Caregiver Support Call Notes – Sammy and Family (Hospital Outreach)

Confidentiality and Purpose of Today’s Call

This session is a hospital outreach call to identify practical ways to support the caregiver (Sammy) who is caring for her mother and her daughter. The caller emphasizes that all future interactions are confidential and will be handled according to confidentiality requirements. The interviewer will take notes from this conversation, and any notes going forward will be managed under the organization’s confidentiality policy. Sammy is informed that she can opt not to answer any questions she finds uncomfortable, and that the goal is to identify helpful supports and options.

Family Context and Care Load

Sammy’s mother has recently been admitted to hospital, and Sammy is identified as her main carer. The mother has been living with Sammy for about 12 ext{ months}, following Sammy’s father’s death a little earlier. The move of Sammy’s mother to Sammy’s home was driven by the mother’s health needs and the inability for Sammy to consistently care for her at the previous location due to mobility and medication management issues. Sammy explains that while having her mother live with her is positive, it creates a substantial daily workload.

The conversation confirms that the mother’s care needs have escalated over time; in parallel, Sammy notes that her own commitments prevent her from relocating to care for her mother. The discussion highlights the increasing demands of high-care needs, both in terms of supervision and practical support, and the stress of balancing this with other life roles.

Sammy also looks after her daughter, who is in ext{Year }12 and has Crohn’s disease. The daughter's condition requires ongoing medical attention, including doctor visits, school pickups, and transportation to appointments. Sammy states that she is often driving to support her daughter and may need to retrieve her from school when she is unwell. The caregiving is thus multi-directional: caring for an aging parent and managing a child with chronic illness.

Everyday Responsibilities, Time Demands, and Role Strain

Sammy is juggling multiple roles: caregiver for a parent, caregiver for a child with chronic illness, and an employee in a casual role. She indicates that her casual employment is unpredictable and not fully reliable for income stability. The need to decline or cancel shifts at the last minute is a recurring source of stress and raises concerns about future job security. This adds financial anxiety on top of the caregiving burden.

The stress is compounded by practical constraints: Sammy describes the difficulty of maintaining sleep and rest while managing the constant demands of caregiving, school obligations, and medical appointments. The cumulative effect described is a sense of being overwhelmed and exhausted, with the added pressure of rising living costs (e.g., mortgage rate increases).

Financial Strain, Employment Insecurity, and Resources Gaps

Sammy reports financial pressure from mortgage costs and rising living expenses. The combination of reduced hours, the need to attend to caregiving duties, and the uncertainty of casual work contribute to a precarious financial situation. She notes no current access to extra income supports such as carer payments, and there is no family support available locally—family members are interstate, and the father of her daughter is not providing financial assistance.

She mentions that her mother is on a pension, but this money is consumed by the mother’s own medical and daily living needs, rather than providing Sammy with additional caregiving resources. The lack of local, reliable financial support compounds the difficulty of maintaining caregiving responsibilities and employment at the same time.

Supports, Barriers, and System Navigation

During the call, the interviewer raises the possibility of connecting Sammy with additional supports through My Aged Care and related services. The aim is to explore options for senior caregiving assistance and to identify avenues for possible financial support that would relieve some of the care burden. The interviewer acknowledges that Sammy may not currently be aware of all available options and emphasizes that their role is to help navigate these systems, recognizing that Sammy is already performing a demanding and complex caregiving role.

The interviewer asks whether Sammy has previously received any support to understand the options available for caring for an aging parent, suggesting that My Aged Care could be a path to access more formal supports at home. Sammy indicates a lack of time and energy to research these options due to her busy caregiving and work schedule, which underscores the need for targeted, proactive support from the outreach service.

Plans for Support and Next Steps

The outreach worker discusses scheduling a home visit to better assess needs and tailor a plan, acknowledging that an in-person assessment could help identify specific services and equipment that would improve Sammy’s caregiving capacity and reduce risk of burnout. Sammy indicates that next week is not feasible due to prior commitments (mom’s appointments and other responsibilities). The worker suggests maintaining momentum by arranging a follow-up plan without requiring an entire disruption to Sammy’s schedule.

To maintain continuity, the interviewer proposes a follow-up phone call the next day to begin formulating a plan and identify practical steps. A tentative time is offered: the caller will reach out at around 09{:}30 ext{ AM} the following day, with flexibility to adjust based on Sammy’s availability. The goal of this next contact is to outline a plan, clarify what options might be feasible, and coordinate next steps toward home visits or service referrals.

Options Discussed: Aged Care Pathways and Financial Supports

Key pathways mentioned include:

My Aged Care: A framework to access in-home care supports and assessment for aging family members. The interviewer positions this as a practical route to obtain additional supports for Sammy’s mother, which could reduce some of Sammy’s caregiving load.
Centrelink Carers Payments: The possibility of additional financial support for carers is discussed. At present, Sammy is not receiving carers payments, and she notes that her mother’s pension funds are allocated to her mother’s needs. The conversation emphasizes that exploring carers payments could alleviate some financial pressure and enable Sammy to sustain caregiving duties without compromising employment security.

The interviewer frames these options as potentially available through a formal assessment and liaison, reinforcing the message that Sammy does not need to navigate these systems alone.

Ethical and Practical Implications

Confidentiality and privacy are acknowledged as core principles guiding the interaction, with clear boundaries around information sharing and note-taking.
The conversation highlights the ethical importance of supporting family caregivers who carry multi-directional caregiving responsibilities, balancing respect for autonomy with the need to connect individuals to services that can reduce risk of harm and burnout.
The practical implications include the risk of caregiver burnout, potential declines in employment stability, and worsening health outcomes if support is not accessed. The plan to connect Sammy with My Aged Care and potential carer payments aims to mitigate these risks.

Key Takeaways and Summary

Sammy is a central caregiver for both her aging mother and her chronically ill daughter, while also maintaining casual employment. The caregiving demands are high and multifaceted, leading to fatigue, sleep disruption, and financial stress.
Sammy has limited social support locally and reports a lack of time to pursue external resources independently, creating a barrier to obtaining help.
The hospitalization of Sammy’s mother provides an opportunity to reassess care needs, with My Aged Care and potential Centrelink carer payments identified as viable avenues for additional support.
The outreach plan emphasizes timely follow-up, including a call at 09{:}30 ext{ AM} the next day, and the potential for a home visit to develop a practical support plan that aligns with Sammy’s schedule and caregiving responsibilities.

Glossary of Key Terms

My Aged Care: A government-supported system in Australia that coordinates access to aged care services, assessments, and support for older adults.
Centrelink Carer Payments: Financial support for eligible carers to help offset the costs of caregiving and potential loss of income.
(Implicit) Home Care Assessments: Evaluations that determine the level of in-home support needed for an aging parent, potentially leading to funded services.