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. 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
- Arrange assessment by the government’s Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) for your eligibility, taking into account your present situation, medical needs and other requirements. Call ACAT at 1800 200 422 or contact your nearest RFBI residential aged care village and we’ll coordinate on your behalf.
Read More - Visit residential care homes where you wish to live to determine which one best meets your needs. Some will suit you more than others — and offer the accommodation, aged care, support and services you want.
- Obtain detailed information packs (including costs) and application forms for residential nursing homes you like so you can make accurate comparisons between them. The Government website has a very handy calculator to help with estimating residential care fees. Click here to visit the calculator https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/fee-estimator/residential-care/form
- Apply for your short-listed residential care homes — as many as you want. How they respond will help you gauge their attitude in terms of being informative, friendly, helpful and understanding.
- Once you find the right residential aged care home, tell them you intend to accept (and notify any others you have done so). Take a final look around the aged care home.
Fees and charges
The Australian Government subsidises many aged care services. But you will need to contribute towards the cost, plus that of accommodation and additional services, if you can afford to. You will not be denied the aged care you need because you can’t afford it. Government regulations stipulate what you will need to pay. There are four types of fee:
The basic daily fee: Set the Government, the basic daily care fee is 85% of the single person age pension. This applies even if you are a couple. Special concessions apply to some veterans.
A means tested care fee: an additional contribution you may need to pay, depending on your financial situation, income and assets. The amount you are required to pay is determined by the government based on your asset and income assessment. Anyone who chooses not to complete an asset and income assessment is required to pay the full cost of their care.
The amount of income tested fees you will pay is limited by annual and lifetime caps. The current annual and lifetime caps are available on the myagedcare.gov.au website.
An accommodation payment: for your accommodation in the home. This may be partly met by the Australian Government, again depending on your financial situation.
Additional service fees: to cover the cost of additional services you receive as a resident.
To find out more about Residential Aged Care Fees and Charges call 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.
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.