Our Lady of Consolation’s Lawn-mowing Service focuses of improving accessibility and safety through maintenance of your lawn.
The OLOC Lawn-mowing service is a basic Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) funded Lawn-mowing service designed to help you maintain your lawn. The limits of available funding provide for maintenance of a ‘reasonably sized’ suburban block (up to 740 square metres and a 50 square metre nature strip).
If the block is a ‘reasonably sized’ and the terrain of reasonable difficulty, a basic cut would normally be covered by combining the available finding subsidy, with a small co-payment paid by you as the consumer.
Lawns are cut short and all pathways edged and swept. Grass clippings and edge clippings are removed by the contractor and placed into your rubbish bin, unless you have facilities for the recycling of garden waste, or agree for these (or some of them), to be placed into your recycling area.
At their first visit, the Contractor will assess the block, including size and difficulty, to see whether the block can be maintained within the available subsidy and co-payment.
Should your block be larger than the average size or have difficult terrain (for example, on a slope), and you wish to have the extra area or work done, then you will have to negotiate with the Contractor an additional price for the extra work, which is not subsidized.
Consumers have the option of reducing the number of cuts to access other garden related services.
Most consumers use the service only for Lawn-mowing, and make their own separate arrangements for any other garden related services if required.
Some consumers reduce their regular cuts by 2 per year in return for a ‘1-off’ annual garden clean up.
A smaller number make enquiries, particularly in cooler months when lawnmowing is not needed as regularly, to have gutters or outside windows cleaned (single story houses only) or garden pruning where there are issues of safety or accessibility. Extra funding is not provided for these services and consumers who request these services do so on the understanding that the number of regular cuts per year will be reduced. This is simply to keep your property tidy and safe, it is not for the beautification of your property.
Contractors may also provide additional services at further full cost on request, including additional Lawn-mowing for larger blocks, whipper snipping of parts of the property, or other light gardening maintenance, but these services are not subsidised and if agreed, are a private matter between the contractor and the consumer or their representative, and will be on a full fee paying basis only.
Eligibility
To be access this program you must be:
- 65 years of age or older (50 years of age or over for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people), or;
- Living at home and requiring some help to remain safe and independent, or;
- Living in the local government areas of Auburn, Blacktown, Hawkesbury, The Hills, Holroyd, Parramatta, Penrith and the Blue Mountains.
Check your eligibility and apply online at MyAgedCare
Fees
The Australian Government subsidies a range of aged care services in Australia. If your circumstances allow, it is expected you will contribute to the cost of your care. If you are able to contribute towards the cost of your Home Lawn and Maintenance Service, we offer a range of payment options that we can tailor to meet your financial circumstances
Any fees or subsidies will be discussed and agreed upon before any work takes place so you have the opportunity to clarify any concerns.
How to Get Started
You will need to have your needs assessed by a My Aged Care assessor. To organise an assessment, apply online or call 1800 200 422. Alternatively call our friendly staff on (02) 9832 4599 for help navigating the aged care system.
After the assessment we will contact you and organise to meet and discuss your needs.
Need more than one service? Have you considered a Home Care Package?
Our Commitment To You
We want to ensure that you are more than satisfied with the service you receive, and that it will help you to continue to live at home. However, if for some reason this is not the case then we would encourage you to contact us immediately on (02) 9832 4599 and your concerns will be dealt with promptly and professionally.