Recover at Home with Support

Post Hospital and Short Term Care in Sydney

For 18 years, Young at Heart Services has helped people across Sydney live independently at home. Our post-hospital and short-term care brings that experience to the everyday support you may need while recovering from surgery, illness or injury.

Coming home can be a relief, but it can also raise questions. How will you manage a shower? Who will prepare meals or help you get to appointments? What happens when family members need to return to work?

We help you put practical support in place, with care built around your usual routines, the advice from your treating team and what you feel comfortable doing yourself. Our service is available to adults aged 18 and over across Sydney City, the Inner West, North Shore, Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs.

Call 0431 345 901
Send an enquiry

18 years caring for Sydney families

Police-checked, insured carers

No lock-in contracts or exit fees

Care can often start in 1 to 2 weeks

Help with everyday life after hospital

You may be ready to leave hospital while still needing assistance at home. Preparing a meal, getting dressed or doing the shopping can take more effort than usual, particularly if you live alone or your mobility is limited.

Short-term home care gives you help with those daily tasks while you recover. It can also give a partner or family member support with responsibilities they have suddenly taken on.

We start by understanding what a normal day looks like for you and where the difficulties are. You remain involved in decisions about your care, including how help fits around your preferences and the things you want to keep doing.

What your care can include

Tell us about any specific instructions from your hospital team so we can discuss how everyday support will fit around them. We can work alongside nurses, physiotherapists and other health professionals involved in your care. Clinical treatment and rehabilitation remain guided by your treating team.

  • Help with showering, dressing, grooming and toileting
  • Preparing meals, shopping and light household tasks
  • Assistance with walking and moving around the home
  • Medication reminders in line with your prescribed routine
  • Transport to follow-up appointments and everyday errands
  • Help getting home from hospital and settling back in
  • Companionship and time off for a family member providing care

Arranging support before you come home

If you have an operation planned or a likely discharge date, contact us before you leave hospital. This gives us time to understand your situation, discuss the help required and check carer availability.

We will talk through where you live, who else is at home, what assistance your treating team has recommended and when you expect to need care. You can involve a family member in the conversation if you wish.

Your hospital team leads discharge planning and advises when you are ready to leave. Young at Heart helps with the practical support around that plan. If discharge is approaching quickly, let us know the timing so we can explain what is available.

Call 0431 345 901 to discuss your expected discharge date and support at home.

Support that adjusts as you recover

You may need help at particular times of day, such as getting ready in the morning or preparing an evening meal. You may need longer visits in the first few weeks, then less assistance as everyday activities become easier.

We can review your support with you as things change. If recovery takes longer than expected, or you decide that some ongoing help would make life easier, we can discuss that too. Visit arrangements depend on your needs and carer availability.

Short-term care can also help after an injury or illness that has made daily life difficult, even if you have not stayed in hospital.

A carer you feel comfortable with

Having someone help with personal tasks in your own home can feel unfamiliar. We take time to find a carer whose experience and approach suit you, considering your personality, preferences and cultural or religious background where relevant.

Our carers undergo reference and police checks. If the first match does not feel right, tell us so we can arrange another carer. Being comfortable asking for help matters.

Sharing the practical responsibilities with family

A family member may be able to stay for the first day or two but find it difficult to cover every meal, appointment and personal care task alongside their own commitments.

We can help with the parts of the day that need extra support and keep family members informed in line with your wishes. Together, we can discuss how visits fit around the help already available.

Keeping families informed and involved

Good care does not happen in isolation. With your agreement, we stay in regular contact with family and let them know about any changes we notice in day to day wellbeing, mobility or routine.

If we think some extra help would make life easier, or that a small change at home would help someone stay safe, we will say so. That might mean suggesting a handrail, a walker, a commode or another simple aid, or talking through whether a home modification is worth considering. Our aim is to keep communication open and to work alongside families, not around them.

Overnight and 24-hour care

Recovery does not stop at the end of the day. Sometimes the reassurance of having someone there overnight matters just as much as help during the day, particularly in the first week or two at home.

A carer can stay through the night so you are not alone, help you to the toilet safely during the night and be on hand if you need anything. Where more support is needed, we can also arrange 24-hour care. Tell us how you feel about the nights ahead and we can talk through what would help you feel safe and comfortable at home.

Private care with clear costs

Young at Heart is an independent, privately owned home care service. You can contact us directly to discuss arranging and paying for care privately, including while you are waiting for other support.

Fees depend on the type of help, the hours required and when visits take place. We discuss the proposed care and its cost with you before it begins.

There are no administration fees or exit fees, and no long-term lock-in contract. Notice requirements depend on the service arrangement and are explained in your agreement.

Post hospital care across Sydney

We provide care across Sydney City, the Inner West, North Shore, Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs. Tell us your suburb and the support you need so we can confirm availability in your area.

What Our Clients Say

Sincere and capable help Maria and her team at Young at Heart are more special to me, and my mum, than any other agency we have received assistance from. The team’s warm and genuine care, combined with their reliability, means I look forward to their help.
Lara & her mother SharonThornleigh/Turramurra
I really appreciated that you looked after the Parents so well and in such an intelligent manner. They enjoyed your company especially My father ( you may not have felt the same way Ha-ha). I had no hesitation in trusting you and your judgement of choosing Dora to help. It has been such a pleasure to have someone who is such a good communicator and who can make intelligent suggestions instead of just being a “yes” (wo)man and with whom I could discuss the state and welfare of the Parents. I had no other person to consult. So I am the one to say a big thanks. I also hope we can keep in touch, Kind regards
Anne Marie
Last year, sadly, I lost my wife. My health started to slowly deteriorate, and as I am in my early 90’s, I realized that is becoming harder to live on my own. I started looking around aged care facilities, but the more I looked the more I wanted stay in my own home. So I decided that I will look into hiring full time live in carers.  Maria and Young at Heart was recommended to me by friends who already knew her. I contacted Maria, and she was very helpful, very accommodating. She organized a young married couple who now are living with me full time, and assisting me with the things that are not so easy for me to do anymore.  But more importantly she managed to find carers from my own background, which makes life so much easier; we can speak the same language, we like the same food and we have a lot to talk about our culture.  I am very happy with my decision to stay in my own home, and very satisfied with the services and the carers that Young at Heart organized for me.  I would gladly recommend Young at Heart to anyone who needs similar assistance, whether it is live in care, personal assistance , social support, or the occasional companionship.
With wishing to find the same good people
StephenMosman
I first was fortunate enough to meet Maria Pauka through an act of kindness when my elderly mother had a fall and Maria lived in the same apartment block!  This was now almost seven years ago.   Maria’s business was in its infancy and shortly after this incident we took on Maria’s services to become a permanent carer for my Mum so as she could maintain her independence in her own home.  When the time came for Mum to be moved to permanent care, we retained Maria’s services on a different basis as she had become such a wonderful and cheerful companion for my mother who was very fond of her. Sadly, Mum passed away, and, having never forgotten Maria’s personal quality of service and caring, I was delighted to learn that she has expanded her business to include general care for short term needs also!  My husband took ill, and, with a full time job, I was unable to take care of the household needs and Maria provided an excellent quality of helpers to assist with light household duties, including shopping, cooking, washing, general tidying and companionship.  The flexibility and quality of staff Maria has been able to arrange at short notice is nothing less than extraordinary!   We have again very recently employed the services of “Young at Heart” due to a broken ankle, where assistance was needed to undertake basic chores, and, act as my ‘legs’.  Again, Maria was called upon, and, with very short notice, fabulous, willing carers to the rescue where nothing was too much trouble. I would not hesitate to recommend Maria’s services for reliability, quality, flexibility and genuine caring and understanding of client’s needs.
JulieNorthbridge
Young at Heart provides an excellent, reliable service
We engaged the services of Young at Heart over a year ago to provide companionship and security for my husband, while giving me peace of mind while I am out. We have been completely satisfied and delighted at the care and company he receives. They very quickly established a warm and pleasant friendship and he looks forward to seeing her each week.
She is a charming, friendly person, cheerful, punctual, reliable and immaculate in her presentation. Her visits give me a break and offer him a change of pace. Working with Young at Heart ensures that should our regular helper be away we will not be left in the lurch, but will always have an experienced person in her place. I heartily recommend this service as highly professional and easy to deal with.
MGGreenwich, NSW
‘Young at Heart’ is an absolute godsend to our family. Maria is a compassionate, patient and professional Carer/companion for our 94year old Dad, who supports his wellbeing holistically – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Living quite a distance from Sydney and with Dad not speaking much English, Maria’s support gives us peace of mind. Maria is an excellent communicator and always keeps us up to date on Dad’s health status and changing needs. Thanks to Maria, Dad continues to ‘have a life’, while still in the nursing home. Maria takes him out, runs errands, does shopping and helps with whatever comes up! Her help is so flexible and adaptable, depending on Dad’s current needs and energy levels. It’s the little things and attention to detail that make a big difference – like picking up his favourite juice on her way in to visit, or Dad’s dry-cleaned jacket, so he can maintain his dignity and pride. Maria has become one of the family and has made Dad’s end of life stage a time full of joy and love, despite his chronic and terminal ailments. I don’t know how we would manage without her!
Working for Young at Heart has been a great decision for me.
  Not only does Maria care for her Clients but she also cares about her Staff.
It is so rewarding to work as a valued and respected member of Staff, where your skills are really appreciated.
Marg
Maria, It is such a pleasure working with you and the Young at Heart team. Thank you so much for being such a great boss; teaching me, helping me and supporting me. You are an extraordinary boss and an excellent person. It has been such a pleasure to take care of Jean, Mosman, she was a great person whom I really appreciated. And her family also was so supportive all the way. I am so grateful for being able to work with Young at Heart.
MelMosman
Maria and the Young at Heart team cared for my mother for over ten years. In that time, the needs of my mother an independent and active person gradually changed to a high care situation. Through Maria’s careful and thoughtful care program, my mother enjoyed a level of care second to none. In her final time, Maria’s team excelled in my mother’s palliative care. The visiting specialist Hammondcare team were most impressed and could not fault with the care provided. I have no hesitation in recommending Maria and her team for the highest possible care.
M TMosman

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about care after hospital

Yes. You can contact us to discuss support for someone in your family. We involve the person receiving care in decisions wherever possible, including their preferences about daily routines and who comes into their home.

We can often help at short notice, depending on the support required and carer availability. Tell us your expected discharge date when you contact us. We will confirm a start date with you so you can plan around it.

Yes. We can discuss temporary support during recovery and review the arrangement as your needs change. We will explain the visit arrangements, fees and any notice requirements before care starts.

Yes. We can discuss additional help alongside family support or another provider. Let us know what is already arranged and where you need extra assistance.

No. Post-hospital and short-term support is available to adults aged 18 and over. You may need temporary help after an operation, illness or injury at any stage of adult life.

Tell us what your treating team has recommended. We can discuss everyday care alongside the nurses, physiotherapists or other professionals involved, and clarify what each part of your support will cover before it starts.

Explore our other in-home care services

Dementia Care  ·  Help at Home  ·  Personal Care  ·  Palliative Care  ·  End of Life Care

Get in Touch Today

Talk to us about your return home

You do not need to know exactly how many hours of help to book before you get in touch. Tell us what you are coming home to, what feels manageable and what is worrying you. We can talk through the options and help you plan the next step.

Call 0431 345 901
Send an enquiry
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