An Aged Care home (sometimes known as a nursing home or Aged Care Residence) provides residential accommodation with health care for seniors who can no longer continue living in their own home.
The most common reasons can include illness, disability, loneliness, an emergency, as a result of increasing pressure on their carer, or because it is no longer possible to manage at home without help.
Residents in Residential Aged Care get assistance with day-to-day tasks like meals, cleaning and laundry. Personal care like showering and going to the toilet, dressing and grooming and 24-hour nursing care from qualified nursing staff, including managing your medicines, continence care, treatment and care of wounds.
Many Aged Care homes also provide quite complex and specialised types of health and medical care, including dementia care, palliative care, and rehabilitation.
The Australian Government subsidises a range of Aged Care Residences in Australia. This means affordable care and support services can be accessed by those who need it. The subsidies are paid directly to the Aged Care Residence.
The amount of funding that a home receives is based on:
- an assessment of your care needs by the home (using a tool called the Aged Care Funding Instrument or ACFI)
- how much you can afford to contribute to the cost of your care and accommodation (using an income and assets assessment) To get the funding, subsidised Aged Care homes have to meet Aged Care Quality Standards to ensure quality care and services are provided.
To find out if you are eligible for any of the Government-supported Aged Care services, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit www.myagedcare.gov.au
Yes. We provide a wide variety of activities including bingo, games, art & music therapy, news reading, exercises, Intergenerational music program with kids, outings, community visitors and church services. Family and friends are welcome to join in activities with residents.
In standard Residential Aged Care, everyone pays a Basic Daily Fee. This fee helps pay for your day-to-day services such as meals, cleaning, facilities management, and laundry. Set by the Australian Government and indexed at 85% of a standard age pension, this fee applies to every day you are a resident.
An accommodation fee covers the cost of your room, bathroom facilities, and access to communal areas. Those with total assets below a certain amount and pensions as their only income may have their accommodation paid in part, or in full, by the government. You have three options to pay this fee – a Refundable Accommodation Deposit, also known as the RAD, a Daily Accommodation Payment, or DAP, or a combination of both. If you choose the RAD option, which is a lump sum payment, it’s important to note that it is Government Guaranteed, so if your chosen facility is government accredited and something goes wrong, you won’t lose your money. And, as the name suggests, the RAD is fully refundable at the end of the resident’s time in care.
If your financial circumstances allow, you may be required to pay a means-tested fee to contribute towards your living costs. The amount is determined by assessing your income and assets. If they are under the set threshold, it is unlikely that a means tested fee will apply.
When available, we allocate single rooms on an ‘as needed’ basis, taking into account each individual resident’s care needs.
Our residences have many services onsite including daily activities, and additional services are provided by visiting healthcare and wellbeing professionals. For the health and comfort of residents, we provide 24/7 registered nursing care, dietician services, physiotherapy, diversional/occupational therapy, speech pathology, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy and palliative care. Other services include optometry, podiatry, dentistry, hairdressing, regular church services and non-dedicated respite.
Yes, you are welcome to arrange your GP to visit a loved one in any of our Residences. To ensure minimal disruption to a resident’s routine, please advise one of our staff of arrangements in advance.
There are no restrictions on visiting hours, however we insist that you respect other residents especially if visiting after hours.
It is best to view the resident’s particular room first and then decide in relation to furniture. We encourage residents to bring personal items such as photos, a bedspread and cherished keepsakes, to help them feel more at home. These items can be brought in on admission.
It is important to consult with staff before bringing a resident’s pet into a Residence, as this is at the discretion of the Facility Manager.
Vacancies can change by the hour, and urgent placements from local hospitals generally take priority. It is best that you call 1300 TRICARE (874 2273) and discuss individual needs with one of our Client Services Specialists. We will be able to give you advice on the most appropriate course of action to take regarding a placement.
When a GP prescribes particular medication for a resident, our highly experienced registered or endorsed nursing staff onsite will administer the medication to the directions of the GP. Our Residences have pharmacy support services ensuring the correct medications are provided for individual residents.
Yes, our companion rooms can be utilised for couples. Both residents must have a valid Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT*) assessment to be eligible for admission to one of our Residences.
We can assist you in the process required to arrange an ACAT* assessment for a loved one. Simply call 1300 TRICARE (874 2273) to speak with one of our Client Services Specialists. An ACAT* team member will visit you to gain an understanding of the lifestyle and needs of the person requiring full-time Aged Care.
The assessment will determine eligibility for placement in one of our Residences.
*ACAT is known as Aged Care Assessment Services (ACAS) in Victoria.
To find out whether your loved one is able to receive a subsidy from the Government and lower the cost of Aged Care, you will need an Aged Care means test assessment. Call 1300 TRICARE (874 2273) to speak with one of our Client Services Specialists who can assist you in the process to get an assessment.
The resident’s pension will not be affected after they move into full-time Aged Care. If the resident is your partner and you are separated as a result of full-time care reasons, you may be entitled to a higher rate of pension. Call 1300 TRICARE (874 2273) to speak with one of our Client Services Specialists who can assist you in the process of pension assessment.
