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Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia
If someone you care for needs assistance because of behavioural problems associated with dementia, including periods of changes in behaviour such as agitation, shadowing (more information), ‘sundowning (more information)’ or other disturbances, the Extended Aged Care at Home – Dementia (EACH D) program can provide high-level care through an individually tailored package to assist you to remain living in your own home for as long as possible if this is your preference.
- How can EACH D help you?
- Who is eligible?
- How much does it cost?
- Rights and responsibilities
- Standards of care
- Quality Reporting
- Do you have a complaint?
How can EACH Dementia help you?
An EACH D package is highly flexible and includes qualified nursing input. The services that may be provided as part of an EACH D package include:- linkages to government funded Dementia Behaviour Management Centres (more information)
- care by an allied health professional such as a physiotherapist or podiatrist
- personal care
- home help, and
- assistance with continence management (more information).
Who is eligible?
To receive an EACH D package, you must first be assessed and approved by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT or ACAS in Victoria) (more information) as a person who:- is experiencing behaviours of concern and psychological symptoms associated with dementia that significantly impact upon your ability to live independently in the community, and may impact on functional capacity
- needs high level care in an aged care home
- prefers to receive EACH D, and
- is able to live at home with the support of an EACH D package.
Read more: About being assessed
Next step: Aged Care Assessment Team Finder
How much does it cost?
ACAT assessments are free of charge, but you may be asked to pay a fee towards the cost of an EACH D package of care (GST free). You should agree on the fee to be charged for care services with your service provider. If you are on the basic pension, you cannot be asked to pay more than 17.5% of that pension. If you have higher income, you may be asked to pay more than that (but no more than 50% of that higher income). If you cannot pay the fee, you will not be denied a service you need. The amount charged forms part of an agreement between you and the service provider.Rights and responsibilities
Community care service providers are expected to comply with obligations under laws such as the Aged Care Act 1997. Under these laws you have the right to be treated respectfully and be informed and consulted about your care.Read more: About rights & responsibilities
Standards of care
The Australian Government sets standards to ensure you receive quality care. Recipients of an EACH D package of care (or their representitives) are entitled to:- quality services that meet their required needs
- where possible, their preferred level of social independence
- access information about the care options available and the facts they may need to make informed choices
- access to details of the care being provided
- take part in developing a package of care that best meets their needs.
Quality reporting
Services that provide EACH D packages will be required to take part in Quality Reporting. It checks that services have systems and processes in place to meet the care standards that are put in place by government legislation.Read more: About Quality Reporting
Do you have a complaint?
If you have any concerns about the care being provided, it’s often best to raise your concerns, in the first instance, with the service provider. However, if you’re unable to resolve the issue or prefer not to complain directly to the service provider, the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme is a free service that seeks to resolve your complaints about your health, safety and/or welfare – and it’s available to your relatives, guardians or representatives as well.Read more: About how to make a complaint
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