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Responsibilities of service providers
Community care (more information)
All service providers must comply with certain agreed standards in the delivery of their services and how they treat the person you care for. They also have a responsibility to make sure that your family member knows what their rights are.
If your family member receives community care, they have the right to:
- be involved in deciding which care services are the most appropriate for their needs
- receive services that take account of their lifestyle, cultural and religious preferences
- be able to take part in social activities as they wish
- be treated with dignity and to have their privacy respected
- complain about the services they receive without fear of losing these services, or being disadvantaged in any way, and
- choose a person to speak on their behalf for any reason.
Aged care homes
If your family member is living in an aged care home, no matter which home they live in, their rights and responsibilities will remain the same. These are outlined in the Charter of Residents’ Rights and Responsibilities on the Department of Health and Ageing website.
The Aged Care Act 1997
Aged care service providers must comply with obligations under laws such as the Aged Care Act 1997. For example, if your family member receives a Community Aged Care Package (CACP (more information) , Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) (more information), or Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH D) (more information), or if they are living in an Australian Government-funded aged care home, they have the right to receive a service that meets government standards, including the right to:
- receive good quality services
- be treated with respect and courtesy
- have their lifestyle and cultural and personal beliefs respected
- be informed and to be consulted
- be part of decisions made about their care
- privacy and confidentiality
- access their personal information held by the provider
- be provided with a written plan of the services they will receive
- have a person of person choice support them and advocate on their behalf
- have their comments valued
- make a complaint if they’re unhappy with the services they receive, and
- continue to receive care and services from the provider as long as they remain living at home in the community and while the care and services are still appropriate to meet their needs.
Common questions on this topic:
- Dad has always made decisions about his care, but lately I've been worried that he is not considering all the options. What can we do?
- Because I am the only one who doesn't have a partner my brothers and sister have expected me to give up work to look after Mum now she needs a full-time carer. They don't give me much help with Mum and sometimes criticise what I am doing. This is quite difficult for me.
- I'm finding it hard to cope with seeing Mum so frail and helpless. Is there someone I can talk to?
See more common questions on this topic | See all common questions
