Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION: Are aged care homes (nursing homes and hostels) the same as retirement villages in NSW?
ANSWER: No. Residential aged care homes, also known as nursing homes and hostels, are subsidised and regulated by the Australian Government. An approval from an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) is needed to enter a nursing home or hostel. Owners of nursing homes and hostels have a statutory responsibility to provide accommodation, care and services in accordance with set standards.
Retirement villages are regulated by the New South Wales Government. An ACAT approval is not required to enter a retirement village and each will have its own entry criteria. The accommodation and service arrangements differ from one retirement village to the next and are agreed in individual contracts. Some retirement villages provide care and some do not.
If you need assistance to find a suitable nursing home or hostel Finding Aged Care can help. Contact us now.
QUESTION: Are there nursing homes with single rooms in Sydney, NSW?
ANSWER: Most aged care homes providing high level care, also known as nursing homes, were built with very few single rooms and a majority of multi-bed rooms. The Government has implemented measures over the last 10 years to encourage owners to improve the 'resident to room ratio' in their nursing homes. This has been effective in reducing the number of larger multi-bed rooms ie. four and five bed rooms, however most homes still only have a small number of single rooms.
Nursing homes with few single rooms rarely admit a new permanent resident to a single room. Some nursing homes hold the single rooms for residents in need of respite care or end-of-life care. Some nursing homes have an internal waiting list and if a single room becomes available it is offered to an existing resident. This in turn creates a nursing home vacancy in a multi-bed room for a new resident.
Nursing homes that were built or redeveloped in recent years and nursing homes with 'extra service status' have more single rooms. Some of them were built with single rooms only and some with single and two-bed rooms only. There may be waiting lists for entry to these nursing homes in some locations.
If you would to use our aged care placement services to help find a nursing home vacancy, contact us now.
QUESTION: What is an accommodation bond?
ANSWER: An accommodation bond is an amount a person may be asked to pay when entering a low care home (hostel) or an 'extra service status' home on a permanent basis. The purpose of an accommodation bond is so that the owner can raise funds to improve building standards and the quality and range of aged care services provided. Owners can only charge accommodation bonds if they first meet building standards set by the Government.
An accommodation bond is like an interest free loan to the owner of the aged care home. The owner can take a retention amount ($292 per month as at 10 August 2008) for up to five years and must refund the remainder when the person leaves the home. While the accommodation bond money is under its control, the owner can profit from investing or borrowing against it.
There is no fixed amount for an accommodation bond. Owners of aged care homes can decide the amount that an eligible person must pay on the proviso that the person is left with at least $34,500 after paying the accommodation bond. The accommodation bond can be paid as a lump sum, in periodic payments, or a combination of both as negotiated with the home's owner. Interest may be charged on the outstanding amount if the periodic payment option is agreed.
Not every person entering an aged care home is eligible to pay an accommodation bond. This depends on their level of assets. Complex arrangements exist for determining the level of assets. Centrelink and the Department of Veterans' Affairs are responsible for undertaking assets testing. Participation in an assets test is not compulsory, however if it is not done an aged care home owner can proceed on the basis that the person is eligible to pay an accommodation bond. It may be in a person's best interests to undertake the test if they think they will be ineligible to pay an accommodation bond.
An accommodation bond is just one of the types of fees and charges that a person may have to pay when moving into a nursing home or hostel.
Do you have more questions about accommodation bonds? Finding Aged Care cannot provide financial advice but can help by explaining the fees and charges for residential aged care. This information can be provided through an Aged Care Consultation. If you are interested in knowing more about this service, contact us now.
QUESTION: How long are waiting lists for nursing home vacancies in Sydney, NSW?
ANSWER: A number of factors are taken into account by aged care homes when filling nursing home vacancies and some of these are:
- transitioning arrangements - the organisation operating the nursing home may also have self-care units, an aged care hostel and/or community aged care. If its clients care needs increase the nursing home vacancies may be offered to them before other applicants.
- matching to people - shared rooms will be for either men or women (not both), and, as the residents will be in close quarters, it is important they are compatible. If a vacancy becomes available in a two-bed room and the remaining resident is a woman who is sociable and likes to talk, then it would be a mismatch to offer the vacancy to a woman who is confused and unable to engage in conversation.
- matching to the environment - it is important that nursing home vacancies are offered to people who will be safe and can be well cared for in the environment. If the vacant room has a step up to the en-suite bathroom then it would be a mismatch to offer it to someone who uses a wheelchair to get around. If the room is a long way from the nurses desk then it would a mismatch to offer it to a person who needs a lot of care and supervision at night time.
- financial viability - aged care homes are run as businesses and have to be financially viable to continue operating. When nursing home vacancies become available the aged care home will look at how much it can charge a person, which depends on their income and assets. They will also look at how much operating subsidy will be received from the Australian Government for a person, which depends on their care needs.
This means that waiting lists are not managed on a 'wait-turn' basis and it is not possible to predict how long a person may be on waiting lists before being contacted about nursing home vacancies in Sydney, NSW.
Finding Aged Care can help source suitable vacancies. Contact us now.
QUESTION: What are extra service status nursing homes and extra service status hostels in Sydney, NSW?
ANSWER: Extra service status involves the provision of additional 'hotel' type services or lifestyle extras in nursing homes and hostels, including significantly higher standards of accommodation and increased entertainment and food choices. The standards have to be significantly higher than in the average nursing home or hostel. Extra service status does not affect the standards of care as every resident in a nursing home or hostel has the right to receive quality care.
Extra service status can be across the whole of a nursing home or hostel or in a separate and distinct part of a nursing home or hostel.
Extra service status nursing homes and extra service status hostels charge an accommodation bond and an extra service daily fee, which is in addition to other fees and charges. The amounts vary from one home to another.
There is a limit on the number of nursing home beds and hostel beds that can have extra service status and it is currently 15%. Extra service status nursing homes and extra service status hostels are in various locations throughout Sydney, NSW.
Finding Aged Care can help find extra service status nursing homes and hostels. Contact us now.
QUESTION: What are 'private' aged care homes in Sydney, NSW?
ANSWER: In Australia there is a national system of residential aged care (nursing homes and hostels). Aged care homes are subsidised and regulated by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
Organisations running aged care homes have to be approved by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing as an aged care provider and all have the same responsibilities under the Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth). This applies whether the organisation is 'for profit'/'private' or 'not for profit' (church, charitable &/or community groups).
Finding Aged Care can help find suitable nursing homes and hostels. Contact us now.
QUESTION: How do I make an application to enter an aged care home (nursing home or hostel) in Sydney, NSW?
ANSWER: While nursing homes and hostels have been encouraged by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, which subsidises and regulates aged care, to use a common application form ("Application for Respite Care or Permanent Entry to an Aged Care Home") the reality is that most homes do not use the form.
Each nursing home and hostel, or group of nursing homes and hostels, has its own application form/s and process. This means that, if you want to increase the likelihood of obtaining a placement in a short period of time by being on multiple waiting lists, you will need to complete multiple application form/s.
Some nursing homes and hostels will send you the application paperwork to complete and submit. Some will require you to visit the home and take away the application paperwork or complete it on the spot.
While there is no common application form for entry to nursing homes and hostels, there are commonalities amongst the information required. Finding Aged Care has learnt this from experience and can help streamline the nursing home application and hostel application process. Contact us now.
QUESTION: What are aged care home (nursing home and hostel) fees and charges in Sydney, NSW?
ANSWER: The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, which subsidises and regulates aged care homes, decides the official fees and charges in nursing homes and hostels. These can be grouped into four main types: basic daily care fee, income tested fee, accommodation payment (bond or daily charge) and extra service status costs.
The maximum amounts payable are set by the Government, in most cases, and not by each nursing home and hostel however there are some exceptions. The Government updates the fees and charges on a quarterly basis. Other Government safeguards exist around fees and charges.
Which of the four main types of fees and charges a person pays and how much depends on their care level, indvidual circumstances and the choices they make.
The official fees and charges cover most but not all expenses. There are a range of other costs of living in a nursing home or hostel and these differ depending on the person's care level and the choices they make.
For more information about fees and charges in nursing homes and hostel contact us now.