CareWays Community

In case you missed this important update...
CareWays and the aged care sector welcomes the announcement to extend the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) for a further two years, giving 830,000 older Australians and about 1,300 providers certainty that the program will continue until 30 June 2029.

CHSP is the entry point to aged care for many older Australians and the Federal Government is to be applauded for their decision to provide stability for services including domestic assistance, shopping, Meals on Wheels, transport, home maintenance, social support and allied health.

Last Wednesday was National Meals on Wheels day! 🎉 To celebrate, we held a morning tea for some of our MOW volunteers 🍰

Interested in joining our team? Click this link and volunteer for Meals on Wheels today! ➡️ https://www.careways.org.au/job-vacancies/volunteer-roles

This Aged Care Employee Day, CareWays would like to thank each and every one of our incredible team members for all of their hard work and dedication! 🎉

🎉Great News! CareWays is 1 of 4 organisations selected by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and the NSW Government to operate as ‘community connectors’ linking older people and their carers to vital services and community groups across 16 Local Government Areas in regional NSW. 🤝

CareWays will be servicing the Wollongong, Kiama, Shellharbour and Shoalhaven LGAs. 👋

👋CareWays can help if you have any questions about the upcoming Census!

Key dates:
- Census Night Tuesday 11th of August 🗓️
- Complete online by 1st of October 💻
- OR Return paper Census by 9th of October📄

The Australian Bureau of Statistics encourages people who need help filling out their Census form online to ask someone they trust. This could be a family member, friend, or carer. 👥

If you would prefer to use a paper form, you can:
-Request one from the Australian Bureau of Statistics get a paper form
-Call and request it to be mailed to you on 1800 130 250. 📞➡️You will need your 16 Digit Census number from your Census letter.

A Reply Paid envelope will be provided for you to return your completed form. It can take up to 10 business days to receive your paper form in the mail 📬

If you have any more questions about the Census please talk to your Care Partner. 🙋‍♀️

CareWays also has a computer class on a Friday Afternoon at the Ribbonwood Centre between 2 - 4pm that many seniors find very helpful. 😊

Did you know that over 70% of stroke hospitalisations are for people aged 75 and over? Learn the F.A.S.T. signs of a stroke ➡️

Face: Check their face. Has their mouth dropped?
Arms: Can they lift both arms?
Speech: Is there speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time: Is critical. If you see any of these signs call 000 straight away.

Check out https://strokefoundation.org.au/ for more information ℹ️

As many of you will have heard, AusAlert, an emergency warning system, will be tested across Australia today, Monday 27 July 2026.

At 2pm, your mobile devices (phones, tablets, smart watches, Bluetooth enabled hearing aids etc.) may receive a test alert. The device will vibrate and emit a loud siren-like sound for about 10 seconds. This test will override silent and do not disturb settings as it is a critical alert.

If you have a Bluetooth hearing aid you will experience the alert at full volume directly through your hearing aid, which could be quite distressing. The official AusAlert guidance recommends that people using Bluetooth hearing aids switch off or remove their devices approximately one hour before the test.

Full information is available at the Ausalert Website below.

Disabilities & extra support | ausalert An animation with a picture-in-picture Auslan interpreter explaining what AusAlert is and what to expect during the national test on Monday 27 July 2026.