Diane Gatto

Why Carers Compass?
In late 2013, Diane’s father was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. She became his full-time and primary carer until he died nine months later.
The family struggled to get the right type of help. The support systems they had hoped to rely on, were either unknown, inaccessible, unavailable or not delivered within the time frame in which they were so desperately needed. And with a lack of comprehensive guidelines of what to expect, what to do, who to call, or even what to ask for, most of what was put in place was very hit and miss. There was also a great personal cost – financial loss, emotional and mental stress, physical exhaustion.
The family thought they were alone in this struggle. Until Diane started to ask other family carers about their experience and a picture started to emerge.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2015) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers and the report Deloitte Access Economics (2015) The Economic Value of Informal Care in Australia 2015.
• • There are over 2.7 million unpaid carers in Australia who struggle to get the help needed to look after their frail, aged, dying or disabled loved ones?
• • Over 856,000 of these are primary carers. Of these, two thirds are women.
• • The average age of the primary carer is 55 years.
• • Carers provided 1.9 billion hours of unpaid care in 2015.

We know:
• • Our population is aging.
• • Support Services are stretched and struggle to keep up with the demand.
• • Many of these services are unknown, uncoordinated or inaccessible leaving families unsupported – during a time when they need it most.

Diane identified an opportunity to create a “meta-model of care” to help family carers find the right type of support related products and services for the wellbeing and care of their aging loved ones as they approach end-of-life.
Carers Compass is that “Meta-Model of Care”.
What is Carers Compass?
Imagine you are travelling to a destination for the first time. You would probably use your GPS to help get you to your destination. Right?
Carers Compass is like your own personal GPS for aged care specialist products and services.
A platform that will match family carers looking for products and services with Professional Care Networks designed to make looking after aging loved ones easier to manage.