Residential Care
 This section connects you to important information, advice and supports for when you are considering residential aged care.
Introduction
Over time Parkinson’s can make it difficult to manage at home, even
if you have help. If this is the case, you may be eligible for residential
aged care. Depending on your needs, you can move into residential
care for a respite placement
or permanently, with the options of low
or high level care  .
Most people move into residential care in later life, though some
younger people do so because of illness/disability.
Choosing a residential aged care facility is a complex decision that involves legal and financial issues as well as important aspects of your care, lifestyle and wellbeing. In order to make the best decision, you should:
- Find out how these factors will affect you
- Compare different facilities carefully
- Seek advice and support from aged care advisory services
- Discuss your feelings and concerns with supportive family and friends
Fortunately, there is a lot of information available to help you make this important decision. Most of what you need to know should be accessible through the links below.
Residential aged care
Aged care homes are subsidised by the Australian Government to make them more affordable. Be aware that costs vary between facilities, so do your research carefully or hire a placement service to help you.
The links below provide central information on aged care:
Important
issues for people with Parkinson’s
Download a checklist
of important issues for people with Parkinson’s to consider when
entering aged care 
(PDF file 182KB).
Private aged care
If you are not eligible for a subsidised place in an aged care home, there are a range of private options. You can move into a Supported Residential Service (SRS) or consider retirement living such as independent living units and serviced apartments.
Carers and family
If you are considering residential care for someone else, you can find support, advice and information from these links and resources:
You can also find general information on help for carers in our family & carers section.
Help finding an aged care placement
Aged care placement services have knowledge about the aged care
industry. Their professional consultants can help you find the aged
care facility that best matches your needs. Some placement services
are listed in the Aged
Care Guide,
but you can find a more complete list by Google searching ‘Aged
Care Placement’ .
Aged Care help and advocacy services
Find out where you can go for information, support, help and advocacy here.
What are the costs of residential care?
How
can I maintain my wellbeing?
You may find useful information about maintaining your wellbeing
in the following links:
What is available for younger people in aged care?
Younger people with disabilities or illnesses like Parkinson’s may move into residential care as their support needs increase. However, younger people are often a minority with different needs and preferences. Support, information and advocacy can be important to help promote the needs and wellbeing of younger people.
You can find this type of help under advocacy and in the links below:
What
about my rights in Aged Care?
Elder Rights Advocacy provide a booklet: ITS YOUR RIGHT – LIVING IN AN AGED CARE FACILITY
Find out more about your rights. |
