Step 2: Find

Find the best Care Community for you

If your ACAT has confirmed your eligibility to access residential aged care, the next step is to find aged Care Communities that meet your needs. This is often the most stressful part for families, however, with many Care Communities in most states across Australia, it’s very likely there’s an Opal HealthCare Community in your area.

To speak to our aged care experts call 1300 362 481. If we’re unable to accommodate you within Opal HealthCare, we’ll do our best to help you locate an alternative provider.

Applying to aged Care Communities

Once you have received your ACAT assessment, you can begin applying to as many Care Communities as you wish, but once you accept a place, it’s important that you let the others know that you no longer require their services.

Finding and visiting an aged Care Community

Visiting a range of Care Communities is often one of the best ways to decide which one suits your needs. To help you assess the suitability of the ones you visit, we have attached a short checklist at the end of this section. This will help you assess each home and ask some important questions to the providers you meet with.

Here are some of the services provided at an Opal HealthCare, Care Community.

A range of care options include respite, dementia care, permanent care, and palliative care. Many Care Communities also offer day respite.

High-quality person-centred care with a focus on meeting your individual needs.
A qualified nursing team is on-site at all times to attend to your clinical and emergency needs.
Fresh meals are prepared and cooked in the home kitchen by our dedicated qualified chef.
Assistance with daily living including bathing, dressing, and eating.
Access to a range of other health services including physiotherapy, podiatry, optometry, and dental.
Medication management is provided on-site.
Individually tailored social and recreational activities to bring joy and meaning to your days.
On-site laundry service and Opal cleaning services (not outsourced).
Private and companion bedrooms with basic furnishings included

Visit one of our Care Community pages to see the full list of the features available.

Download our checklist for things to consider when you visit a Care Community

5 Steps into Residential Aged Care

Assess

Make sure the person requiring care has had an ACAT assessment.

Learn more

Find

Search for a residential aged care home suitably located.

Costs

Understand the costs associated with residential aged are.

Learn more

Apply

Ensure you have all relevant paperwork to apply for residential aged care.

Learn more

Move

Check out our moving checklist to ensure the smoothest move possible.

Learn more

Back to our overview of Understanding Aged Care

FAQ's on how to find aged care that is right for you

Using our find a Care Community search tool, you can filter through Care Communities based on the aged care services they provide and their location. Here you will be provided a list with details of each Care Community including accommodation options, pricing, life in our Care Communities and contact details.
We highly recommend visiting a range of Care Communities as it will help you better understand the lifestyle, services available, room suitably and gives you the opportunity to ask any questions to our team.
Some important things to consider when finding an aged care home includes:
-   Your health, physical, mental, social and spiritual needs.
-   Budget and costs
-   Accreditation and reputation
-   Safety and accessibility
-   On-site services such as allied health, palliative care, dementia care and transport
-   Location
-   Quality of food provided
To apply to one of Care Communities you will need to fill out application form and return it to the administrative officer in your preferred Care Community. You can find our application form and detailed steps of the process here.
You can apply to as many Care Communities as you wish. Once you accept a place please ensure you let the other Care Communities know that you no longer require their assistance.
- Accommodation Charge (the cost of your room) - These are set by individual Care Communities and will vary between them.
- Basic Daily Care Fee (meals, laundry, cleaning, and other day-to-day costs) – These are set by the Australian Government and is the same across every home in Australia.
- Means-Tested Care Fee (to supplement the cost of your overall care) - These are set by the Australian Government based on an assessment of your personal financial situation.
- Additional Services Fee or Extra Services Fee - (higher-end services and accommodation) These are set by individual homes and varies from home to home.In some homes, Additional Services or Extra Services are optional and in other homes, residents are required to purchase these services as a condition of entry
For further information go to our Costs section in Step 3