Article posted:Feb 16, 2011
Category: Residential Aged Care
Vacancies in Aged Care
Depending on your location, trying to find a vacancy at a low-level care home (formerly known as hostels) or a high-level care home (formerly known as nursing homes) for yourself or someone you love can be a longer process than expected. At Aged Care Online we often have calls from people who have family members who have reached a stage where aged care is needed, but 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 most high and low level care facilities. For more detail on the process of finding a residential aged care facility, you can read Aged Care Online’s ‘5 Steps Guide to Aged Care’.
When will a vacancy occur?
It is impossible to know for certain when a vacancy will occur, however if you place the elderly person on a waiting list than you should be rung directly when a vacancy becomes available. However it is advisable to periodically call the home to let them know you are still interested in admission into the home as soon as possible.
How do I find a vacancy?
The best way to find out if there are any vacancies in your area is to use our online aged care directory, where you can search by state and region. There are listings for residential aged care in every region and some listings will indicate whether there are current vacancies.
Search for facilities with current vacancies in:
Residential Care New South Wales
Residential Care South Australia
Residential Care Western Australia
Residential Care Australian Capital Territory
Residential Care Northern Territory
What if finding a vacancy is urgent?
In that case then it is important to inform the aged care staff of the situation and see what can be done.
What happens when a vacancy occurs?
Once a vacancy occurs, you may be given a few hours to decide whether you will accept the vacancy or not. That’s why it important to research all of the costs, facilities and culture of the home 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
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.
