Aged care financial hardship assistance

Overview

Home Care

What is Home Care

Step 1

1.1

Which Program is right for me?

1.2

What is the Commonwealth Home Support Program

1.3

Home Care Package Overview

1.4

Home Care Package Supplements Overview

1.5

What is the difference between CHSP and Home Care Package Level 1

1.6

Can I Receive Additional Aged Care Services

1.7

What is the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS)

Home Care Packages

Step 2

2.1

What are Home Care Packages?

2.2

What Home Care Package Supplements are there?

2.3

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Dementia and Cognition

2.4

Is there A Home Care Supplement for Veterans?

2.5

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Oxygen Supplement?

2.6

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Enteral Feeding?

2.7

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Viability?

2.8

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Hardship?

Aged Care Assessment Team

Step 3

3.1

What is the Aged Care Assessment Team?

3.2

What is the National Prioritisation Process?

3.3

How do I get assessment results?

3.4

Can I make a complaint about the ACAT assessment?

Home Care Package Fee Structure

Step 4

4.1

What is the fee structure for the Home Care Package?

4.2

What is the Basic Fee?

4.3

What is the Home Care Income Tested care fee?

4.4

How incomes are tested?

4.5

How does the fee collection work for Home Care Packages?

4.6

When do you start payments?

4.7

What if you’re a self-funded retiree

4.8

Are there annual and lifetime caps?

Package Provider Cost Components

Step 5

5.1

What are the different Package Provider cost components?

5.2

What is the Administration Fee

5.3

Are there case management and advisory services?

5.4

What are the average costs?

5.5

What are service and support provisions?

5.6

Why is it good to have a contingency?

5.7

Why do I need to pay an exit fee?

Understanding Package and Service Providers

Step 6

6.1

What is the difference between a Package Provider and a Service Provider?

6.2

How do I select a Package Provider?

6.3

What are the different types of services

6.4

What you can expect from a Service Provider

6.5

What should a service provider expect from me?

6.6

Who are the key personnel provided by Package Providers?

6.7

What rights & responsibilities do I have?

6.8

How do I make a complaint?

Care Management Plan

Step 7

7.1

What do I need to do before I’m ready for a Care Management Plan?

7.2

How do I decide my goals for my care management plan?

7.3

What is the role of a Case Manager?

7.4

Can I be involved in managing my package?

7.5

Can I fully manage my own package?

7.6

What rights do I have with my Home Care Provider?

Home Care Agreement

Step 8

8.1

What should I know about the Home Care Agreement?

8.2

Can I top up services or get additional services?

8.3

How long does my Home Care Package last?

8.4

When do I start receiving services and care?

8.5

What if I want to take a break from my Home Care?

8.6

Can I change Package Providers?

8.7

Can a Package Provider stop providing their services to me?

Retirement Living

Retirement Living in Australia

Step 1

What is Retirement Living

Step 2

Why do people downsize

Step 3

The role of 'care'

Step 4

Types of retirement living

Step 5

Aged Care Homes

Get Informed

Step 1

Step 1.1

How do you get through the aged care system?

STEP 1.2

What are aged care home operators?

STEP 1.3

What is the government's role in aged care?

STEP 1.4

What are aged care providers?

Get Set-Up

Step 2

STEP 2.1

How do I face up to aged care?

STEP 2.2

How do I get legal permission to act on someone’s behalf?

STEP 2.3

What are the types of substitute decision makers?

STEP 2.4

Why do I need a My Aged Care client record?

STEP 2.5

How do I get a My Aged Care client record?

STEP 2.6

How do I get my affairs in order?

STEP 2.7

What is involved in advanced care planning and directives?

Get Assessed

Step 3

STEP 3.1

What is involved in the ACAT/ACAS Assessment?

STEP 3.2

How do you get an ACAT assessment?

STEP 3.3

What can I expect in the ACAT assessment?

STEP 3.4

What can I expect after the ACAT Assessment?

Working Our Your Finances

Step 4

STEP 4.1

What are the basic aged care fees?

STEP 4.2

What are the main costs of an aged care home?

STEP 4.3

How do I complete an income and assets test?

STEP 4.4

What do I need for the income and assets test?

STEP 4.5

How is my family home assessed?

STEP 4.6

What debt details do I need to provide on the income and assets test?

STEP 4.7

What are the options for my contribution to age care costs?

STEP 4.8

How do I calculate my daily accommodation payment (DAP)?

STEP 4.9

What are my financial options to move into an aged care home?

STEP 4.10

Am I entitled to financial hardship assistance?

Applications

Step 5

STEP 5.1

How do I create a shortlist of aged care homes?

STEP 5.2

Should I visit my shortlisted aged care homes?

STEP 5.3

What are the best questions to ask when you visit an aged care home?

STEP 5.4

How do I apply to an aged care home?

STEP 5.5

What is the process of accepting a place in an aged care home?

Agreements

Step 6

STEP 6.1

What are the types of aged care legal agreements?

STEP 6.2

What is a resident agreement?

STEP 6.3

What is an accommodation agreement?

STEP 6.4

When do you have to sign the aged care home agreements?

STEP 6.5

What are my rights and responsibilities in an aged care home?

STEP 6.6

How do I make a complaint to an aged care home?

Moving

Step 7

STEP 7.1

How do I discuss the move into an aged care home?

STEP 7.2

What's involved in the cost and move into an aged care home?

STEP 7.2

What paperwork is required moving into an aged care home?

STEP 7.4

How do I manage family and expectations when my parent is moving to an aged care home?

STEP 7.5

What are the 'steps' to sell the family home?

STEP 7.6

What legal documents and other items will I need at the time of the move into an aged care home?

Overview

Home Care

What is Home Care

Step 1

1.1

Which Program is right for me?

1.2

What is the Commonwealth Home Support Program

1.3

Home Care Package Overview

1.4

Home Care Package Supplements Overview

1.5

What is the difference between CHSP and Home Care Package Level 1

1.6

Can I Receive Additional Aged Care Services

1.7

What is the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS)

Home Care Packages

Step 2

2.1

What are Home Care Packages?

2.2

What Home Care Package Supplements are there?

2.3

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Dementia and Cognition

2.4

Is there A Home Care Supplement for Veterans?

2.5

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Oxygen Supplement?

2.6

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Enteral Feeding?

2.7

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Viability?

2.8

Is there a supplement in Home Care for Hardship?

Aged Care Assessment Team

Step 3

3.1

What is the Aged Care Assessment Team?

3.2

What is the National Prioritisation Process?

3.3

How do I get assessment results?

3.4

Can I make a complaint about the ACAT assessment?

Home Care Package Fee Structure

Step 4

4.1

What is the fee structure for the Home Care Package?

4.2

What is the Basic Fee?

4.3

What is the Home Care Income Tested care fee?

4.4

How incomes are tested?

4.5

How does the fee collection work for Home Care Packages?

4.6

When do you start payments?

4.7

What if you’re a self-funded retiree

4.8

Are there annual and lifetime caps?

Package Provider Cost Components

Step 5

5.1

What are the different Package Provider cost components?

5.2

What is the Administration Fee

5.3

Are there case management and advisory services?

5.4

What are the average costs?

5.5

What are service and support provisions?

5.6

Why is it good to have a contingency?

5.7

Why do I need to pay an exit fee?

Understanding Package and Service Providers

Step 6

6.1

What is the difference between a Package Provider and a Service Provider?

6.2

How do I select a Package Provider?

6.3

What are the different types of services

6.4

What you can expect from a Service Provider

6.5

What should a service provider expect from me?

6.6

Who are the key personnel provided by Package Providers?

6.7

What rights & responsibilities do I have?

6.8

How do I make a complaint?

Care Management Plan

Step 7

7.1

What do I need to do before I’m ready for a Care Management Plan?

7.2

How do I decide my goals for my care management plan?

7.3

What is the role of a Case Manager?

7.4

Can I be involved in managing my package?

7.5

Can I fully manage my own package?

7.6

What rights do I have with my Home Care Provider?

Home Care Agreement

Step 8

8.1

What should I know about the Home Care Agreement?

8.2

Can I top up services or get additional services?

8.3

How long does my Home Care Package last?

8.4

When do I start receiving services and care?

8.5

What if I want to take a break from my Home Care?

8.6

Can I change Package Providers?

8.7

Can a Package Provider stop providing their services to me?

Retirement Living

Retirement Living in Australia

Step 1

What is Retirement Living

Step 2

Why do people downsize

Step 3

The role of 'care'

Step 4

Types of retirement living

Step 5

Aged Care Homes

Get Informed

Step 1

Step 1.1

How do you get through the aged care system?

STEP 1.2

What are aged care home operators?

STEP 1.3

What is the government's role in aged care?

STEP 1.4

What are aged care providers?

Get Set-Up

Step 2

STEP 2.1

How do I face up to aged care?

STEP 2.2

How do I get legal permission to act on someone’s behalf?

STEP 2.3

What are the types of substitute decision makers?

STEP 2.4

Why do I need a My Aged Care client record?

STEP 2.5

How do I get a My Aged Care client record?

STEP 2.6

How do I get my affairs in order?

STEP 2.7

What is involved in advanced care planning and directives?

Get Assessed

Step 3

STEP 3.1

What is involved in the ACAT/ACAS Assessment?

STEP 3.2

How do you get an ACAT assessment?

STEP 3.3

What can I expect in the ACAT assessment?

STEP 3.4

What can I expect after the ACAT Assessment?

Working Our Your Finances

Step 4

STEP 4.1

What are the basic aged care fees?

STEP 4.2

What are the main costs of an aged care home?

STEP 4.3

How do I complete an income and assets test?

STEP 4.4

What do I need for the income and assets test?

STEP 4.5

How is my family home assessed?

STEP 4.6

What debt details do I need to provide on the income and assets test?

STEP 4.7

What are the options for my contribution to age care costs?

STEP 4.8

How do I calculate my daily accommodation payment (DAP)?

STEP 4.9

What are my financial options to move into an aged care home?

STEP 4.10

Am I entitled to financial hardship assistance?

Applications

Step 5

STEP 5.1

How do I create a shortlist of aged care homes?

STEP 5.2

Should I visit my shortlisted aged care homes?

STEP 5.3

What are the best questions to ask when you visit an aged care home?

STEP 5.4

How do I apply to an aged care home?

STEP 5.5

What is the process of accepting a place in an aged care home?

Agreements

Step 6

STEP 6.1

What are the types of aged care legal agreements?

STEP 6.2

What is a resident agreement?

STEP 6.3

What is an accommodation agreement?

STEP 6.4

When do you have to sign the aged care home agreements?

STEP 6.5

What are my rights and responsibilities in an aged care home?

STEP 6.6

How do I make a complaint to an aged care home?

Moving

Step 7

STEP 7.1

How do I discuss the move into an aged care home?

STEP 7.2

What's involved in the cost and move into an aged care home?

STEP 7.2

What paperwork is required moving into an aged care home?

STEP 7.4

How do I manage family and expectations when my parent is moving to an aged care home?

STEP 7.5

What are the 'steps' to sell the family home?

STEP 7.6

What legal documents and other items will I need at the time of the move into an aged care home?

Step 1

Get Informed

Step 2

Get Set-Up

Step 3

Get Assessed

Step 4

Working Out Your Finances

Step 5

Applications

Step 6

Agreements

Step 7

Moving

Step 1

Get Informed

Step 2

Get Set-Up

Step 3

Get Assessed

Step 4

Working Out Your Finances

Step 5

Applications

Step 6

Agreements

Step 7

Moving

STEP 4

How do I calculate aged care costs?

STEP 4.1

What are the basic aged care fees?

STEP 4.2

What are the main costs of an aged care home?

STEP 4.3

How do I complete an income and assets test?

STEP 4.4

What do I need for the income and assets test?

STEP 4.5

How is my family home assessed?

STEP 4.6

What debt details do I need to provide on the income and assets test?

STEP 4.7

What are the options for my contribution to age care costs?

STEP 4.8

How do I calculate my daily accommodation payment (DAP)?

STEP 4.9

What are my financial options to move into an aged care home?

STEP 4.10

Am I entitled to financial hardship assistance?

Home

Aged Care Homes

Working Out Your Finances

STEP 4.1

What are the basic aged care fees?
STEP 4.2

What are the main costs of an aged care home?
STEP 4.3

How do I complete an income and assets test?
STEP 4.4

What do I need for the income and assets test?
STEP 4.5

How is my family home assessed?
STEP 4.6

What debt details do I need to provide on the income and assets test?
STEP 4.7

What are the options for my contribution to age care costs?
STEP 4.8

How do I calculate my daily accommodation payment (DAP)?
STEP 4.9

What are my financial options to move into an aged care home?
STEP 4.10

Am I entitled to financial hardship assistance?

Am I entitled to financial hardship assistance?

Financial Hardship Assistance

For further information about understanding aged care costs and managing your finances you can contact Centrelinks Financial Information Service (FIS), Tel. 132 300 (local call cost). They can help you estimate how much you may have to pay towards your residential aged care. Have all your details of your various forms of income and assets ready before you call.

Applying for Financial Hardship Assistance

There is help available for people who need to move to an aged care home and can't pay the necessary fees. This is different to being a 'supported resident'. If you are experiencing financial hardship you can apply for help with accommodation payments, the daily care fee, means tested fee or respite care costs.

The Department of Social Services will assess your income and assets closely to be sure that funds are truly unrealisable.

You can't qualify for help if your assets are being retained for beneficiaries or have been gifted within the last five years.

Download the application form here.

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