All About Aged Care

31/12/2024

"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one." — Brad Paisley

Thank you to all our clients, their families, referrers and aged care industry colleagues for their support in 2024.

We wish you and yours a healthy, happy, peaceful and successful New Year and look forward to writing many good pages with you in 2025.

19/12/2024

It’s almost time to stop, take a deep breath and review the year that was!

It has been a busy, but fulfilling year, searching for the best placement outcomes for our new clients.

There remains a shortage of permanent residential beds in pockets of the Perth Metro and Peel areas, particularly North of the River. Across the whole metropolitan area there is a shortage of concessional beds.

In the background the government has been working on implementing the new Aged Care Act which was passed on 25 November 2024. Most of the changes will take effect on1 July 2025.

We will shortly post on our website a new blog summarising some of the more important changes. The main takeaway from the impending changes is that self-funded retirees and especially those people on part pensions will have to pay quite a bit more for their care.

Thank you to everyone who supported us this year in so many ways. I look forward to working with you again in the New Year. Special thanks to our clients who trusted us to find homes for their loved ones.

My very best wishes to you and your loved ones for a safe, happy and peaceful holiday season, a merry and meaningful Christmas to all who will celebrate, and a healthy, happy, and successful New Year to all of you.

12/12/2024

The government has said that it will release funds to support 83,000 new home care packages in the 12 months from 1 July 2025.

The new program will be called Support at Home. It is important to remember that Support at Home will only apply to new entrants to the system. People who are already receiving services under a Home Care Package, or who were on the waiting list for such a package by 12 September 2024 (when the Aged Care Bill was first introduced and passed in the House of Assembly), will continue to receive Home Care Packages.

The current delay in being able to access services is lengthy. The current wait time for medium priority is three to six months for a level 1 package, and 12-15 months for a level 4 package. The overall wait list has more than doubled in two years with around 76,000 approved people currently waiting for home care support.

The government is promising more funding to reduce wait times, but sadly, many people who need care and support are not receiving it.

While you wait, an option may be to access a period of respite care. There are also daily respite care options.

If you or a loved one needs urgent care give us a call to see how we may be able to help.👇

🔗 If you need help in moving your partner, parent, relative or friend into permanent residential aged care, visit our website for more information of our aged care placement at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/aged-care-placement/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

05/12/2024

As we foreshadowed last week the new Aged Care Act was passed in Parliament on 25 November 2024.

Under the changes, those residents who are deemed able to afford to will pay greater co-contributions for their care, except for clinical care which will be completely funded by the government.

Another impost on financial residents will be the hotelling supplement. This pays for services that improve daily life in aged care facilities. It includes things like food, cleaning, laundry, activities and other lifestyle services that make life comfortable for older Australians in residential care.

The maximum co-contribution that a resident will have to pay during his or her lifetime will increase from the current level of $82,018 to $130,000.

The Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) is a private arrangement between the facility operator and a financial resident i.e. one with assets greater than $206,039. The maximum RAD charged by facilities – without requiring prior approval from the Aged Care Pricing Commissioner - will increase from $550,000 to $750,000. Although it seems inevitable that RADs will increase we do not believe that all providers will immediately raise their RAD to the threshold, but rather anticipate incremental increases.

Unlike now, facilities will be able to retain 2% of the RAD paid for each of the first 5 years that a resident is in care.

Importantly, no resident in care before 1 July 2025 will be required to pay the higher charges as the Act contains “no worse off provisions” for those residents.

Visit our website for details of our aged care placements: https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au

28/11/2024

The Aged Care Bill 2024 was approved by the Senate this week with several amendments. It will return to the Lower House this week for final consideration.

As it has received bi-partisan support, the government should be able to achieve its stated aim of having the Bill passed this week – the last sitting week of this year, and quite possibly the last sitting week of this term of Parliament.

Although the new Aged Care Act has not achieved all that was recommended or hoped for by the Royal Commission it should provide many improvements to the way aged care is provided to our elderly citizens.

It will however also significantly increase the costs payable by some recipients of care services.

🔗 For more details, please see attached link as we provide more detailed commentary on our website at www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/blogs

14/11/2024

When entering permanent residential aged care, people with net assets of more than $206,039.20 will be liable to pay for their accommodation costs, otherwise known as the Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD).

The cost of the RAD can vary greatly depending on (among other things) the type of accommodation, the amenities of the facility, the age of the facility and its location. At present facilities can not charge more than $550,000 for the RAD unless they receive the approval of the Aged Care Pricing Commissioner. This maximum will soon be increased to $750,000.

Very few of our clients can pay the current maximum RAD. For people in this position, they must pay the amount of the RAD or its unpaid balance by way of Daily Accommodation Payments (DAP).

The DAP is effectively the interest that provider receives because it doesn’t have access to the resident’s full RAD. The interest rate is prescribed by the Aged Care Act and at present is 8.38% per annum.

Fortunately, a resident can direct their facility to use the portion of the RAD they have paid to pay the DAP. Upon the resident leaving the facility (usually on their death) only whatever portion of the RAD remains will be refundable.

This does at least ensure that a resident with only a limited amount of capital can still access quality aged care.

🔗 If you would like to know more please contact us at https://allaboutagedcare.com.au

07/11/2024

We have previously posted about the pending increase to Refundable Accommodation Payments (RAD) when the Aged Care Reform Bill (Bill) is passed by parliament. The Minister for Aged Care, Anila Wells, has said that this will occur before the end of this year.

One of the clauses in the Bill is, that with effect from 1 January 2025 facilities will be able to increase the RAD from their present maximum of $550,000 to $750,000 without special government approval to do so.

The remaining changes in the Bill are slated to take effect only from 1 July 2025.

Aged care funding guru Rachel Lane has published a very insightful article in the Sydney Morning Herald about these changes. https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/how-you-could-save-200-000-on-aged-care-this-year-20241029-p5km8s.html

Anyone considering a move for themselves or a loved one into permanent residential care should be mindful of the imminent increase in the RAD.

31/10/2024

Over the past few weeks the Senate has been conducting Committee hearings into the Aged Care Reform Bill.

The Committee heard from a number of senior officers at the Department of Health and Aged Care. It was told that as at 30 September 2024 the number of people who had been approved for a Home Care Package but were still awaiting the provision of that package had blown out to 76,000 people!

An official also told the Committee that the current wait time for approved people to receive Home Care Packages, across all levels of care and all priorities, is 5.5 months with the average wait time for a Level 3 Home Care Package being 12 months.

As the government has pledged to reduce average wait times across all levels of care to 3 months by July 2027 it clearly has a lot of work to do in this space.

If you, or a loved one, are facing a lengthy wait for an approved service, please contact us to discuss what options you can access in the interim.

🔗 If you need help in moving your partner, parent, relative or friend into permanent residential aged care, visit our website for more information of our aged care placement at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/aged-care-placement/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

24/10/2024

RADs to increase

The proposed Aged Care Reform Act will significantly impact the Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) or in the alternative, the Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP) payable by residents of aged care facilities to the facility.

The RAD is a refundable lump sum payment required to be made by all residents with means to an aged care facility. Typically, RADs can range in price from $200,000 for a shared room to $550,000 for a single room with private en-suite, or more in some cases.

The DAP is the interest that a facility charges - at present that the prescribed interest rate is 8.38% per annum - on the unpaid portion.

Under the proposed changes, the maximum RAD will increase to $750,000. In addition, RADs will no longer be totally refundable upon the resident’s departure from the facility. The facility will be entitled to deduct 3% of the RAD every year for the first 3 years.

These changes will not impact residents who already are in care by 30 June 2025.

Please contact us if you would like to know more.

🔗 If you need help in moving your partner, parent, relative or friend into permanent residential aged care, visit our website for more information of our aged care placement at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/aged-care-placement/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

We assist in moving your partner, relative or friend into Permanent Aged Care Placement. Finding the best-suited aged care facility. Book a consolation today

17/10/2024

National Carers Week is from Sunday 13 to Saturday 19 October 2024.

There about 3 million Australians who provide care to a family member or friend. Carers are people unsung heroes who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental health condition, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged.

National Carers Week is an opportunity to raise community awareness among all Australians about the diversity of carers and their caring roles and to celebrate and thank the carers for the work that they perform every day.

Being a carer can be a hugely demanding role. Carer stress is a frequent occurrence.

Carers of frail aged may be entitled to avail themselves of up to 63 days in each financial year of respite care for their family member or friend.

If you or someone you know is a carer suffering from carer stress and / or burnout contact us to see how we can help.

🔗 If you need help in moving your partner, parent, relative or friend into permanent residential aged care, visit our website for more information of our aged care placement at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/aged-care-placement/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

10/10/2024

This week the retirement village sector has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

It has been the subject of an ABC investigation. This has highlighted the problems experienced by many residents who needed to sell their unit in a retirement village and were met with high exit, refurbishment and sale costs, as well as being subjected to extended delays in receiving the proceeds of the sale.

We highlighted these same issues in our website blog which we published as long ago as 10 February 2022! https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/budget/retirement-villages-complicated-finance-contracts/

While the WA State government has been working on amendments to the Retirement Villages Act and Regulations for many years now, we have yet to see a draft bill. Such information as has been released does not, in our opinion come close to resolving these issues.

Hopefully the increased media focus will finally spark some real action, rather than platitudes, on this issue.

If you, or someone you know is in this unfortunate situation please contact us. Link is attached in the comments. 👇

🔗 Let us help you source your Retirement Living options, visit our website for more information at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/retirement-living/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

03/10/2024

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, most people in Australia aged over 85 years when they die are in a residential care facility when this occurs.

As part of the reforms to aged care foreshadowed in the Aged Care Bill 2024, people identified by a doctor as having less than 3 months to live will be eligible to receive a payment of $25,000. This is to assist with palliative care needs and in particular to enable them to remain at home while receiving this care.

While this initiative will no doubt be welcomed there has not been enough information provided in the Bill to understand how this program will work in practice.

Palliative care is a complicated area and many people who require this type of care have very high care needs which can’t be met at home.

We look forward to learning more about this program to see whether it might herald real change or is simply a well-meaning concept which will be too difficult to implement in practice.

If you are looking for care for yourself or your loved one we can help.👇

🔗 If you need help in moving your partner, parent, relative or friend into permanent residential aged care, visit our website for more information of our aged care placement at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/aged-care-placement/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

24/09/2024

The new schedule of fees and charges for residential and home care took effect on Friday 20 September 2024.

Income and asset thresholds and the fees and charges to be paid by consumers all increase in line with CPI.

The Basic Daily Fee in residential care increases to $63.57 per day and the maximum Basic Daily Fee for a person on a level 4 home care package to $13.08.

Those consumers in receipt of an aged care pension also will receive similar percentage increases to their pension and won't be affected significantly by the increased fees and charges. Self-funded retirees however are likely to feel more pain.

The full Schedule is attached below.

19/09/2024

On Thursday 12 September 2024 the government announced that agreement had been reached between it and the opposition to the terms of the new Aged Care Act. The Aged Care Reform Bill was introduced into Parliament that afternoon.

It will now be debated in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is slated to be the biggest reform to the aged care sector in 30 years.

The Act proposes $5.6 billion of extra funding, of which $4.3 billion will be applied to Home Care Packages and palliative care. These will be the cornerstones of a major program called Support at Home designed to enable more people to live at home for longer.

Consumers of all aged care services will have to pay more. In the case of self-funded retirees, significantly so.

However, people already in the system before the commencement date of the Act (scheduled for 1 July 2025) will be subject to a no worse off provision so they will not pay the increased co-contributions. An existing Home Care Package recipient who moves to permanent residential care after 1 July 2025 will however be subject to the increased co-contributions for residential care.

🔗 Hello Care magazine has provided a useful summary of the major provisions which is linked below: https://hellocare.com.au/new-aged-care-act-winners-and-losers/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hellocare-thursday-newsletter-12092024

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

The new Aged Care Act is historic for aged care in Australia. It’s the greatest change in 30 years and will define the next 30+ years for older Australians, service providers and aged care workers. But how will it affect you?

16/09/2024

This Dementia Action Week we support the efforts of our colleagues in the aged care industry to take action to fight back against this insidious illness.

12/09/2024

Anyone who has dealt with Centrelink will have experienced the frustration of being left on hold for up to an hour or even more while we waited for a human to deal with us.

Now there is some good news.

Centrelink customers can now book 15-minute phone appointments, or 30-minute face-to-face appointments, through your MyGov account or by using the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app. You’ll also be able to reschedule and cancel appointments through this portal.

You will still need to prove your identity when Centrelink calls back for your appointment or you attend in person.

The new service will apply, among other services, to aged pensions and my aged care enquiries.

At All About Aged Care we are committed to helping you or your loved one find the best possible, available aged care services. More details about our home care packages in the comments below. 👇

🔗 Explore the ways of our Home Care Assistance package that works for you and your loved one at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/home-care-packages/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

05/09/2024

This week I have been in Johannnesburg, South Africa on a trip which was organised on relatively short notice. Fortunately, with the help of a surprisingly good internet connection and global mobile roaming I was able to attend to a number of client matters while I was away.

It reminded me of how important and useful technology is in being able to keep in touch with our loved ones when they are in care.

If you are looking for care for yourself or your loved one we can help.👇

🔗 If you need help in moving your partner, parent, relative or friend into permanent residential aged care, visit our website for more information of our aged care placement at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/aged-care-placement/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/

29/08/2024

Last week news emerged that the government and opposition had reached agreement in background negotiations over changes that will be made to the provision and costing of aged care under the new Aged Care Act.

If these changes have been agreed then it is likely that the amendments will go through Parliament quickly.

No official detail about these changes has been provided, but some media outlets are providing some details of mooted changes.

Among these are that Refundable Accommodation Deposits will no longer be capped at $550,000 – although many facilities already have approval to charge much more – and that there will be increased charges to residents for the food and services component of their care.

We will provide more details when we learn more.

If you would like to learn more please give us a call or like our Facebook, Instagram or Linked-In pages. More information in the comments. 🔗

🔗 If you need help in moving your partner, parent, relative or friend into permanent residential aged care, visit our website for more information of our aged care placement at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/aged-care-placement/

🔗 You may also book an appointment for other inquiries at https://www.allaboutagedcare.com.au/contact-us/