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Your aged care home is responsible for ensuring you receive quality care and services. Their key responsibilities to you are:
Yes. If you want to go on holiday, stay with a relative for a night or two, or need to go into hospital, you can take time away. To do this you should:
Spending nights away from the aged care home for personal reasons is called social leave. If you take social leave, you will still have to pay your fees and accommodation costs. You can take up to 52 nights of social leave per financial year. Enough for a holiday away, or spending weekends with your family.
If you take more than 52 nights away, your home can ask you to pay more on top of your usual fees and accommodation costs. Talk to your provider to find out more.
Up to seven days of social leave can be used as pre-entry leave. This is designed to give you time to make arrangements before you move into your aged care home. It can be accessed when you first enter care, or if you transfer homes. You may be asked to pay the basic daily fee during this time, but you won’t need to pay for care or accommodation.
You can take unlimited leave if you need to go into hospital. You will need to continue to pay your fees and accommodation costs during this time, and cannot be asked to pay more while you are in hospital. Your means-tested care fee could be reduced though if your stay is for 30 days or more.
You can take temporary leave from your aged care home during a situation declared an emergency by the Australian Government. This could include a disaster (natural or otherwise), pandemic or epidemic. It does not apply to personal emergencies.
Whether you are eligible for this leave depends on the following factors (determined by the government):
How does it work?
Emergency Leave allows you to spend time away from your aged care home without losing your place. The Australian Government continues to pay subsidies to the aged care provider for the duration of your leave.
You will still need to pay your usual fees and accommodation costs. However, you cannot be charged any new fees to reserve your place at the home. Talk to your provider to make sure that you take the right type of leave and that the correct fees are paid.
If your needs change or you require extra care, you should speak to the manager of your home. They will review your care plan and make sure you’re receiving the level of care you need. If they are unable to provide the care you need, or you need specialised care, you may need to change providers.
Yes, provided there is a suitable room available. You should speak to the manager of your aged care home to discuss your options. Your home must consider your request, even if it’s not possible to offer you another room right away.
If you do change rooms, the Accommodation Agreement must be changed before the move occurs to specify the new room and price. The cost may change, for example, if you choose to move from a shared room to a single room.
In some circumstances, you can be moved to another room without asking for the change. This can happen for a few reasons, for instance:
If you have any concerns about being asked to change rooms or how your move is being handled, talk to the manager at your home in the first instance.
Yes. You can move to another home as long as you have been offered a place there. This may be because you want to move closer to family and friends, or a preferred home has become available.
Talk to your current home about their moving processes.
Any lump sum you paid is refundable, but how it works depends on the date you entered an aged care home.
Once you are permanently living in an aged care home, your place is secure and you should be able to stay there for as long as the provider is able to care for you. This is called Security of Tenure. However, there are times when you may be asked to leave the aged care home.
For instance:
You will have 14 days notice in writing if you have to move. No matter the reason, you cannot be asked to move until a suitable alternative that meets your needs and is affordable to you is available. If you have any concerns about being asked to leave, talk to the manager of your home in the first instance.
If you are unhappy with any aspect of the care or services you receive, there are two ways you can make a complaint:
Talk to your home first to see if they can help. They are there to support you, listen to your concerns, and take necessary action.
Sometimes, complaints can’t be resolved by your aged care home. Alternatively, you may not feel comfortable raising your concerns with them. In such cases, you have the right to contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. For more information, visit our Complaints page.
At any time you can get help from an advocate from the National Aged Care Advocacy Program, which is delivered by the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN). An advocate can help you by:
Read more on the National Aged Care Advocacy Program on our advocacy page, or visit the OPAN website.