Vacancies in Residential Aged Care

Aged Care Vacancies

Depending on your location, trying to find a vacancy in a residential aged care home (formerly known as hostels or nursing homes) for yourself or a loved one can be a longer process than expected. At Aged Care Online we often receive calls from people who have family members who have reached a stage where aged care is needed. What they often don’t realise is, that being assessed for residential aged care and then finding a suitable home could take at least 2-3 months.

Once the elderly person has been through the proper aged care assessments, researched the fees and talked with Centrelink, there are often waiting lists for many residential aged care homes. For more detail on the process of finding a residential aged care facility, you can read Aged Care Online’s handy 5 Step Guide to Residential Aged Care. 

When will a vacancy be available?

It is impossible to know for certain when a vacancy in your chosen aged care home will be available, however if you place the elderly person on a waiting list, then you should be contacted by the home directly when a vacancy becomes available. However, it is advisable to periodically call the aged care home to let them know you are still interested in admission into the home as soon as possible.

How do I find an aged care vacancy?

The best way to find out if there are any vacancies in your area is to use our online aged care directory. Here, you can refine your search by state and region to make it easier to find an aged care home in your preferred suburb. There are listings for residential aged care in every region and many listings will indicate whether there are current vacancies available. If you have found a home on Aged Care Online that has advertised vacancies available, we recommend calling the home directly using the Call tab at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can fill out the enquiry form attached to the vacancy.

Search for aged care homes with current vacancies in:

Residential Aged Care in Victoria
Residential Aged Care in New South Wales
Residential Aged Care in South Australia
Residential Aged Care in Queensland
Residential Aged Care in Western Australia
Residential Aged Care in Tasmania
Residential Aged Care in Australian Capital Territory
Residential Aged Care in Northern Territory

What if finding a vacancy in aged care is urgent?

If you need to find a place in residential aged care as soon as possible, it is important to inform the aged care staff of the situation and see what can be done. We also recommend contacting a number of different aged care homes in your area to increase your chances of finding a place as soon as possible.

What happens when a vacancy becomes available?

Once a vacancy becomes available, you may be given a few hours to decide whether you will accept the vacancy or not. This is why it is so important to research all of the costs, facilities and culture of the home well before making a decision or being put on a waiting list.

Once you have accepted the vacancy, transfer to the home will be arranged as soon as possible.

If you are unable to move in straight away, then you are given seven days after you have accepted the vacancy to move in. This is known as pre-entry leave.

Please note that in some cases, you may be charged fees from the residential home from the date you accept a place.

Accepting a place in residential aged care

Once a place is accepted, this may affect your place on waiting lists for other residential aged care homes. If you accept a home that is not your first preference, then your place on the waiting list for your first preference may be affected.

You should not be asked to make a donation or pay a fee before accepting a place.