Launched: new guide to help care finders support vulnerable older people
June 18, 2025
Launched: new guide to help care finders support vulnerable older people
June 18, 2025
Brisbane North PHN's care finder program continues to support vulnerable older Australians to navigate and access aged care services, and receive the care that they need.
With the growing housing crisis, many of these vulnerable older people can require significant assistance with securing their housing needs before aged care services can commence.
Care finders identified the need to have a better understanding of the housing sector so they can provide appropriate navigation supports to their clients.
Due to the housing crisis, care finders have found themselves engaging more often with clients at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, and as such, were requiring more awareness around the kind of supports available.
In response, the PHN and Footprints Community have launched a practical guide to support care finders across the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region. The Care Finder Housing and Homelessness Guide will direct care finders to specific resources, regional services and practical advice which can be utilised in the course of their work.
The guide was developed following extensive consultation involving focus groups and interviews held with Brisbane North PHN care finders from key organisations, as well as stakeholders from within the housing sector. A needs analysis was also completed to identify the primary concerns, goals and challenges faced by care finders and other stakeholders.
Pivotal to the guide’s development, care finders said they wanted a resource that met their needs and stayed within their scope of practice. The guide contains local, region-specific and practice guidance relating to services and supports across North Brisbane and Moreton Bay, which is serviced by five care finder service provider organisations – Communify, Footprints Community, Micah Projects, World Wellness Group and Queensland Council for LGBTI Health.
Footprints care finder Gaylene Johnston said the guide would be an invaluable tool to link those facing housing insecurity to vital support.
As a care finder, I see the hardship firsthand, and having a resource that is practical, concise, compassionate, and reliable makes all the difference.
The Care Finder Housing and Homelessness Guide is available online.
While targeted to care finders across the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region, the resource is available for all providers working with clients who require housing supports.
We trust this guide will help to fill any knowledge gaps and provide care finders with the tools, information and confidence they need to help their clients navigate a complex housing environment during what is a highly stressful time for them.
