Residential Care
Guide
Your guide to residential aged care villages
Residential care (also known as nursing home care) offers a range of health, personal care and lifestyle activities in a comfortable, safe community.
All our residential care villages offer secure worry free, compassionate support 24 hours a day. With a focus on health care, fun and lifestyle choices in spacious comfortable surroundings our staff aim to ensure you settle quickly and happily into your new home.
From 1 November 2025, the new Aged Care Act strengthens residents’ rights, improves quality standards and provides greater choice. At RFBI, we’ve always placed our residents at the heart of everything we do and these changes simply confirm what has been our promise all along.
To discover which of our residential care villages best meets your needs, please select from the location list above.
How to apply: your step-by-step guide
Step 1 : Get assessed
Start by arranging an aged care assessment through My Aged Care by calling 1800 200 422 or let our friendly RFBI team help you organise it. From 1 November 2025, there’s a single assessment process (Integrated Assessment Tool – IAT) to access all aged care services. This assessment confirms your eligibility and helps determine the level of care and support you need.
Step 2: Chose your RFBI Village
All RFBI villages are open for tours. Come meet our team, see the facilities and experience our warm community atmosphere. Because residential care places are now assigned to individuals, you are free to choose RFBI as your provider.
Step 3: Get assigned a place
Before you move in, you’ll be formally assigned a place in residential care through My Aged Care. Once assigned, you can select your preferred RFBI village. We’ll work with you to confirm that we can meet your care needs and support you in every way.
Step 4: Move in with confidence
On move-in day, our team will be ready to welcome you and your family. You’ll be shown to your room and supported to make it your own. From day one, you’ll have access to our caring staff, engaging activities, and all the services that make RFBI a trusted name in aged care.
Fees and charges
The government will help cover the cost of your aged care, including fully funding all clinical care you need. However, if you can afford to do so, you will be required to contribute towards the cost of your non-clinical care. You contribution is based on the outcome of your means assessment.
Accommodation The government will use your means assessment to determine what you will pay for your accommodation. If the government identifies that you require financial support, they will determine what, if any contribution you are required to make towards your accommodation costs. If you are not supported, you will be required to pay the published room price.
Basic Daily Care Fee (BDCF): All residents who enter into residential aged care are required to pay the Basic Daily Care Fee (BDCF). This includes those coming in for respite and is set at 85% of the single person basic age pension. The BDCF is used to contribute towards the cost of day to day living, such as meals, cleaning and laundry.
Means-testing hotelling supplement: The Hotelling Supplement is means tested through your means assessment and the government will determine what, if any, Hotelling Supplement you are required to pay.
Means – tested non-clinical care contribution (NCCC): The government has committed to funding all clinical care, however residents who can afford to do so will be required to pay a NCCC. The non-clinical care contribution is means tested and the government will determine what, if any, amount you are required to pay. When you pay a NCCC, there are daily and lifetime caps restricting how much you will pay. These are indexed twice per year.
Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF): Residents may agree to enter into a Higher Everyday Living Agreement. The Higher Everyday Living options available at your RFBI Village will be provided to you on entry. You can take up HELF services at any time during your stay and have an option to cancel when the agreement is renewed each year.
To better understand Residential Aged Care Fees and Charges, click on the video below or contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to estimate the fees and charges you will have to pay towards your residential aged care.
Frequently asked questions
Residential aged care is for people no longer able to live at home for reasons including illness, disability, bereavement, medical emergency or being unable to manage at home without help.
Retirement living is ideal if you want to be free of home maintenance (including lawns and gardens) but are keen to preserve your freedom and independence.
Home care is for when you are still independent and living at home but need a helping hand now and then.
We are here to provide you with high quality care and support so you can continue living the life you want. Your RFBI residential care plan and associated services will be discussed with you in detail and special ones may also be arranged. Typically, our core residential care services include:
- Medical care (we encourage you to continue with your own doctor but can recommend practitioners if needed).
- Throughout your time with us, we will do all we can to maximize your comfort and wellbeing.
- Prescriptions filled by arrangement with local pharmacists.
- Physiotherapy services.
- Podiatry services.
- Assistance with specialist appointments; transport is your responsibility but we can arrange it (for a fee).
- Other services and aids specified as part of your aged care needs; these will usually be provided at no charge (eg, incontinence aids, dressings, etc).
- Quality of life programs so you can socialize, learn new skills, visit local places of interest or try a new hobby.
Having been a highly respected provider of aged care and retirement living services for many decades, RFBI obviously meets all statutory requirements. Over and above these is our vision: we aim to be a best practice provider of aged care services, offering quality care and services to all residents and clients.
Yes: we have arrangements with local pharmacies to be able to provide all medications, your prescriptions can be quickly and efficiently made up.
You are entitled to receive quality medical care by a medical practitioner of your choice. Wherever possible, we encourage you to continue working with your existing doctor. If that is not possible, your Care Manager will provide you with a list of medical practitioners who visit the RFBI Residential Care Village regularly.
Your medical practitioner(s) must be willing to visit you at your RFBI Village at least every three months. They will also be required to visit you more frequently if necessary and provide after-hours coverage.
As you would expect, this is a key priority for us. We constantly review and maintain our staffing levels so your routine needs and special requirement are met in a prompt and caring way.
All RFBI residential care villages offer a full and varied activities schedule for you to enjoy. Our lifestyle team regularly reviews activities to ensure they continue to meet the needs and preferences of our residents. Some of the regular favourite activities include: day trips and outings, bingo, movie nights, gentle exercise groups and painting and craft classes. And suggestions are always welcome!
Activity programs are scheduled by the month and displayed throughout the Village. Activities coming up are also included in the Village newsletter.
Meal times are a special part of daily routine and we attempt to make them as enjoyable as possible with comfortable dining environments and a variety of fresh and tasty meals. All are freshly prepared onsite by our professional catering teams. We also have a fine dining program at most villages, where you can book a restaurant experience for residents and relatives in a separate room with waiter service.
Our seasonal menus are developed in consultation with a dietician and we seek regular input from our residents. We also happily accommodate individual likes and dislikes. We encourage you to enjoy your meals in the dining room. But if this is not possible or you prefer to eat in your room, this will be accommodated.
Yes, we happily accommodate special dietary needs and adjust other menu items to meet your particular likes or dislikes (subject to being informed beforehand).
We will provide immediate assistance to ensure you are made comfortable while the relevant assistance is sought. This may entail ambulance transport to hospital, consultation with your own medical practitioner or one we recommend if they are unavailable. You can rest assured that you are in good hands and you will be well cared for.
As part of your care plan we will identify any services and aids you may need. Anything that forms part of your assessed care needs will be provided at no charge to yourself, such as incontinence aids, dressings, physiotherapy, oxygen cylinders, etc.
If you would like to use an alternative product or service to those provided by RFBI you are welcome to do so at your own expense.
In normal circumstances yes; we welcome friends and family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and four legged friends can also pop in to say hello.
However due to the Coronavirus, there have been government restrictions put in place for visitors. For information about current restrictions please see our COVID-19 page or contact your preferred RFBI Village.
RFBI will not provide voluntary assisted dying services within our residential care villages however will not hinder any resident from seeking information about voluntary assisted dying or participating in the program.