Earlier than most families do. The right time is before you need an assessment, not when a hospital is asking where Mum's going next week. Even a single planning conversation in your 70s, while everyone is healthy and decisions aren't urgent, makes the eventual choices materially easier.

ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team) is the gateway to government-subsidised aged care. A nurse or social worker assesses your loved one's needs and approves them for Home Care, Residential Care, or both. The assessment is free. You can request one through your GP or by phoning My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. Plan for it to take 4 to 12 weeks.

Most residents pay a Daily Care Fee (around $63/day, set as 85% of the single Age Pension), a Means-Tested Care Fee (depends on income and assets, capped annually), and a room cost (RAD, DAP, or combination). Total typically ranges from $30,000 to $150,000 per year. We work out the realistic number for your family.

RAD (Refundable Accommodation Deposit) is a lump sum paid to the facility, fully refundable when the resident leaves or passes (the facility holds it interest-free). DAP (Daily Accommodation Payment) is a daily fee paid from cash flow instead. You can do all RAD, all DAP, or a mix. The right choice depends on cash flow, the family-home decision, and the means test.

Maybe. The family home isn't counted under the Centrelink assets test while a "protected person" lives there, and there's a two-year exemption when the resident moves to aged care. Selling frees up cash but triggers means-test consequences and removes the exemption. Renting can preserve the home and produce income but the rent is counted. We model all three scenarios for your family before recommending.

Often yes, especially in the early stages. Home Care Packages range from Level 1 (basic support, around 2 hours/week) to Level 4 (high-care, around 4 hours/day). Most families start with Home Care and transition to Residential only when care needs exceed what Home Care can provide safely. The choice isn't either/or, it's a sequence.

Centrelink combines your loved one's income (pension, super pension, deemed earnings) and assets (excluding the home if a protected person lives there) into a single means-tested amount. That sets the Means-Tested Care Fee, which can range from $0/day to about $400/day depending on the position. Annual caps apply. We map the full position before any decisions.

If you keep the home and rent it out, the rent counts as income for the pension test, and the home is counted as an asset after the two-year exemption ends. If a protected person (eligible spouse, dependent child, or close relative) keeps living there, the home stays exempt indefinitely. We work out which path gives the family the best long-term outcome.

When a person moves to aged care, their former home is exempt from Centrelink's assets test for two years from the move-out date. This buys time to make a considered decision about whether to sell. After the two years, the home counts as an asset (unless a protected person lives there). Most families don't realise this exemption exists, and rush a sale earlier than they need to.

Critical, and best done before they're needed. Enduring Power of Attorney (financial), Enduring Guardianship (medical and lifestyle), and an updated Will should all be in place before any cognitive decline starts to become a question. We coordinate with your family solicitor on the timing so everything's ready when needed, not negotiated under pressure.