The in-home service provides domestic assistance such as cleaning, shopping and gardening, as well as respite care and help with hygiene for people under 65 with a disability, an ongoing or short-term illness, or health issues impacting daily functioning.
Project officer Lisa Costantin said NPH had a long history of providing healthcare services to the Mitchell and Murrindindi shires, often helping people who fell through the cracks of National Disability Insurance Scheme funding.
“It can be for anything from fibromyalgia — which is up and down and sporadic so you wouldn’t get NDIS support for it even though it’s debilitating — to diabetes or a chronic disability,” she said,
“We offer domestic assistance like doing the dishes, changing linen, or it could be gardening — anything that can help with safety and increasing access.
“If you’re on crutches and the path is blocked by bushes, we can cut that for you.”
Shepparton's Georgina Dodson, who is a social worker and has worked in healthcare, has been accessing the NPH service due to chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and other health conditions.
She said the service had been "invaluable".
“At this stage I have someone come in to help with domestic duties, taking a bit of the stress off my husband and me,” she said.
“The lady comes for one-and-a-half hours a fortnight.”
Ms Dodson, who also co-ordinates the Shepparton support group for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia or experiencing chronic pain, said she was satisfied with the quality of the staff.
“Nexus staff are trained and vetted — a question I often ask because I worked in the industry for over 25 years,” she said.
Ms Costantin said fees were kept to a minimum due to government subsidies and were tailored to suit people's income.
A free assessment can be done over the phone or in person, with a family member or close friend able to be present for support if need be.
The home care service is available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people under the age of 50 in Greater Shepparton.
Call 1300 773 352 to book an assessment time.
For more information visit www.nexusprimaryhealth.org.au or follow Nexus Primary Care on Facebook.
Visit Shepparton ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia Support Group on Facebook for more information about support for fibromyalgia and chronic pain.
