showed up at my door one day.’
That person turned out to be a representative for a large church-based provider, and she was there to explain the process to Peter.
‘She explained it as if I had no other options,’ Peter recalls. ‘I knew my package had been approved, but I hadn’t heard anything else.’
Believing he had only one choice, Peter agreed to sign up with the church-based provider and soon thereafter requested a physiotherapy appointment for his aching back. When he arrived at that appointment, he knew something was off—the office was just a large, strange room, and no one else was there except the therapist.
‘She instructed me to lie on one of the [treatment tables], and she proceeded to sit down and draw five stick figures in her notepad,’ Peter says. ‘Then she told me, “Go home and do these exercises and they’ll help your back.’”
Confused, Peter looked over the sketches and asked if they’d be working on his ailing back that day. No, the therapist told him, because he didn’t have enough funds in his package.
‘I said, “Rubbish, there’s about $2,000 in there,”’ Peter recounts. ‘I walked out fuming.’
Shortly after that unsettling appointment, Peter received a statement from the provider. He realised: not only was he being charged exorbitant amounts of money for the light house cleaning he and his wife received, but that physio appointment cost more than $200—even though no treatment actually took place.
‘I paid $200 for a physio appointment that didn’t happen,’ he says. ‘But I still have the paper with the stick figures!’
Peter knew he had to make changes quickly, so he filed complaints with his local advisor and rang My Aged Care. During those calls, someone mentioned the possibility of Peter self-managing his services—an option he’d never known about. He did some research and contacted five providers to learn more, including The CareSide.
‘The CareSide was first to respond,’ he remembers. ‘They were reactive, they were quick, they were efficient, and they did what I needed. They got me better benefits than what I’d had.’
One of those benefits was a cab charge, which Peter was extremely grateful for—it meant he could get a ride home when his car was in for service, which saved him from walking long distances or catching buses.
‘Things like that were just so helpful, and I got that from no one else,’ he says. ‘This is how good The CareSide is. They’re caring, they’re helpful, and I believe they’re as honest as the day is long.’
Peter and Noela recently moved to a cosy granny flat on the Gold Coast, near Peter’s son. Ultimately, he only spent two tumultuous months with the church-based provider before transferring services to The CareSide in March 2024. The support has been consistent and reliable, and when Noela’s care package is approved, she’ll be joining The CareSide, too.
‘When I ask for something, it happens,’ Peter says. ‘They’ve never failed me.’
Currently, Peter receives transport services, Lite ‘N Easy meals, and physiotherapy through his government funding. And when he tells his mates about the support he’s gotten from The CareSide, they get jealous.
‘They ask me, “How did you get that? How did you get that?,’” Peter recalls while sharing stories from his personal life.
One story, about his friends in Adelaide, really sticks with him. This particular couple has a fully managed care plan with a local provider in South Australia. Whenever there’s a change with their plan, they must travel to the provider’s office in the city to talk through the changes with their case manager.
‘They come out more confused than when they go in,’ Peter says. ‘With The CareSide, you get clear instructions, and I feel like I’m in a much safer and happier place than a lot of my mates.’
And perhaps that’s the biggest takeaway from Peter’s story: Even if your care journey starts poorly, as his did, it can still have a happy ending.
