Consumer Directed Care (CDC)
Flexibility and choice in the direction of your future
Consumer Directed Care (CDC) is all about choice and control. It gives you and your carers a greater say in the type of care you receive to support you at home, and who provides those services.
CDC gives you flexibility and choice. Providers will work in partnership with you to determine your requirements and individual goals. You can be as involved as you want to be in managing your package and the cost of services and how money is spent should be more transparent.
CDC is currently only available for Home Care Packages (HCP).
What the CDC approach means for you
CDC: Giving you a choice
The CDC model will help give you greater independence and puts you in control over the services you receive.
Australian seniors lobby group, COTA Australia, sums up the meaning of CDCto older people as:
CDC is about the fact that most people have managed their lives all their life and want to go on doing so, despite the challenges they face.
So essentially:
CDC puts you in complete control when making choices about the types of care and services you wish to access.
A Home Care Package (HCP) delivered on a ‘CDC basis’ means having the choice to…
Have more say in the care and services you access, how it is delivered, and by whom
Develop your own care plan with your service provider
Determine how much involvement you want in managing your HCP
Have more understanding about how your HCP is funded, and how these funds will be spent
Monitor your HCP to determine whether it still meets your care needs
Why the move to CDC?
The Australian Government wants to help you live independently in your own home for as long as possible.
In 2012 Government’s Living Longer Living Better aged care reforms identified the need for more choice and flexibility for people receiving care at home.
Hence: The creation of CDC to help you get the support that you want..
The future of CDC
From February 2017 Home Care Packages will no longer be allocated to service providers, but directly to you, the consumer.
This means you can choose any approved provider, suited to your individual needs and circumstances, to provide the care that you want to receive.
You'll also be able to change service providers if you wish, for example if you move to a different area. You simply take the package with you and choose a different approved provider to continue your care.
Will CDC be offered in nursing homes?
CDC is currently only available for HCPs, however:
The Government has indicated it has plans to introduce CDC into residential aged care in the future.
There is no specific date for residential aged care providers to implement CDC.
More about Consumer Directed Care
Click the play button below to listen to this podcast about consumer directed care and what it means for you.