Once you’ve been approved for residential care, the next step is to find an aged care home that suits your preferences and will meet your care needs – both now and into the future.
This page outlines the key steps to find and connect with the right provider for your situation.
Step 1 – Check your assessment
Before connecting with an aged care home provider, it’s important to have first been assessed and approved for residential care. If you were approved, you will have received a Notice of Decision letter and support plan. It’s helpful to have this information on hand when searching for a provider to make sure they can offer everything you’ve been approved for.
Learn more about getting assessed.
Step 2 – Find a provider near you
There are a few ways to find a suitable provider:
- Ask your assessor to refer you to a local provider, who will then contact you directly.
- Use our Find a provider tool to browse local providers that match your needs and preferences online.
- Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 for guidance.
Find providers for emergency respite care
If it is an emergency and you need residential respite care now, you can contact Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737.
Further information on emergency respite is available on the Carer Gateway website.
Comparing and choosing providers
Every provider is different. It’s good to compare what is available to determine the best match for you.
You can use the filters in Find a provider to help you find local aged care homes that best match your needs or preferences.
When you find potential providers using the tool, you can shortlist them to save them in your guide. You can then compare your shortlisted providers side by side to find your best option.
Below are some things you could consider when comparing and choosing a provider. All of this information can be found within Find a provider.
Finding a provider for residential respite
Not all aged care homes have room to take in new temporary residents, and your approval for respite care does not guarantee a place. You can see aged care homes offering residential respite care using the search options in the Find a provider tool. You should contact your preferred provider to confirm availability for your expected stay dates.
Residential respite fees are not the same as those for permanent residents in an aged care home. During your short stay in the aged care home, you will be asked to pay a basic daily fee and may also be charged a booking fee. However, your provider cannot ask you to pay a means tested care fee or an accommodation payment.
Find out more about residential respite care fees.
Step 3 – Visit your shortlisted aged care homes
Once you have a shortlist of aged care homes, it’s a good idea to visit them. This can give you a sense of what it would be like to live there. You can see firsthand the facilities and accommodation, meet other residents, and staff, and see what types of care services and activities they offer.
Step 4 – Apply to your preferred aged care homes
Once you’ve found a place you like, the next step is to apply. If you have found more than one aged care home you like, it’s best to apply to them all. If you don’t get your first choice, you may get another. Applying for more than one aged care home gives you more options and a better chance to assess what you’ll get for your money.
How do I apply?
The application process is different for each place, but it usually involves an application form, a copy of your assessment, and your fee advice letter.
It’s best to talk directly to the places you are interested in, to find out how to apply. However, every place will need the same general personal information. You can gather much of this information beforehand.
Personal information
Aged care homes will need to know some personal information. This can include next of kin, health insurance, preferred language, and previous aged care experience. It can also include your representative’s details, and any power of attorney (if applicable). All aged care homes are required to keep your information private under state and Commonwealth legislation. You can expect that the information you provide in the forms will be treated sensitively by the aged care home.
Financial information
Services Australia will provide the aged care home with the outcome of your means assessment. If they are yet to receive this information, the provider may ask you for some financial information. It’s up to you whether you provide this information.
If you haven’t had your means assessment, you should do so now as the process takes time. Without it, you will be unable to receive any government assistance towards the cost of living there.
Read more about means assessments for residential aged care.
Step 5 – Accept an offer
Once an offer comes in from an aged care home, you can decide if you want to accept it or not. You might consider:
- if it is your preferred option or further down on your list
- if the availability or timeline to move in suits you.
It’s important to remember you don’t need to accept an offer if you don’t want to. If you’ve applied to multiple places, you may wish to wait to hear an offer from them before deciding.
If you are receiving other aged care supports like Support at Home, it’s important to let your current provider know that you are moving into an aged care home.
When you accept the offer, you will then need to finalise the arrangement with some formal agreements.
Learn more about agreeing to an aged care home.