Our Aged Care Specialist answers our most frequently asked questions

Before being allocated a Home Care package or entering residential aged care, you must be assessed to determine your eligibility for care. The assessment can be performed by any doctor, nurse or social worker who is a member of an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).

Aged care help can be accessed in your home or residential service. To help you decide which option is best, you can arrange a free assessment by an Aged Care Assessment Team/Service (ACAT/ACAS).

You will need to have ACAT/ACAS approval before accessing a government-subsidised home care package or residential care. You can book an appointment directly with ACAT/ACAS on 1800 200 422, and further information is available at myagedcare.gov.au.

ACAT approvals remain valid indefinitely unless the approval was granted for a specific time period.

The accommodation costs for all aged care providers are published on myagedcare.gov.au. This website also provides a description of the rooms and services available.

There is no limit. You can apply to as many Home Care providers as you like, and you can proceed with your most suitable option by signing a service agreement.

Your accommodation payment may involve a lump sum payment, periodic payments or a combination of both. Our article on Refundable Accommodation Deposits explores this in more detail.

The costs that apply to you could include the basic daily fee, a means-tested care fee and an extra service or additional fee. It is best to chat to an aged care specialist from our team to determine which ongoing care costs apply to you.

If you are eligible for a home care package, you will be placed in the national queue and will be contacted when their package becomes available.

While waiting in the queue you should start researching home care providers. A list of providers can be found on myagedcare.gov.au. When you reach the top of the queue, you will receive a letter with details of your home care package.

You will have 56 days to take up their package and enter into a home care agreement with your chosen provider.

This varies depending on the package you are eligible for and the cost of service providers that you select. Your package will heavily subsidise the costs of providers to allow you to stay at home longer. However, you can privately fund additional services that are not funded under your package.

At Olive Grove Financial Advice, we are the retirement planning and aged care specialist! Although our head office is based in Sydney, we work with clients in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth - in fact, anywhere in Australia as we also offer online appointments.