STARS stands for Support Transition Assistance Response Service. Simply put, these volunteers really are the stars of aged care in the Illawarra, providing practical advice for people stuck in hospital, waiting for a place in a care home.

“Our role is basically to myth-bust any misconceptions that the ageing population might have about aged care,” says Olivia Decker, a STARS volunteer who works with patients at Bulli Hospital.

“We also want to be there to support the family because it can be quite a challenging system to navigate.”

STARS volunteers are much needed locally. The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District has Australia’s worst case of ‘bed block’ or ‘delayed discharge’, which means that each night up to 150 people are stranded in public hospitals, well enough to leave, but without a safe place in residential care to go to. 

Community Industry Group, the Port Kembla-based peak body for community service organisations, runs the STARS program as part of a wider Illawarra Shoalhaven Regional Health and Aged Care Taskforce. While their STARS volunteers help at an immediate and hands-on level, CI Group is also investigating the causes of ‘bed block’ and working towards a solution supported by industry, not-for-profits and government. 

“Community Industry Group is amazing. They do amazing work in the community and they support so many other services,” says Deb Fisher, a STARS volunteer from Oak Flats who helps at Shellharbour Hospital.

Deb’s volunteer work is inspired by having looked after her mother, who had dementia, for 10 years.

“She swore black and blue that she would never go into a nursing home,” Deb says.

“It was a way bigger problem than I ever thought it would be. Back then, there was no support, no carers pension or anything like that.”

In the past decade, government services like My Aged Care have recognised the approximately three million Australians looking after older relatives or people with a disability, and begun offering services to support patients and carers. In 2005, Carers NSW began working in the Illawarra to support the mental health and financial wellbeing of carers like Deb, who found caring for her mother increasingly challenging.

“One morning, when she was really with it, she said ‘I think it’s time I went into a nursing home’. That was the best thing I’d heard in my life,” Deb says.

Professional insights to share 

Olivia came to STARS via a different path. She grew up in Central West NSW, completing a nursing degree through Charles Sturt University. Olivia has worked and volunteered in aged care since she was a teenager, and brings her professional insight to STARS clients at Bulli Hospital.

“I was very close with my grandparents, and after I lost them, I volunteered at the respite community centre for a little while, when I was 13 or 14. I've just always had a really good relationship with more mature people. And I suppose that stemmed from my grandparents,” Olivia says.

“While I was still living in Forbes, I was working in the hospitality part of a nursing home, and they offered me some care work. I did it, I really really loved it and decided from there to pursue nursing.”

Olivia has worked at the Illawarra Retirement Fund (IRT) for 10 years, first as a care manager and most recently as a clinical assessor for applicants.

“I’ve been very exposed to the system. I can see it all from different sides. There are frustrations when you’re on the other side of aged care, maybe you’re working with the hospitals and sometimes they aren’t able to get you in for aged care assessments for six to 12 months,” Olivia says.

“But I’m a nurse who really enjoys being hands-on and getting to know people. It's been a big part of my role over the years to make sure I knew the ins and outs of everyone’s care, their personalities and things like that. It’s assisted me to be able to give them the best care possible, and just respect people as people, versus a number or diagnosis.”

STARS advice empowers decisions

Through their experience, knowledge, empathy and excellent communication skills, STARS volunteers help people take charge of their own care plans.

"I would never tell them they've got to go into a nursing home. I would ask them how they're going to survive at home, and let them think about that, and make that decision," Deb says.

"A lot of older people have a really terrible idea of nursing homes and aged care, but it’s not how it used to be.

“They seem to have this fear factor, my mum had this fear too, that once you’re in a nursing home, people are going to forget about you. And the other concern is the financial costs, which is a misunderstanding a lot of people have.”

Having worked in nursing homes, Olivia likes to reassure people who are worried about food and accommodation. She says that in the past 10 years, national regulator the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has made changes to improve services.

“People sometimes think that aged care centres are more like that old hospital environment, where they’re going to have to share a room with four people or something like that,” Olivia says.

“Very few aged care centres have shared rooms now, because it’s not what people are wanting, and most aged care providers have adapted, providing single rooms with an ensuite if possible,

“Aged care providers are also really aiming to have good, accessible outdoor spaces – because who doesn’t love to sit in the outdoors or in the sun? They’ve also done a lot of work on the food situation as well. It’s always very, very hard because everyone – you, me, and five other people might have very different tastes in food,

“They’re trying to make it as much like home as it can be. It’s changed and people are adapting to what people need now.”

Preparation is key

Deb emphasises the importance of having open conversations about the care options available.

“Talk. Openly talk about these topics. People don’t make these decisions until they’re in a crisis. We are all going to be faced with it at some stage in our life, we don’t know when it’s coming," Deb says.

“I think it’s almost like a taboo topic, almost like funerals. If a family member raises the question ahead of time, the mum or dad might go, “Oh, you’re getting ready to shut us away, are you?”. But it’s realistic that we’re going to end up in these positions sooner or later.”

To avoid long assessment processes, Olivia encourages older people to be proactive, tour aged care facilities and seek information and advice ahead of time.

“It’s all about having good conversations with your family and getting around the services at the start of your journey, make it your choice,” Olivia says.

“Most providers offer tours and things like that. Have a chat with other residents that already live there, see what the benefits are.”

To learn more or volunteer with STARS, visit CI Group’s website