Name of the Organization : Department of Social Services
Type of Facility : Applying To An Aged Care Home
Country : Australia
Website : http://www.myagedcare.gov.au/aged-care-homes
Applying To An Aged Care Home :
As you grow older, you may find that you need more help with day-to-day tasks or health care. If you are living on your own and not able to get out and about as easily as you used to, you may also want some extra company.
Related : Department of Social Services Find Help At Home Services Australia : www.statusin.org/7007.html
Sometimes, the best way to receive help and support can be by living in an aged care home either on a permanent basis or for a short stay (called ‘residential respite’).
You may need help because of an illness, a disability, an emergency, or because of the needs of your carer, family or friends. Staff at aged care homes can help you with day-to-day tasks (such as cleaning, cooking, laundry); personal care (such as dressing, grooming, going to the toilet); or 24-hour nursing care (such as wound care, catheter care).
Aged care homes are owned and run by people who are approved by the Australian Government to care for you. The aged care system in Australia aims to make sure that all older people can receive support and quality care when they need it.
Assessing eligibility:
If you’re thinking about moving into an aged care home that is subsidised by the Australian Government, the first step is to organise a free assessment with an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).
An ACAT usually includes a doctor, nurse, social worker and/or other health professionals who will assess whether you are eligible to receive care and which services you need. If you need planned or emergency residential respite care, an ACAT will also assess your eligibility.
An ACAT can:
** give you information about aged care homes in your area
** assess and approve your eligibility for an aged care home
** help you arrange residential respite care, like short stays in aged care homes, if needed
** answer any other questions you might have about the different types of aged care homes.
If you are not eligible for residential care, an ACAT may be able to suggest other options so you can receive the care you need. For example, you may be eligible to receive some help at home.
Note: An Aged Care Assessment Team is referred to as an Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) in Victoria. On this webpage, references to ACAT are also references to ACAS.
Applying To An Aged Care Home:
Once you’ve met with an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT, or ACAS in Victoria) and received a letter to say that you are approved as eligible for residential aged care, you can start looking for and applying to aged care homes.
You can apply to as many homes as you like. When a place becomes available, the aged care home will contact you or your nominated contact person.
After accepting a place, make sure you let the other aged care homes know that you’ve found somewhere you like and that they no longer need to keep your application open.
Filling in an application form:
You will need to apply to any aged care homes you are interested in. All aged care homes have their own application process and may ask you to fill in a form.
Talk to the homes and find out what process they have and what information they will need.
Aged Care Homes Finder : http://www.myagedcare.gov.au/considering-aged-care-home/applying-aged-care-home
Contact : 1800 200 422