Financial Care Services Newsletter
by Christine Hopper
Volume 14 Edition 5 – 31 May 2024
Christine at Financial Care Services, the specialist adviser to seniors in transition to new lifestyles
Living with reduced physical mental and intellectual capabilities.
Life and community engagement do not end when our bodies start to decline.
But a less agile mind and a less robust body, could expose any of us to additional risks.
An increased risks of falls could accompany declining physical strength.
Less conspicuously declining mental capacity or intellectual impairment, raises the risk of being exploited by the less honourable members of society.
But adults who experience severe anxiety and/or panic attacks could be mistaken for fare evaders and thieves when they flee a confronting situation.
Read Christine’s suggestions for reducing the financial costs of forgetfulness and/or the potential for exploitation of your family members.
A Companion Card to help with community access costs for an active adult.
The risks of becoming geographically lost and/or financially exploited are magnified for adults who are intellectually challenged.
Whilst our vision impaired and wheelchair user friends could have great difficulty finding there way in unfamiliar places.
The Companion Card is for people with significant and permanent disability who have a lifelong need for a high level of support to participate in community events and activities.
The card allows a person’s companion/carer free entry into participating venues and events.
Remember, businesses are not reimbursed for the costs of providing ‘free admission’ to the companions of Companion Card holders so not every business or event, is involved in the Companion Card program.
The Companion Card gives your carer or companion, free travel to accompany the Companion Card holder on public transport.
The Companion Card holder must have a valid ticket or a free Travel Pass for the journey.
Consider Kim who loves animals.
The annual Pet Show is a highlight of Kim’s life.
But Kim’s intellectual challenges would not support her independent attendance at such a big event.
As a DSP recipient, Kim could expect to pay for a Pensioner admission ticket to the Pet Show.With a Companion Card to cover the admission costs, one of Kim’s cousins is willing to go with Kim.
Kim’s Companion Card covers the costs of public transport and an admission ticket for the carer/cousin.
The family could all relax.
Kim could have an exciting outing without becoming geographically lost in world of pets or emotionally vulnerable to buying vast quantities of expensive pet toys.
When booking your tickets for an event you need to check if the Companion Card is accepted and be ready to show your Companion Card when making the booking and on entry to the event.
Permanent residents of Victoria can apply for the Companion Card at Applying | Companion Card.
Free Travel Pass for Victorian residents
Vision Impaired Travel Pass
People who have such low vision as to qualify as ‘legally blind’ do not have enough sight to find the scanner on the access gates at the railway station or the check-in pads on the buses and trams.
Therefore, Victorian residents who are permanently ‘legally blind’ could claim the Vision Impaired Travel Pass for free local public transport.
Your sighted support person could help you apply for a Travel Pass at Vision Impaired Travel Pass – Public Transport Victoria (ptv.vic.gov.au)
If your Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card shows Age-Blind or DSP-Blind then you are entitled to a Free Travel Pass for your local public transport system.
Access Travel Pass
Some adults have mental and intellectual impairments such that they cannot consistently and reliably touch-on and touch-off every time they use public transport.
One panic attack and they could flee from the train station resulting in extreme anxiety about being pursued by the ticket inspectors.
The Access Travel Pass is available to assist these folk:
they are not engaging in ‘fare evasion’ they just lack the insight and mental capacity to act consistently.
If you or a family member, is stressed and distressed about inconsistent touch-on then an Access Travel Pass could bring some peace.
But remember you must produce the Access Travel Pass when requested by an authorised officer, such as a ticket inspector.
Your application for an Access Travel Pass would require a medical report explaining why you need this Travel Pass.
Start your Access Travel Pass application at Access Travel Pass – Public Transport Victoria (ptv.vic.gov.au)
Other States could offer similar programs to the Victorian Companion Card and free Travel Pass programs, so check with your State government.
Centrelink Blind Pensioner
Australian citizens who are ‘legally blind’ may apply to Centrelink for the Age or Disability Support Pension-Blind.
The Centrelink term “legally blind” is defined in the Regulations to the Commonwealth Social Security Act because the Social Security Act grants full, that is, without asset and/income means testing, Age and Disability Support Pensions to citizens who are “legally blind”.
Centrelink require the form ‘Request for ophthalmologist/optometrist report form (SA013)’ to be signed by a medical specialist ophthalmologist as ‘proof’ that you are permanently ‘legally blind’.
You then need to Claim Disability Support Pension using the Centrelink form SA466 Claim for Disability Support Pension form (SA466) – Services Australia
Your Centrelink forms SA013 replaces the DSP medical forms and legally blind pension claimants do not need to provide asset and income data to Centrelink.
Ask Christine Hopper of Financial Care Services. for help with the Blind Pension forms.
Christine is experienced with claiming the Blind Pension at Centrelink.
Help to understand how your situation fits in the Pension system
The calculation of your Age Pension amount, if any, can be challenging.
Christine at Financial Care Services writes these Newsletters.
She can help you to understand your Age Pension situation.
Contact Christine Hopper of Financial Care Services. for the Age Pension Illustration Personal Data form as a checklist of essential data and then arrange for a ‘Consultation’ with Christine Hopper of Financial Care Services.
Christine Hopper of Financial Care Services offers Short Consultations for ‘personal factual financial information’ in the form of an Illustration of the amount of Centrelink Age Pension you could receive today provided that you satisfied the age and residency conditions for a Centrelink Age Pension.
Contact Christine at Financial Care Services to obtain the Age Pension Illustration Personal Data form.
You will also receive our Client Services Guide that provides essential information about Christine Hopper of Financial Care Services.
If the Income and/or Assets Tests would exclude you from the Age Pension, Christine could help you check whether you would qualify for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.
But holders of the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card do not qualify for the full range of concessions that come with the Pensioner Concession Card.
Is that aged care resident’s Driver Licence still active?
Is that frail housebound senior’s Driver Licence still active and collecting demerit points?
Or maybe that aged care resident’s Driver Licence number is still actively being used to establish credit accounts with mobile phone companies?
Not everyone who interacts with the wider family of a frail senior would have pure motives.
Thus, for some lead footed drivers, access to an alternative Driver Licence number could allow them to transfer the demerit points and keep driving, fast.
When to cease driving
You must have a vision field of at least 120 degrees width and the physical capacity to handle a motor vehicle safely to consider getting into the driver’s seat.
But just because you could physically manage to drive does not mean that you are actually fit to do so.
If a family member has physical or mental impairments such that driving safely is beyond their current skills then you might need to prevent access to the driver’s seat.
The gracious approach is a discussion and an offer of transport whenever needed.
If your family member does not respond well to reason, then an external directive may be required.
A local doctor could inform Vic Roads that his patient is no longer competent to drive.
Vic Roads could then demand that the Driver Licence be surrendered.
When to surrender the Driver Licence
If granny can no longer drive then you could consider surrendering her Driver Licence even though she still lives at home.
But before you rush to give up that bit of plastic, please consider the other roles of a Driver Licence.
That plastic card is a valuable ID document, useful for proving granny’s identity.
Beware, not just Age Pensioners but self-funded retirees also need to ‘Prove your Identity’ at Centrelink to access any taxpayer subsidised ‘help to stay at home’.
Similarly, you must ‘prove identity’ at Centrelink to claim the Commonwealth payment of Means Tested Care fees in excess of the Annual and Lifetime Caps for residential aged care using Centrelink form SA457.
Help to navigate the aged care fees and charges for residential aged care
Christine at Financial Care Services can help you with the Centrelink aged care entry challenge.
Christine at Financial Care Services understands Centrelink Pensions and the assessment of the means tested amount for aged care both home care and residential aged care.
A consultation with Christine at Financial Care Services helps you understand your potential aged care costs together with the Centrelink implications of rearranging your assets, leasing or selling the former home.
Christine can Illustrate the costs of placing your family member in your preferred aged care facility.
She can help you check if your family can afford that place or maybe ask for a lower Accommodation Room Price.
Christine could complete your Centrelink form ‘Permanent Residential Aged Care Request for a Combined Assets and Income Assessment SA457’ for you to sign.
She has neat handwriting just right for inserting your data into small printed spaces.
Christine could help you with collating your supporting documents and then mailing your form to Centrelink.
Assistance with completing the Commonwealth aged care means testing forms is available to clients of Christine at Financial Care Services.
Christine at Financial Care Services charges hourly rate fees for helping with Centrelink matters.
To make an appointment for confidential, independent and professional advice about aged care, retirement lifestyle costs, granny flat or Age Pension issues please contact Christine Hopper or call +61 3 9808 0338.
Therefore, please ensure that you have visited Centrelink and ‘confirmed the identity’ of the Driver Licence holder before you surrender this valuable ‘identity document’.
Read the Centrelink instructions for proving identity .
How to surrender the Driver Licence
The form for surrendering a Victorian Driver Licence is at Vic Roads. Cancel (surrender) your licence and/or learner permit : VicRoads
The Power of Attorney can sign the form to surrender a Driver Licence.
The Driver Licence of a deceased driver can be surrendered similarly.
You could attend a Vic Roads office to hand in the Driver Licence plastic card together with the signed form and show your Power of Attorney.
Alternatively, you could mail them to Vic Roads together with a certified copy of your Power of Attorney or grant of Probate for a deceased driver.
The other sad experience of people of all ages is ‘identity fraud’.
Really dishonest people use the name and Driver Licence number of someone else to establish credit accounts.
When the true owner of Driver Licence number wants to use it for a proper purpose they could find their credit status severely impaired.
The unidentified fraudulent user of their Driver Licence number might have incurred substantial debts.
Help is available for victims of identity fraud.
Call IDCare on 1300 432 273 or get started at IDCARE Official Website | Identity Theft & Cyber Support
Prevention is better than a cure.
For your own protection, please keep your Driver Licence number very private.
Store your Driver Licence away from prying eyes; yes even at home in your wallet, when ‘visitors’ come in.
Finally we can all help ourselves avoid being locked out of our own data.
If you really must keep all of your financial data in a password protected electronic format then please leave your Attorney some clues as to the passcode.
Yes, I have clients who had the whole of their own and their partners’, financial records solely in electronic format.
At least when the clients themselves have had strokes and suddenly lost mental capacity, their children and/or grandchildren have been able to download the necessary data from the senior’s device.
One last request, what could help the Police access your phone to trace its travels when just the phone is found after you have ‘disappeared’.
Please write the actual PIN or a coded clue, for your phone and tablet, in ink on a boring bit of paper, placed somewhere that decent people do go prying.
The modern equivalent of the WW2 nurses’ ‘only safe place for confidential letters’ could be in the panty liner packet.
Decent people do not snoop there and thugs could be too dumb to consider it.
The chance of your of becoming a ‘missing person’ is very low but not zero.
Remember, life is what happens while we are making other plans.
Christine at Financial Care Services
Christine at Financial Care Services writes these Newsletters.
She could help your family navigate your Centrelink challenges.
Christine at Financial Care Services charges hourly rate fees for helping with Centrelink matters.
To make an appointment for confidential, independent and professional advice about aged care, retirement lifestyle costs, granny flat or Age Pension issues please contact Christine Hopper or call +61 3 9808 0338.
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Christine Hopper
Financial Care Services
Independent aged care, strategic lifestyle and Social Security advice for seniors in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Telephone – call +61 3 9808 0338
Email – contact Christine@financialcareservices.com.au
Address – mail to 2B Thomas Street, Camberwell Victoria 3124
Website – visit financialcareservices.com.au
LinkedIn – connect https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinehopper1
Past newsletters – see http://financialcareservices.com.au/newsletters/
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Disclaimer: The information contained in this newsletter is of a general nature only and does not constitute “financial advice”.
All eligibility for Commonwealth benefits will be determined by Centrelink or DVA, based on your personal position as documented and the legislation and Regulations in force at that time.
© 2024 Christine Hopper @ Financial Care Services. All rights reserved.