Once you reach your older years you may find that your fixed income no longer meets your needs. Medical bills tend to increase as the body ages, which in turn can cause other bills to become harder to manage.
Once you reach your older years you may find that your fixed income no longer meets your needs. Medical bills tend to increase as the body ages, which in turn can cause other bills to become harder to manage. Fortunately, the government has done a good job of creating different channels to help people with managing finance in senior years.
Senor Cards help with keeping costs down
Here are a few examples of senior cards offered:
– Pensioner Concession Card: This card is available to seniors over the age of 60 who meet income guidelines such as being a recipient of age pension, bereavement, carer payments for a child or adult, or disability support pension. There is quite a bit involved in getting the card. Once it is acquired though it is well worth the process to get some of the concessions offered.
– Senior Card: Available to individuals over the age of 65. The card is issued to individuals in their state of residence. Some states offer reciprocation of their concessions between neighbouring states. This card is issued to individuals who are not working more than a set number of hours per week.
– Senior Health Card: Helps older Australians gain access to cheaper prescriptions, Government funded medical care, and other important governmental concessions. To be eligible for this card one must have reached the Age pension but not be receiving payments from Human Services or from Veteran’s Affairs. The applicant must also meet an income test.
Sources for information to help with Senior Finances
You can also get help finding various organisations that help seniors with their bills, finding senior care facilities, and help with gaining access to information via the internet. The government has created a One-stop location on its official website to find these help for seniors.
Use this site to find information about the cards mentioned above or to find out about other cards available and services provided by the government. You can find information about healthcare issues and concerns, access points, or office locations you can visit in person.
The One-stop site also helps family members find home care assistance for the senior family member through the Department of Social Services or file a complaint or report concerns to the Department of health.
You can use this site learn about senior access to the internet with free broadband kiosks offered by the government. Locate kiosks near you and learn about online safety.
Growing older should not automatically mean that one must become poor and alone in the world. The government knows how to take care of its senior citizens right and proper. There are a number of senior cards that help reduce costs to make managing a fixed income easier. Family members and senior persons can find information to make their lives better and remain an important part of society, too. If at times the information seems overwhelming you can ask a government worker what you qualify for and how you can apply for it so you can have everything you deserve after a lifetime of working hard.
Read about other types of financial assistance for pensioners here
Image courtesy of jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Leave a Reply