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Types of care and services
- High-level care (more information)
- Low-level care (more information)
- Ageing in place (more information)
- Extra services (more information)
- End-of-life care (more information)
- Short-term care
- Transition care (more information)
- Cultural and identified needs (more information)
- Particular health conditions (more information)
- Multipurpose services (MPS) (more information)
- Independent Living Units
High-level care
High-level care is for people who need 24-hour nursing care. This may be because they are physically unable to move around and care for themselves, or because they have a severe dementia-type illness or other behavioural problems. Residents in high care must receive additional care and services at no additional cost.Read more: About high-level care
Low-level care
Low-level care places are for people who need some help. Mostly, people in low-level care can walk or move about on their own.Low-level care focuses on personal care services (help with dressing, eating, bathing etc.), accommodation, support services (cleaning, laundry and meals) and some allied health services such as physiotherapy. Nursing care can be given when required.
Most low-level aged care homes have nurses on staff, or at least have easy access to them.
Read more: About low-level care
Ageing in place
Ageing in place refers to aged care homes that offer both high- and low-level care, and to situations where it is possible to stay in the same home if your care needs increase.Read more: About ageing in place
Extra services
Some aged care homes may offer you a higher standard of accommodation, food and services for an additional daily fee. They may also charge an accommodation bond for both low and high-level care when receiving extra services.Read more: About extra services you can pay for
End-of-life care
End-of-life care, or palliative care is care provided for people who have a life threatening illness, with little or no prospect of a cure, and for whom the primary treatment goal is quality of life. Palliative care in aged care homes aims to give the resident the best possible quality of life, reducing the need to move residents to another location such as a hospital or hospice.Read more: End-of-life care in aged care homes
Short-term care
Respite care in an aged care home is short-term care on a planned or emergency basis, where the person will ultimately return homeRead more: About short-term care
Transitional care
The Transition Care Program is aimed at helping you improve your independence and confidence after a hospital stay. It works by providing low-intensity therapy and support as part of an ongoing but slower recovery process, giving you and your family more time to determine whether you can return home with additional support from community care services, or need to consider the level of care provided by an aged care home.Read more: About transition care
Cultural and identified needs
Some aged care homes offer specialised services for particular groups such as veterans, people who live in rural and regional areas, people with a disability, people who are culturally and linguistically diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people who are socially or financially disadvantaged.Read more: About aged care homes for cultural and identified needs
Particular health conditions
Some aged care homes offer specialised facilities for particular conditions, such as dementia, mental health, falls, and continence management. If you require these services, you will need to discuss them with the managers of homes you are considering.Read more: Aged care homes for particular health conditions
Multipurpose services (MPS)
Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) are designed specifically for rural and regional areas, and bring together a range of health and aged care services under one management structure.Read more: MPS
Independent Living Units
Independent Living Units are residential communities that offer a range of services for independent older people, and are regulated by state and territory governments.Read more: Independent Living Units
Common questions on this topic:
- Can I find a home that will cater for all of my care needs as I get older or need more assistance, so I don't need to move around?
- What sort of accommodation and care is available in residential aged care homes?
- What happens if I am a full pensioner or someone else who cannot afford an extra-service place?
See more common questions on this topic | See all common questions
