Aged Care

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Aged care is a term used to describe the general care and support provided in an aged care home. You might also hear an aged care home referred to as a nursing home or an aged care facility. Essentially, aged care is help and care in a friendly environment.

You can learn more about residential aged care here

An aged care and a nursing home are actually the same thing. Residential aged care is the recognized term for a place where care and support are provided for elderly people.

> What is residential aged care?

In-home care, residential aged care and respite care.

1.      In-home care is extra support for you in your home as you age. This could be anything from nursing services to help with getting the groceries each week.

2.      Residential aged care is a place you go to when you need fulltime care and support. Residents in aged care will often have their own room and will have care workers, nurses and lifestyle staff to help support you with meals, laundry, cleaning, bathing and more.

3.      Respite care is a short term stay for elderly people that gives carers a break. A resident might spend a week or two in a residential aged care home while their carer is on holiday or if they need a safe place to replenish and recover after surgery or a visit to the hospital.

> What care is right for me?

Home care is support for the elderly in their own home. Aged care is support for the elderly in an assisted living facility.

People who use home care are still independent, but might also need a little extra assistance in some day to day parts of their lives.

This can be because of their age, health conditions or even just a change in living circumstances.

Home care is a great starting point that evolves to suit your care needs as they change.
At St Vincent’s, we know home is where the heart is and so we would help you to stay in your home as long as possible.

But eventually, for many, there comes a time where they need to make the transition into fulltime care to get the level of support they need to live happily and healthily.

> What care is right for me?

The types of services provided by St Vincent’s residential aged care fall into three main categories:

Accommodation

Your room and all the things that come with it – including your furnishings and bedding.

Hotel-type services

Services to meet your day-to-day needs such as meals, laundry and social activities. It also includes the services that maintain the aged care home. This covers cleaning, air conditioning and maintenance of the grounds and building.

Care services

Personal care help such as bathing, eating, help with medications and carrying out health treatments. Clinical care is also available and can include special bedding, nursing services and therapy services such as podiatry, physiotherapy and speech therapy.

If you are over 65 (or 50 for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) and need at least some assistance for everyday activities, you may be eligible for aged care services.

Eligibility for aged care services may vary depending on your situation, so it’s important that you get assessed through My Aged Care for what services you may need.

Choosing the right aged care home is rarely easy. But there are some indicators that can help point you in the right direction.

Check out our 4 step guide on choosing the right aged care home and be better prepared for making that tough decision.

The best thing to do is to get in touch with our friendly team who will take you through the process of applying for aged care.

If you're wanting to know how to approach the conversation with your parents about aged care, you can learn more about that here.

Your payments in aged care are broken down into
1) the cost of your care itself and
2) the cost of your accommodation

There are a few different ways you can go about paying for both of these.

Aged care workers provide day to day support for residents in their home. They help residents shower, bring them their food or even just sit down for a cup of tea. Aged care workers are supported by many other people in an aged care home including nurses, clinical managers, lifestyle program coordinators, pastoral carers, a facility manager and more!

> Learn more about our staff
> What is the Role of an Aged Care Worker?

Often the first sign that you may need to consider an aged care home, is if you’re not coping as well as you once did with everyday tasks. But the signs extend to all areas of your life including:

• The laundry basket is overflowing
• The garden isn’t being looked after the same as it used to be
• Avoiding chores
• Missing social events
• Any confusion or changes in mood
• Your health is visibly declining i.e. You’re not moving around the house as well as you used to, shortness of breath etc.
• You’re falling more frequently
• You're not eating as much as you should or your groceries are expiring frequently without you realising
• You’ve mixed up your medication or you’re forgetting to take it
• You’re finding that you’re asking for more support than usual

If you've noticed these signs, it might be time to talk about aged care with your family.

Government assistance in aged care is different for everyone so it’s not always easy to say whether you can or will receive government assistance. 

If you choose to enter aged care, eventually you will need to complete an Income and Asset assessment from Centrelink. This assessment will determine your eligibility for government subsidised aged care and eventually offer some clarity on the cost of your home and care. 

> How much does aged care cost?

Many of St Vincent’s Residential Aged Care facilities are equipped to care for and support those living with dementia. Secured rooms are often available in our aged care facilities, with specialised care teams in place.

While we’re pet friendly at St Vincent’s, unfortunately pets cannot move in with you into aged care. They can however visit and many homes offer the opportunity for visiting pets through pet therapy programs and events.