Aged Care, Home Care and Retirement Living

Depending on your location, trying to find a vacancy in a residential aged care home for yourself or someone you love can be a longer process than expected.

At Aged Care Online, we often have calls from people who have family members who have reached a stage where aged care is needed, but what they often don’t realise is that being assessed for residential aged care and then finding a suitable home could take at least 2-3 months.

Once the elderly person has been through the proper aged care assessments, researched the fees and talked with My Aged Care, there are often waiting lists for most high and low level care facilities. For more detail on the process of finding a residential aged care facility, read Your Guide to Residential Aged Care.

When will a vacancy occur?

It is impossible to know for certain when a vacancy will occur, however if you place the elderly person on a waiting list than you should be rung directly when a vacancy becomes available. However it is advisable to periodically call the home to let them know you are still interested in admission into the home as soon as possible.

How do I find a vacancy?

The best way to find out if there are any vacancies in your area is to use our online aged care directory, where you can search by state and region. There are listings for residential aged care in every region and some listings will indicate whether there are current vacancies.

Search for facilities with current vacancies in:

Residential Aged Care Victoria

Residential Aged Care New South Wales

Residential Aged Care South Australia

Residential Aged Care Queensland

Residential Aged Care Western Australia

Residential Aged Care Tasmania

Residential Aged Care Australian Capital Territory

Residential Aged Care Northern Territory

What if finding a vacancy is urgent?

In that case then it is important to inform the aged care staff of the situation and see what can be done.

What happens when a vacancy occurs?

Once a vacancy occurs, you may be given a few hours to decide whether you will accept the vacancy or not. That’s why it important to research all of the costs, facilities and culture of the home before making a decision or being put on a waiting list.

Once you have accepted the vacancy, transfer to the home will be arranged as soon as possible.

If you are unable to move in straight away, then you are given seven days after you have accepted the vacancy to move in. This is known as ‘pre-entry leave.’

Please note that in some cases you may be charged fees from the residential home from the date you accept a place.

Accepting a place

Once a place is accepted, this may affect your place on waiting lists for other residential aged care homes. If you accept a home that is not your first preference, then your place on the waiting list for your first preference may be affected.

You should not be asked to make a donation or pay a fee before accepting a place.

Need help finding aged care?

Our free aged care concierge and comparison service will help you find the best options tailored to your needs. Get a personalised shortlist, completely free, and make informed decisions with confidence.

Call 1300 197 230

Article posted:Jun 16, 2019
Category: Residential Aged Care