No you don’t. If you want private in home care services where you pay us directly for your in home care services then no, you don’t need an assessment from the ACAT team. ACAT stands for Aged Care Assessment Team and they operate out of your local hospital. One of their jobs is to assess elderly Australians to decide what level of government subsidised in home care package they are entitled to. Government funding for in home care can be worth up to $55,315.75 a year per person. So if you are paying for our home care services privately, no you don’t need an ACAT Assessment.
If you are a pensioner or will be paying for your services via a Home Care Package, so that the Government pays for our services for you, then yes you do need an assessment by ACAT.
Tip: Unfortunately, most elderly people will not allow in home care services to start until they have a health care crisis, commonly hospitalisation and it’s become a dire choice between being placed into a nursing home or accepting in home care services in their own home.
In this scenario the elder will need support straight away to successfully return home and they can’t wait for:
1. an assessment by ACAT;
2. to be assigned their Government Funded Home Care Package before starting their care which can currently take up 2 years. As at March 2018 there are over 100,000 elders waiting for a Home Care Package. The process of applying for Government funding has waiting lists each step of the way. Elders with savings can afford to pay privately for care, pensioners often cannot.
This is why it is so important to realise that organising an ACAT Assessment and being assigned an in Home Care Package takes time, so get organised and proactive regarding your health and stay in control of your life…and get your Government Subsidised Home Care Package to avoid the nursing home:
1. How to apply for your Home Care Package
2. while waiting, do your research on which Approved Provider you would like to deliver your in home care e.g. Daughterly Care Community Services so that when your Government funded Home Care Package is allocated, you already know who you want to provide your care:
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