To access any Government funded aged care services within Australia, you require an assessment to determine your eligibility. Most commonly individuals are trying to access a Home Care Package, which require an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment.
There is varied dialogue about the complexity of these assessment, intent of assessors and what they actual look like in practice. As someone who has sat through many assessments and worked alongside ACAT assessors, I thought it would be helpful to dispel some myths and discuss what to expect from an ACAT assessment.
For this reason, the theme I’ve chosen for June is
All Things ACAT Assessments.
WHAT IS AN ACAT?
The Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assess older Australians to determine what aged care support they can access. The ACAT assessors are clinicians from various backgrounds e.g. nurses, social workers, physiotherapists. They will usually be assessing for a Home Care Package (HCP) and for residential respite or permanent care. Even if you’re not ready to enter permanent care, it is worth being assessed for this ahead of time, so that the approvals are there if you need them in future.
ACAT assessments occur in your home and involve a series of questions (detailed below), to give the assessor a clear understanding of your current needs.
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MYTH: ‘Home Care Packages are very hard to get!’
TRUTH: There are many steps involved in accessing a Home Care Package and many individuals can get lost along the way. However, if you have genuine health concerns that make you eligible for support, then the assessment itself should be uncomplicated.
PREPARATION FOR ASSESSMENT:
Make a list of health concerns and impacts on your daily living – assessors will want to understand tasks you’re struggling with e.g. my arthritis makes it difficult to change the bed sheets or I no longer drive so can’t get to the supermarket or I’ve had a few falls and now require grab rails for stability when showering.
Have Medicare Card and Pension Card (if applicable) on hand.
Understand that assessment is ‘deficit focused’ – assessors will want to understand what’s not working. If your health conditions are variable, explain what your worst day looks like.
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MYTH: ‘You should make sure your whole family is available to attend your assessment to advocate for your needs’
TRUTH: If you feel it would be helpful to have the support from a family or friend to help articulate your needs, then definitely invite them. Remember that the ACAT assessor is attending on their own and whilst having one support person is suitable, it can become more complicated with too many people involved.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING ASSESSMENT:
Assessors will attend for 1-2hrs, averaging 1.5hr visits - feel free to offer them a cup of tea or coffee on arrival, they’ll be there for a while.
Assessors will ask a wide variety of questions including:
How you manage your personal care
How you prepare meals
How you conduct your grocery shopping
How you manage to maintain the home
How you transport yourself to appointments, the shops or to see friends
If you have any continence issues
If you wear glasses, hearing aids or dentures
If you have many social interactions
Answer questions as truthfully as you can - you don’t need to exaggerate symptoms or lie about your conditions. For most individuals they will require help in some areas and not others. That is perfectly normal.
Refer back to your list as required - if you feel you haven’t had the opportunity to share one of your needs, ask to detail it with the assessor.
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MYTH: ‘ACAT assessors don’t want to give you a Home Care Package - you need to fight for it’
TRUTH: ACAT assessors use a comprehensive screening tool to determine your eligibility. It is important to share openly about any struggles you’re experiencing and highlight the assist you require. They ultimately want to support you to get the help you need.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ASSESSMENT:
You will receive a copy of your Comprehensive Assessment in the post or by email - this will indicate what level of HCP have been determined as eligible for.
You will then join the National Priority System (NPS) aka. ‘the queue’ and begin waiting for your package. As of 31 March 2024, you can expect to wait:
Level 1: Less than 1 month
Level 2: 3-6months
Level 3: 9-12 months
Level 4: 6-9 months
Once your HCP is assigned, you have 56 days to find a provider. You can request an extension for an additional 28 days if required.
You can search for providers in your area via ‘Find a Provider’ tool on the My Aged Care website - www.myagedcare.gov.au/find-a-provider
Once you enter an agreement with a provider they will then begin delivering services.
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MYTH: ‘Once my Home Care Package is assigned, providers will contact me to offer services’
TRUTH: Once your package is assigned, you must contact a provider within those 56 days to enter into a home care agreement. Most providers have a 1-2 week wait until they can visit to ‘sign up’ clients, so try avoid leaving it until the last minute to choose a provider.
My podcast, ‘The Truth About Ageing’ is on hiatus at present. This month marks 3 years of me producing the podcast - hooray! You can still access the full back-catalogue of episodes through your favourite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify) or at www.navigateagedcare.com.au/podcast
I’ll also be posting regular updates on socials, which you can find at:
Facebook - @navigateagedcareau
Instagram - @thetruthaboutageing
Thank you again for being part of the Navigate gang. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to a friend of family member - the more the merrier!
Big love,
Kate.
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