What are the first steps that need to be taken to ensure that our loved ones, or in this example, my widowed mum, can effectively enter a residential aged care facility without too many dramas.

1. Complete an ACAT assessment
You can’t drive mum to the closest nursing home and ask if they have a room available for her. Your mum needs to have an ACAT assessment to say that she is eligible from a health perspective to enter residential aged care.

 What is an ACAT assessment?
ACAT stands for Aged Care Assessment Team. This is a team of medically qualified people who can assess your mum’s health and decide on a suitable plan to ensure your mum is cared for and receives the necessary medical care.

 How do I find my local Aged Care Assessment Team?

A very good government website myagedcare.gov.au will provide you with direction on applying for an assessment. After the assessment is completed, a letter will be forwarded to you or your mum in this example, outlining the level of care that she is entitled to receive.

It is important that the letter provides the necessary residential aged care approval to ensure mum can enter a residential aged care facility.

Once you have the correct ACAT Assessment letter, mum can now consider entering a nursing home.

 2. Figure out how much you need to pay?

There are forms that need to be completed and there are a couple of different forms which are relevant to a person’s circumstances.

In mums’ case, as she is a widow and in receipt of an age pension who owns her home, she will need to complete an SA485 which will ask questions concerning her home, its’ value and whether she is planning to rent the home or sell the property. They will not necessarily ask her about her other assets and income because Centrelink already has these details.

If mum was not in receipt of an age pension, she would need to complete a far more detailed and comprehensive SA457 form as Centrelink does not have any income or asset details.

If you are confident in using the internet, there is also a dynamic SA486 form that you can complete online which changes the questions on an ongoing basis depending on the answers you have provided to the previous question.

These forms are all available on myagedcare.gov.au, which provide a good explanation of who should be completing what form.

These forms can be completed before mum needs to enter the home so that mum and you, in this example are aware of the fees, but do not panic if you are not able to do so as they certainly can be completed after mum has entered the aged care facility.

A few weeks after completing and lodging the forms, mum will receive a letter from Services Australia outlining her fees and whether she needs to pay a Refundable Accommodation Deposit.

 3. You can now relax!

After mum enters the aged care facility her fees are reviewed on a quarterly basis in January, March, July, and September. The aged care facility will receive notification of the review and any possible change in the fees, with necessary adjustments being made for the fees which have been paid in the last three months.

So, even though mum is now safely residing in the aged care facility you still need to be diligent to ensure that mum’s fees are correct, and her financial circumstances are reviewed and kept up to date on a regular basis.

If you still are unsure of the process and have questions speak to an expert who can fully explain the issues you and your mum may face when it does come time for her to enter residential aged care.

 

 

Source:  Mark Teale | Centrepoint Alliance