How To Ensure You Make The Best Decisions

When it comes to care options for ageing parents, it can be an emotional and confusing time, and most people are unprepared. Discussions abut aged care needs are not high on anyone’s wish list.

- Louise Biti

Let’s face it, no one wants to get old – but if we are lucky, we will. And the chances are this will also come with a period of frailty.

Thinking about the options ahead of time and discussing them as a family can help to remove some of the stress. Apart from the emotional side of supporting parents, there are many practical issues to consider, including assessing care needs, deciding whether to live with parents (in your home or theirs), affordability, legal arrangements, moving or modifying the home and access to financial and other assistance.

Let’s focus on where to start and what to take into consideration when deciding whether you should provide the care yourself.

Get an assessment

If you notice that a parent is finding things difficult, get an assessment. They may resist, fearing it will open the door for someone to swoop in and take control and before they know it they are shuffled off to an aged care home.

The aged care assessment team (ACAT) isn’t there to tell you what to do. Instead, it helps to identify what aspects of daily living the person needs help with and to approve financial assistance from the government if accessing home care packages or residential care (permanent and respite).

If you have money to pay for all the support you need, you don’t need to go through an assessment process. You can just decide what services you want and who you want to buy them from and set the wheels in motion. For most people, however, government subsidies may be the only way to afford care without using up savings.