Build communities

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 Bell Cares community based home care service is the brain child of Lesley Bryce. It is worth reading the linked  article to understand just how good this idea is and how we need to lend support to thinking it through so that community based homecare becomes a solid part of the Australian way of life. It has been established in the town of Bell in Queensland. The article mentions it is going to be trialled in other Queensland council areas and also in South Australia and Western Australia. This idea centres on establishing this programme in towns which are quite a distance from city areas and hence facilities. It is about using local community members to help each other. At the moment it is privately funded. There needs to be a business model where it is properly funded as a concept so that wages are guaranteed and there is an avenue of employment for those who wish to help others. 

For many , it would be attractive to have local work. We all go through different stages of life and need flexible working arrangements at times. It is a way of skills sharing and skills upgrading. The helpers can learn from those who need help. It ought not only apply to those who are older or older and infirm. It ought to apply to anyome who needs help. Not everyone has the physical strength to complete some tasks like shifting furniture. Not everyone can get their bins and rubbish out the front of their place. Not everyone can sew buttons on or repair curtains. Everyday there would be people who have things they want to do but cannot do them themselves. We can go online to find and hire helpers but if we centered it on our communities and local areas it would draw people together. There would be other benefits. It would be a different way of getting small job tradie help , medical help, housework help . I got someone to repair my fridge. He was someone who liked to work but could no longer do anywhere close to a full time job. He lived in the local area. He was easy to deal with and it was better than what often becomes tradie hoo ha. If he doesn't want to do the job he says. He was happy just doing bits and pieces. I got my fridge repaired. He got to use skills he loved using. 

One of the market gaps is people who own homes but don't have the income or energy to run them properly any more. Some of that is the process of ageing. Some of it is illness. We haven't even seen the impact of long covid yet , so I am thinking creating community based help and making that normal is a good way to help people keep thriving.