Aged Care Homes provide accommodation and support for people who can no longer live at home without care and support and need to live in a supported care situation.

You can still live independently in low level care hostels, but have meals prepared and laundry done for you as well as receiving help with personal care like bathing and hair-dressing.

High level (nursing home) care includes ongoing nursing care, as well as meals, laundry, cleaning and personal care.

Community care services are an alternative to an aged care home and may be able to help you to stay in the community.

Click here to get more information about Residential Aged Care Homes and Community Care.

Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) have been established to assess if you are eligible for Commonwealth supported Residential Aged Care.

If you are recommended by an ACAT for residential aged care, the ACAT will provide you with a copy of the Entry Pack for residential aged care.

The Entry Pack provides prospective residents, their carer, friends or family members with detailed information about the process of entering residential aged care, and includes a standard application form that can be used to apply for residential aged care (respite care or permanent entry).

You may be asked to contribute to the cost of services in an aged care home in several ways, depending on your income and assets.

• Daily care fees contribute to your daily living costs, which and include
  • A basic daily care fee; and
  • An additional income-tested fee
• Extra service fees if you are in an 'extra service' place
• Accommodation payments for your housing - either an accommodation bond or an accommodation charge

Take me to Costs of Care in the About Services section.

Basic daily care fees contribute to your daily living costs. The maximum basic daily care fee you can be asked to pay will depend on whether or not you receive a means tested Australian pension.

Take me to Daily Care Fees summary.

Income tested fees contribute to your daily living costs. You can be asked to pay an additional income tested fee if you are not in receipt of a full means tested Australian pension.

Take me to Income Tested Fees for Care section.

You can be asked to pay an extra service fee if you are in an extra service place. Extra service places offer residents a higher standard of accommodation, food and services at a higher charge.

Take me to Extra Service information section.

If you enter low level (hostel) care or receive care on an extra service basis, you may be asked to pay an accommodation bond. The maximum amount you can be asked to pay will depend on your assets.

Take me to more information about Accommodation Bonds.

If you enter high level (nursing home) care, you may be asked to pay an accommodation charge. The maximum amount you can be asked to pay will depend on your assets.

Take me to Accommodation Bond information section.

All aged care homes are required to maintain standards. To meet these standards, homes must:

• Provide a high quality of personal care to every resident
• Have a safe building
• Be committed to protecting their resident's rights

Service providers must also ensure that they have appropriately qualified staff with the right mix of skills to meet residents' needs.

Take me to Residential Care Standards section.

Your personal, civil, legal and consumer rights in any aged care home are the same as those of any other Australian. Your rights include the right to personal privacy and to decide what happens to your belongings, the right to move or change the care you receive, the right to complain, and the right to vote and practice your own religion.

Take me to Your Rights in Residential Care information section.

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