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Aged care guides

18 plain-English guides to the Australian aged care system, checked against government sources and dated. Start with the group that matches where you are.

Getting started

First steps: assessments, My Aged Care, the new law, and what to do when a hospital says it is time.

Family discussing an aged care assessment with an advisor over paperwork

Does someone need more help?

How to get an aged care assessment

Registering with My Aged Care, what the assessor asks, and how to prepare.

6 min read
A family being welcomed into an aged care facility by staff

Not sure what My Aged Care actually does?

My Aged Care explained

The phone number, how to register, how to act for a parent, and what it does not do.

8 min read
An older man and a family member talking with an adviser in a living room

Leaving hospital soon?

Leaving hospital

Assessments on the ward, transition care, respite as a bridge and your right to choose the home.

12 min read
A woman reading through aged care paperwork at her kitchen table at home

Heard the aged care rules changed?

Aged Care Act 2024

What the new Aged Care Act changed for older people: rights, supporters, fees and protections.

11 min read

Help at home

Support at Home, what it pays for, self-management, CHSP and respite.

A home care support worker helping an older woman in her kitchen at home

Looking for help at home?

Support at Home explained

The program that replaced Home Care Packages. Eight funding levels, and what you contribute.

8 min read
A woman highlighting items on Support at Home paperwork at her kitchen table

Not sure what the budget covers?

Support at Home service list

The official service list, the exclusions, equipment funding and what to do if a provider says no.

11 min read
A woman researching home care workers online with a laptop and notes at home

Want to choose your own workers?

Self-managing Support at Home

What self-management allows under Support at Home, what it costs, and what the provider must still do.

9 min read
A CHSP support worker helping an older woman with laundry at her kitchen table

CHSP explained

It still exists, despite what you may have read. What it covers and what it costs.

7 min read
A home care worker cooking with an older woman in her kitchen

What happened to Home Care Packages

They closed to new applicants in 2025. What happened to existing packages and unspent funds.

7 min read
An aged care staff member checking on a resident settled with a blanket in a lounge

Does a carer need a break?

Respite care explained

Residential respite has no bond and no means tested fee. The five types and what each costs.

8 min read

Aged care homes

Moving into care, the retirement village question, dementia care and how homes are rated.

Family touring a resident's room in an aged care home with a staff member

Considering an aged care home?

Residential aged care explained

What it is, how it differs from a retirement village, and what to look at when comparing homes.

9 min read
The covered entrance and garden seating of a modern Australian aged care facility

Village or aged care home?

Retirement village vs aged care

Different laws, costs and entry rules. What each suits and what happens when care needs grow.

10 min read
Residents relaxing in an aged care lounge with staff assistance and garden views

Caring for someone with dementia?

Dementia care options

Home support, respite, secure units and who to call when behaviours change.

12 min read
A family touring the entrance of an aged care facility with a staff member

Aged care star ratings

How they are calculated, and why a four star home can still have problems.

7 min read

Money

Every fee, how it works, and paying for a room.

A family talking through aged care costs with an advisor in a facility lounge

Trying to work out the money?

What aged care costs in Australia

Every fee you will meet, in the order you meet them, plus the caps that limit them.

8 min read
A man and his mother signing paperwork at an aged care facility reception desk

RAD or DAP

A lump sum or a daily payment, and the 2% retention introduced in November 2025.

8 min read

Rights and quality

What providers must do, and what to do when they do not.

An aged care staff member leaning in to listen to a resident in a lounge chair

Complaints and your rights

Who handles complaints, how long it takes, and what the Statement of Rights actually does.

8 min read
Two aged care staff members reviewing records together at a reception desk

What should good care look like?

Quality standards

The seven strengthened standards in plain English, and how to use them to choose a provider or complain.

10 min read