5 Things You Need To Know If You’re Thinking About Aged Care For Your Parents
As your parents get older, you may feel that they need additional support and care. For some, this can be provided at home with home care -- which refers to "care" delivered to your home. It maybe a personal carer or a nurse typically that will come and help you at home, The government does provide "Home Care Packages", which is essentially funding for eligible people over the aged of 65 years needing support.
However, both you and your parent(s) may feel that they are better suited to transition into a residential aged care home. But with this decision comes a myriad of questions -- what are the costs involved, can you receive government subsidies and where should you even begin to look?
Not to mention, does the aged care home (Tip: Don’t call them “nursing homes”) provide the specific support that your loved one needs?
Carepage.com (formerly agedcarereportcard.com.au) and FiftyUp Club have teamed up to provide answers to 5 of the biggest questions you may have around residential aged care.
Find a Five Star Aged Care Home or Retirement Village In Seconds on carepage.com.au
1. What should you do first?
Before contacting aged care facilities to arrange a tour, check to see if the person you care for has had a recent Aged Care Assessment completed.
Some providers may not agree to book in a facility tour unless you have had an assessment completed by ACAS (Aged Care Assessment Service). This assessment provides a report on any medical conditions and the level of care the individual will require.
It’s a free assessment that usually is completed from the person’s home, and ACAS/ACAT’s are located around Australia. Referrals for this service can be made through My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm or Saturday 10am to 2pm), or visit the website.
2. How do you find out what is available in your area?
Word of mouth is always a good starting point. Your parents may have friends already living in a facility who can vouch for it.
Search online directories such as carepage.com.au, or google what's in your preferred area. Reading feedback from people involved with a particular aged home facility can provide comfort and reassurance before committing to a particular place.
One thing to be aware when reading reviews websites, just because you read a review that identifies areas for improvements or a negative experience this does not necessarily mean this is a bad place to live in and that you should not send your loved one there. Aged Care ratings and reviews are subjective -- though if the overwhelming majority of reviews are good, that’s a positive sign.
When looking at review sites, look for are aged care providers that have taken the time to respond to reviews. On most sites it doesn’t cost anything for the aged care provider to respond and it shows they are interested in people’s experience, committed to making changes and providers wanting to make the process of finding a quality aged care service for consumers gets a big tick in our book.
In terms of availability it's a little tricky to know if a home really has vacancy or not by looking at their website -- they often always make at least 1 bed available on their website so they keep getting enquiries.
You can find a Five Star Aged Care Home or Retirement Village In Seconds on carepage.com.au
3. What should you look for at facilities you are visiting?
How the staff interact with you: When walking around the facility, look around at the care staff’s interaction with residents and each other. Most facility tours are only brief which give you enough time to take a look at the main areas and bedroom. This often means people have to make a decision based on their first impressions. If you do get the opportunity speak with staff as you walk around, see how they interact with you.
What the residents already live there think about it: There is usually a common area where they gather or you will usually come across other residents walking around, ask them what they enjoy or dislike about living there.
How the staff manage residents with specific conditions of illnesses: If your parent or spouse has a particular medical condition or illness then during a facility tour is a good time to ask about the staff’s ability to manage. The key person for you to speak with is the Clinical Care Manager. If a home operates well, it often comes down to the person in charge of the clinical aspects of care, along with the facility manager - they are often the linch-pin to the rest of the way a service operates.
Other important questions to ask:
- What is included in the fees?
- Are there any “additional fees" or hidden costs?
- What is the food like at the facility?
- What activities do the facilities have for the residents?
- What is the staff to resident ratio?
- Is there always a registered nurse or general practitioner available?
- Who are the owners and the senior staff members?
- Can you meet some of the staff?
- How often can family and friends visit?
- Can we bring pets on visits?
4. How much does it cost?
What you pay will depend on your financial situation. After completing a means and assets test from Centrelink, the price you will need to pay for your care will be determined.
There are strong protections in place to make sure that care is affordable for everyone and there are also rules about how much you can be asked to pay for your accommodation. If you do need to pay a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) then work out how much you have to spend, so you can start looking for facilities within your price range.
The Australian Government sets the maximum fees for care and daily living expenses.
Keep in mind that Aged care facilities that are more expensive will not necessarily mean that the quality of care will be better or even that they will necessarily have additional staff. Usually the higher price means their facilities have a more of a luxury feel and may even be located where real estate is higher end.
