Moving into an aged care home: what to know before you start

An aged care home (also called residential aged care) is for people who can no longer live safely at home, even with support coming in. Staff are there day and night. They help with personal care, such as showering, dressing and eating, and nurses look after health needs like medicines and wound care.

The move often comes after a fall, a hospital stay, a change in memory, or when a partner or family carer simply can’t keep going. Sometimes it is planned well ahead. Often it happens faster than anyone expected.

It can feel like giving up. It isn’t. Moving into care is often an act of care for everyone: it can mean safety and good nights’ sleep for the person moving, and a chance for family to go back to being family rather than full-time carers. Many people find they have more company in a home than they had living alone.

To move into a government-funded aged care home, you first need an aged care assessment. You can apply online through My Aged Care, call 1800 200 422, or book a face-to-face appointment with an Aged Care Specialist Officer at a Services Australia centre on 1800 227 475. A family member can apply on your behalf.

A trained assessor will talk with you, usually at home, about your health, what you can manage and what is getting hard. If you are eligible, you will receive a letter (sometimes called a Notice of Decision) and a support plan. The support plan includes a referral code you give to the home you choose.

If you are in hospital, the assessment can often be arranged there. Our guide to My Aged Care assessments explains the process step by step.

Residential respite is a short stay in an aged care home. It gives a family carer a break, helps someone recover after a hospital stay, or lets you try a home before deciding on a permanent move. You get the same care and services as permanent residents while you are there.

You need an assessment that approves you for residential respite. You can have up to 63 days of subsidised residential respite in a financial year, and this can be extended by 21 days at a time with further approval. Not every home offers respite, and approval does not guarantee a place, so contact homes early.

If a carer suddenly can’t continue, for example because of illness, call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737 to ask about emergency respite.

The Find a provider tool on the My Aged Care website lets you search for homes by area, see room types and prices, and compare Star Ratings. Star Ratings give each home 1 to 5 stars across key areas of care. You can also filter for cultural, language and spiritual needs.

Visit more than one home if you can, and go at different times of day. Notice how staff speak to residents, whether people look comfortable, and whether it feels like somewhere you, or your parent, could belong. Location matters too: a home close to family and friends usually means more visits.

• How many staff are on at night, and is there a nurse on site at all times?
• How do you handle changes in health, memory or behaviour?
• Can I bring my own furniture, photos and belongings?
• What activities happen each week, and can I keep my own routines?
• How do families stay in touch with staff and get updates?
• What is the room price, and what other fees might apply?

Life in a home has a rhythm. There are set mealtimes, help with showering and dressing, and a program of activities such as music, exercise, outings and visits from community groups. Most residents have their own room, and many homes encourage you to make it feel like yours with photos, a favourite chair and your own bedding.

You keep the right to make choices about your own life. Under the new Aged Care Act, there is a Statement of Rights that covers things like being treated with dignity and respect, making your own decisions, and staying connected with the people and things that matter to you.

The first weeks can be hard, for the new resident and for family. Feeling unsettled is common. Regular visits, familiar things in the room, and getting to know staff by name can all help.

Australia’s new Aged Care Act started on 1 November 2025, and it changed fees for most people entering an aged care home from that date. If you moved in on or before 31 October 2025, your fees generally stay the same unless you choose to switch. Some people who were on a Home Care Package, or approved and waiting for one, on or before 12 September 2024 stay on the older fee arrangements.

Under the new arrangements, the fees can include:

• Basic daily fee: everyone pays this for meals, cleaning, laundry and utilities. It is set at 85% of the single basic Age Pension. My Aged Care listed the maximum at $68.93 a day at the time of writing.
• Hotelling contribution: an extra amount some people pay towards everyday living costs, depending on their income and assets. It is capped at the government’s hotelling supplement ($22.15 a day at the time of writing).
• Non-clinical care contribution: an amount some people with more means pay towards personal care and lifestyle activities, such as help with bathing. It has a daily cap, and you stop paying it once you reach a lifetime cap or after four years of contributions, whichever comes first.
• Accommodation costs: what you pay for your room, depending on your means (see the next section).
• Higher everyday living fee: an optional fee for extras. You can’t be asked to agree to it before you move in, and it can’t be a condition of getting a room.

Homes publish the maximum price for each room on My Aged Care. You can negotiate a lower price, but you can’t be charged more than the published price. If your income and assets are low, the government pays some or all of your accommodation costs. To find out where you stand, you need a means assessment from Services Australia. It takes time, so start early.

If you pay for your room yourself, you can choose a refundable lump sum (a refundable accommodation deposit, or RAD), a daily payment that works like rent (a daily accommodation payment, or DAP), or a mix of both. You can’t be asked to choose before you move in.

Two changes apply to people entering from 1 November 2025. First, the home keeps a small part of a lump sum each year (2% a year, for up to five years), and that part is not refunded when you leave. Second, daily payments are indexed (increased) twice a year. The choice between a lump sum and daily payments can affect your pension and other fees, so get advice before you decide.

The Financial Information Service is a free service from Services Australia. It can help you understand aged care costs and how different choices affect your pension. Call 132 300 and say “Financial Information Service” when asked. My Aged Care also has an online fee estimator.

For personal advice about your own money, such as whether to sell or rent out the family home, a licensed financial adviser who specialises in aged care can help. Ask about their fees upfront, and check they are listed on the government’s Financial Advisers Register on the Moneysmart website.

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) gives free, confidential help to older people seeking or receiving aged care, and to their families. Call the National Aged Care Advocacy Line on 1800 700 600. If you have a complaint about care that you can’t sort out with the home, you can contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.