Aged Care

Quality Care

Our team of highly skilled and experienced aged care professionals has been carefully selected for being the best in their area of expertise and their ability to provide excellence in care. We take pride in providing superior care and ensuring quality of life for each of our residents.

All staff employed by Cranbrook Care are fully trained to perform their care tasks and management tasks in accordance with the Quality of Care Principles 2014 and comply with the Accreditation Standards and the Residential Care Standards.

Lifestyle Services

Our lifestyle service offerings can be tailored to our residents’ every need. We can arrange a personal assistant to make calls, or appointments, write letters or emails, read to residents or take them on an outing. If preferred we can arrange a private carer in addition to the existing care staff. A chauffeur can be arranged to take residents wherever required.

Our Leisure & Lifestyle teams coordinate a wide selection of life enriching activities including daily exercises, cards and other games, art and crafts, in-house concerts and seminars, in-house movies, bus outings and art classes. Often these activities and events involve local groups allowing residents to connect with the broader community.

Other lifestyle services available may include physiotherapy, aquatic physiotherapy, aromatherapy, massage and podiatry. These lifestyle services ensure that our residents have the opportunity to enjoy the level of comfort and service they have become accustomed to in life.

Design Excellence

Our aged care residences are architecturally designed modern buildings situated in idyllic locations. Our designs are sympathetic to the environment and the local community and always have the privacy and social needs of residents as the highest priority. Our living and dining spaces are spacious, welcoming and light filled. They provide lovely outlooks and are fully accessible to all residents. Whilst all interiors have been professionally styled, we encourage each resident space to be personalised with family mementoes. Our custom built memory boxes are one way residents are able to do this.

What is the Process?

A residential aged care facility provides accommodation and support for those who can no longer manage on their own and need more assistance on a daily basis. The decision to move into residential aged care is not easy. You should discuss what you should do with someone who respects your situation and knows you well. This could be a family member or your local doctor.

What is the process?

To live in a residential aged care facility, a person must consult with and be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) to establish the level of care required. For more information you can call ACAT directly on 1800 052 222. Essentially there are five steps to moving into aged care:

  1. Consultation with family doctor
  2. Obtain an ACAT Assessment
  3. Find a residential aged care facility that suits your needs and requirements
  4. Complete entry pack
  5. Entry into residential aged care

What is an ACAT Assessment?

An ACAT assessment is an evaluation by a member of your local Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) who is a health care professional in the area of seniors care. ACAT is responsible for deciding who is eligible for placement in an aged care facility. The assessment involves investigating a person’s mental, physical and social situation.

You may have someone with you during the assessment, such as a carer or family member. If you wish, you may instruct your doctor to provide your medical history to the ACAT representative. The assessment is provided by the Government free of charge.

Once you have made an appointment, a member of your local ACAT will visit you in your home or in hospital to assess your needs. The ACAT person will talk with you about what services you may need.

He or she will discuss the result of the assessment with you and arrange referrals to home care services or a place in residential care, if this is appropriate. The ACAT will provide you with an Aged Care Client Record (ACCR) which you will need to give to the residential aged care facility when applying.

You may contact ACAT directly:

Visit www.myagedcare.gov.au for contact details for your local ACAT, or the Aged Care Information Line on 1800 500 853.

What should I consider when choosing a residential aged care facility?

The following things should be considered:

  • The type of accommodation, quality of care and the services provided
  • Recommendation of friends or family
  • The type of environment – do I want something cosy or open and airy?
  • Additional extras – do I require Extra Services such as hotel type services or lifestyle extras, with increased meal choices, extra outings and a more luxurious living environment?
  • Access to and from the facility
  • Proximity to your community, family and friends
  • Ageing in place – do you want to be able to continue to receive care in a familiar environment?
  • What if I only need care for a short time?

At Cranbrook Care we can provide accommodation solutions for both permanent residents and short-term residents.

Can I apply to more than one residential aged care facility?

You can apply to as many residential aged care facilities as you wish. When a place becomes available, the aged care facility will contact you (or the contact person that you have nominated). If you wish to accept the place, you should then meet with the Client Services Manager to discuss your Resident Agreement.

Any other questions?

If you have any other questions relating to choosing and applying for residential aged care, please speak to our Client Services Manager.

Download “What is the Process?”

 

How Much Will it Cost?

What are the Daily Care Fees?

Daily Care Fees contribute towards your daily living costs, such as nursing and personal care, meals, linen and laundry. These have two parts:

  • A Basic Daily Care Fee (set by the Federal Government) and applies to all aged care facilities, and
  • An additional Means-Tested Care Fee for residents who have a higher income and can contribute to the cost of their care as determined by the Government. There are annual and lifetime caps that apply to the Means-Tested Care Fee. Once these caps are reached, you cannot be asked to pay any more Means-Tested Care Fees. Any Means-Tested Care Fees you have paid in a Home Care Package prior to moving into an residential aged care facility will also contribute to your annual and lifetime caps.

What is an Accommodation Payment?

Accommodation Payments contribute towards the cost of your accommodation. You only pay this if your assets exceed an amount set by the Federal Government. This Accommodation Payment is agreed with the facility prior to entry and will be in the form of:

  • A Refundable Accommodation Deposit; or
  • A Daily Accommodation Payment; or
  • A combination of both.

Only residential aged care facilities that are accredited by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency as meeting required standards of accommodation can charge a Refundable Accommodation Deposit. The details of the Maximum Refundable Accommodation Deposits for each room are included in the Key Features Statements available on the facility’s website.

Are there any other costs?

If a residential aged care facility provides Extra Services, ‘hotel’ type services or lifestyle extras, including higher standards of accommodation and increased activities, entertainment and food choices then it obtains approval to charge an Extra Services Fee. The fee for these Extra Services varies from facility to facility. Please contact the Client Services Manager for further details.

You will be required to pay for optional extras from our selection of Lifestyle Services. These include services provided in our hairdressing and beauty salon, telephone line rental, Foxtel and dry cleaning. The Lifestyle Services offered varies from facility to facility. Please refer to the facility’s Lifestyle Services Price List for the full list of Lifestyle Services prices.

How much will it cost me to become a resident at a Cranbrook Care residence?

The cost to a resident at Cranbrook Care’s facilities can vary considerably. Many residents are eligible for Government subsidies to help cover the cost of care and accommodation. Each resident is “means tested” by Centrelink and then the remaining cost needs to be covered by the resident. For further information regarding the cost of residential care refer to the Government’s website www.myagedcare.gov.au or by calling their Aged Care Information Line 1800 500 853.

 

Where do I find out about costs?

Understanding costs can be daunting but it is important to understand. The best thing to do is have a chat with your accountant or financial adviser. You can also contact our Client Services Manager for more specific information. It is important to note that you can receive advice from financial advisers who specialise in the aged care sector. Our Client Services Manager has more information on how to contact them.

How does the Accommodation Payment affect my basic daily care fee?

If you pay an Accommodation Payment you may be asked to pay the non-pensioner basic daily care fee, even if you are a pensioner.

Will my home be “protected”?

When you enter the residential aged care facility, the value of your former home will not be counted as an asset if:

  • Your spouse or dependent child is living there;
  • A carer eligible for an income support payment has lived there for two years; or
  • A close relative who is eligible for an income support payment has been living there for at least five years.

What are my Accommodation Payment options?

While it does depend on your Resident Agreement, generally the Accommodation Payment can be paid in the form of:

  • A Refundable Accommodation Deposit – an amount of money paid or payable by a resident for entry into residential aged care; or
  • A Daily Accommodation Payment; or
  • A combination of both.

The Daily Accommodation Payment is calculated by converting the Refundable Accommodation Deposit into a daily charge using the Maximum Permissible Interest Rate (MPIR) that applied at the time of admission. The MPIR is at a rate set by the Federal Government. The Daily Accommodation Payment is invoiced monthly.

What if I move to another residential aged care facility?

If you have previously paid a Refundable Accommodation Deposit and then move to another residential aged care facility, your Refundable Accommodation Deposit will be refunded. You will then need to enter into a Resident Agreement with the new residential aged care facility.

How do Accommodation Payments affect pensions?

From 1 July 2005, lump sum Refundable Accommodation Deposits paid by residents in aged care facilities are exempt from the social security and Veterans’ Affairs asset test. Also from 1 July 2005, aged care residents who pay a Daily Accommodation Payment are able to rent out their former home without the value of the home or the rental income affecting their pension.

The Government’s free Financial Information Service, which is available through Centrelink to all older people, can give you information about these effects. You can make an appointment with the Financial Information Service by calling 13 23 00 or you can contact an independent financial adviser.

What are the safeguards for residents?

You cannot be asked to pay the Refundable Accommodation Deposit unless you have entered a Resident Agreement.

This agreement sets out your rights and responsibilities. You have up to 28 days after entering an aged care facility to enter into the Resident Agreement.

Where a person is unable to enter a Resident Agreement due to mental impairment, the agreement must be signed by a Power of Attorney or Guardian.

From 1 July 2006, under new prudential arrangements, when you pay a Refundable Accommodation Deposit the service provider must:

  • Repay the Refundable Accommodation Deposit balance within the statutory time periods, which is within 14 days of giving notice of your departure, on the day you leave if you notify your provider of your departure more than 14 days before you leave, within 14 days after you leave if no notice is given or in the case of death, 14 days after the approved provider is shown probate or letters of administration; and
  • Provide you with a copy of the Resident Agreement.

If the provider does not refund your Refundable Accommodation Deposit balance on the day you leave, interest will be paid on your Refundable Accommodation Deposit balance until it is refunded.

Furthermore, in the event a provider becomes bankrupt or insolvent, the Government will repay your Refundable Accommodation Deposit balance entitlement, including any interest that has accrued on the balance.

What is Gifting?

Any amount given away from 10 May 2006 over $10,000 in a single financial year or $30,000 in a five financial year period will be included in a Centrelink assessment. As a result, you may not be eligible for Government assistance with your care costs.

Any other questions?

If you have any other questions relating to the costs of aged care, please speak to our Client Services Manager.

Download “How much will it cost?”