older people who are receiving HACC services which help them remain in their own homes e.g. Domiciliary Care, RDNS, Local Council, Meals on Wheels
	the representative of the older person
	staff who require information and advice re supporting their clients' rights and entitlements

	accessing services, e.g. how to organise support, options to facilitate the process
	change in services, e.g. the service has been reduced or stopped, the care has been altered
	appropriateness of services, e.g. the service does not meet needs, the service is provided in an unsuitable manner
	communicating with staff, e.g. older person requires strategies to ask questions and discuss their care, support at a meeting to address concerns
	rights and entitlements, e.g. whether the older person has the right to expect a particular service provided in a specific manner

Example 1

Mr Smith is 80 years old and is becoming more frail. He finds it increasingly difficult to look after his house and garden, shop and cook for himself.

In recent months, his 47-year-old son, Harry, has come to live with him. Harry has been diagnosed with a mental health problem, is unable to work and needs supervision in all aspects of daily living. He suffers greatly from depression and does not feel confident about going out.

As a result, Mr Smith has found himself to be more and more housebound. He tries to get some home-based services through Home and Community Care (HACC). He feels that if he has some help with house and garden maintenance on a regular basis, it would enable him to look after Harry better and to spend some quality time with him. However, the only service Mr Smith is offered is a respite service at a Day Centre for Harry, and Harry refuses to go. Mr Smith contacts ARAS because he does not know what to do and is feeling the pressure of his circumstances.

ARAS is able to successfully advocate for Mr Smith to receive some home help services, not only on the grounds of his eligibility as a frail older person but because he is a carer. The service provider is also able to refer Harry to Mental Health Services which will increase Harry's independence.

Example 2

Mrs Clement is a 70-year-old woman with Multiple Sclerosis and other health problems. She lives alone and uses an electric scooter when she goes out as she finds it difficult to walk long distances. She has many medical appointments and uses her Access Cab vouchers to get to these and to keep in touch with her family who live on the other side of the city. As a result she never has enough vouchers to transport her to the shopping centre each fortnight.

Mrs Clement has heard about a community service agency that has a wheelchair-accessible bus used for transporting consumers. She contacts the agency to see if she can be taken to her local shopping centre once a fortnight. She is informed that she could have transport to a major shopping centre further away, but not to her local centre. She is also told that, if the bus is full, it could not accommodate her scooter, and this fact could not be known in advance but on the day itself. Mrs Clement finds all this confusing and unacceptable, she wants a reliable service that will not make her even more tired than she usually is and this transport service appears to be not flexible enough to meet her particular needs. She contacts the Aged Rights Advocacy Service about her dilemma.

ARAS successfully advocates for the agency to find alternative transport arrangements. This is done on the grounds that the service clearly does not meet Mrs Clement's needs as a person in the agency's target group of disabled and frail elderly clients.

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