Like many Hireup clients, Frank books his own support workers when he needs them. He has a team of workers he’s chosen, and they support him with help around the house, going to appointments, and accessing his local community, all the while maintaining his (fierce) independence.
But Frank’s not a regular Hireup client. His grandchildren are Laura and Jordan O’Reilly, the sister and brother duo who founded Hireup.
It’s easy to see where the O’Reilly siblings get their entrepreneurial spirit from.
“When I was about 10 years old, my parents owned a fruit shop,” says Frank.
“Across the road was a pharmacy, and I used to do her deliveries for six pence a delivery. I told her I wanted to be a pharmacist too, and she ended up putting me in touch with another pharmacist who took me on as an apprentice when I finished university.”
“After I’d been a pharmacist for a while, I then decided to open my own pharmacy. I didn’t want to sit down and be cooped up in an office for eight hours a day. As a pharmacist, I could walk out on the street and talk to people. You meet a lot more people that way, too.”
Needing a bit of support at home
At age 85 years old, Frank was relatively new to requiring support at home, and didn't like asking for help. After enjoying a lifetime of good health, the luxury of “rarely” needing to go to the doctor, and a satisfying career as a pharmacist spanning over sixty years, Frank’s health declined and a number of operations and hospital stays left him unable to do the things he previously could.
“After the last operation on my hip, I was here on my own and I was really struggling,” says Frank.
“I don’t like calling on Laura and Jordy to help me with things. They are always happy to help, of course, but I don’t like bothering them and they’re both so busy. I said to Laura, ‘do you think you could get a couple of support workers to help me out?’ And that’s how I joined Hireup.”
Getting set up with Hireup
Laura helped Frank register on Hireup, create a profile, set up his account, and do some meet and greets with potential support workers.
“I set myself up as an account manager for Pop when he was using Hireup because I wasn't sure how comfortable he’d feel using the app or if it’d be easy enough for him,” says Laura.
“It means I have Pop’s account on the app on my phone, but he uses the app and makes bookings for himself. For some older Australians who aren’t comfortable with the technology you can have an account manager who can help you use the platform.”
“In our case, Pop learnt the system really well, in just a few minutes. I haven’t had to do much since, he really runs it himself.”
“It’s as easy as winking”
For Frank, using the app was self explanatory. “To learn to use the app it probably took me all of 10 minutes. Everything’s there on the screen in front of you. I use the Hireup app on my phone. I’m not good on computers and phones, but it’s as easy as winking. If I can do it, anybody can.”
The fast set up meant that Frank could connect with suitable support workers quickly and easily. He’s connected with two workers so far - Luka and Graham - and he books them as and when he needs them. “It took maybe a day and half to get set up, and then after we interviewed them, I booked them straight away.”
One of Frank’s support workers, Luka, says a typical shift with Frank usually involves going to an appointment, doing the grocery shopping or other errands together, then returning home to help with cleaning or other tasks around the house.
And while Luka might be the one supporting Frank, he’s gaining just as much from their time spent together. “Some of the things I've learnt from Frank and being around him are the importance of resilience and a positive attitude in the face of hardship,” Luka says.
“He's had surgeries, various different health issues and he’s unwavering the entire time. He's confident, he’s positive, he's got his goals and it’s really aspirational to watch.”
The key to great support: reliability
As well as getting along on a personal level, Luka says that the foundation of a strong support relationship is reliability.
“Frank can rely on me to show up on time, get the things we need to get done, and make time for him. And I can rely on Frank to be there on time, be where he says he's going to be and schedule me in advance.”
Luka sees first hand the impact the right supports can make to older Australians and their families.
“A main benefit I see for the home care clients I support is the freedom that having a support worker allows them,” he says.
“The social aspect also stands out, because I feel a lot of people in this situation could get isolated and lonely, so it’s important to be someone to talk to.”
Quick access to support when it’s needed most
For the O’Reilly’s, the ability to use Hireup, and to be able to access it quickly, meant Frank could continue living life how he wanted to, with little disruption to his routine or environment.
“One of the things we’ve realised as a family, is that as you get older when you need support, it can come on really quickly,” says Jordan. “And sometimes it's hard to know what to do. That was certainly our experience.”
“To have Hireup there to be able to get set up really quickly, and to get connected with lovely support workers to help Pop to increase his independence, and to keep doing the things he wants to do, it’s really fantastic for us as a family.”
“When you need support you need it fast and you need the support on your terms. And that’s certainly how Hireup has responded for us as a family, and it makes us really proud to see it working in that way.”
Support that enables independence
Now 86 years old, Frank has regained his driver's license and is feeling both happy and healthy. Although he doesn't use Hireup as frequently these days, he credits his newly discovered independence to the support from his workers.
“I love living at home. A new nursing home opened down the road, and I went there for two weeks but I didn't like it. It’s important that I live at home. My Hireup workers helped increase my movement — I’m an out and about sort of person, and they’ve really made me independent now.”
“I always tell people you’ll get good care, and good caring people at Hireup. That’s just from my own experience — I don’t say anything about Laura and Jordy or who they are to anyone!”
You can find out more about Hireup's Aged Care Support offering on our website.
