When you think about aged care, you probably think about what has been traditionally known as aged care ‘homes’, where older people live in supported accommodation. While this type of care is certainly a big part of the aged care paradigm, there are other options available for older people needing help and support with their lives.
There are three main types of care and support for older people in Australia, and many people will usually progress through all three at same point on their journey towards old age.
The aged care journey
While not strictly considered aged care, many people begin the third trimester of their lives in retirement living facilities. Retirement complexes offer independence and flexibility to older people who don’t need a high level of care but wish to remain in a community where assistance is available if necessary. They are residential, multi-unit complexes that offer a range of support, health and leisure services to people aged over 55 years.
This type of community living is wonderful to help retirees stay active, social and engaged. However, there usually comes a time when you start to need more support with everyday tasks. That’s when the aged care journey truly begins, and you’ll often progress through three different stages, each providing increasing levels of care.
Home support programs
Support in the home can be provided if you are not ready to move into an aged care facility but still require a certain level of assistance to remain at home. Services can include transport, help with personal care and domestic chores, home maintenance, cooking and nursing care. You will need to be assessed on your care needs before accessing these services, and will be assigned a package of care depending on your needs. The Australian Government offers various programs which are heavily subsidised to provide affordable care for all Australians.
Short-term care
Short-term and flexible care services may be available either in your home or in a residential setting for situations such as a transition from hospital to home, recovery from an accident or illness, or restorative care (returning you to independence).
You also have the option of residential respite care of up to 63 days each financial year, which can be accessed on a planned or emergency basis. This can give your carers a break, provide support if your carers are unable to care for you for some reason or if your level of required care is higher for a short period of time. For this type of care, an aged care facility will provide a range of services and care such as you would receive if you were a permanent resident of the home.
These types of short-term care can be extremely helpful in unusual situations where you need more regular care, and can help bridge the gap between living in your own home and accessing full time residential aged care. You will need to have an aged care assessment before being able to access this type of care, however.
Residential aged care
Once known as nursing homes, today’s aged care homes provide residential accommodation and health care for older people who are unable to remain living in their own homes any longer.
Aged care services in Australia can be delivered by government providers, not-for-profit and for-profit providers. Most aged care homes in Australia are funded by the Federal Government to subsidise the costs of the aged care services they provide. All must have the approval of the Australian Government to provide these services, and must meet certain accreditation standards.
Services provided by aged care homes:
- Help with day-to-day tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening and home maintenance. In some cases, many of these tasks are completely carried out for you by staff.
- Help with personal care, such as feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and exercise.
- Clinical care, such as administration of medication, monitoring of medical or health conditions and wound care, under the supervision of a registered nurse.
Many aged care facilities also offer additional specialist medical and health care, such as palliative care, dementia care, stoma care and rehabilitation and access to therapy services such as speech therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry.
Aged care services in Australia are designed to benefit people at different stages of the aged care journey, by providing an appropriate level of support and assistance. If you’d like to find out more, get in contact with an aged care facility that provides all three types of care, Finley Regional Care, here.
