Residential Care advice

Yes. We can arrange tours of our homes by appointment. Entry restrictions may apply depending on current government regulations, and current vaccination requirements are in place. Please call us on 1300 653 600 or click here to arrange a tour.

You can also take a virtual tour of our homes any time on our website, see residential locations page, tours are listed on each care home’s page.

All residents at our residential aged care homes have access to the following services and assistance:

• Staff onsite at all times to assist where needed, including in emergencies
• Assistance with daily living activities including, showering, dressing and help to move about
• Assistance with medications
• Meals and refreshments, including catering for special dietary needs
• Laundry and housekeeping services
• Building and grounds upkeep and maintenance
• Social and lifestyle activities program
• Basic furnishings including curtains, chairs, beds, bed linen, bath towels, soap and toilet paper are also included, and residents are encouraged to bring items of furniture or personal possessions with them to personalise their home.

The cost of residential aged care varies from person to person, depending on which home you are moving into, and your own personal financial situation. The Government may contribute toward your care costs, and you may be asked to contribute towards them too if you can afford it. My Aged Care provides an overview of the costs involved on their website, and we also have an overview on our website, and publish our fees for our homes on each of our residential care home pages.

If you are considering moving into a residential aged care home, you will first need an assessment with a member of an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). A member of an ACAT will talk to you about your current situation and help you work out what your options are. Once you have completed the ACAT assessment, you will receive a letter to let you know if you have been approved as eligible for Australian Government subsidised aged care services, including home care services and residential aged care accommodation. Your letter will tell you what type of services you’re eligible for and approved to receive, as well as the reasons why.

The Australian Government developed the Charter of Aged Care Rights in July 2019, which you can download here in several languages. It gives information about your rights as a user of aged care services in Australia.

If you would like more detailed information about your rights as an older person, the Legal Services Commission, in partnership with the Office for the Ageing, has developed a guide called Know Your Rights.

In-home care allows you to continue living independently at home. You can tailor the care you receive to meet your needs, and support is offered on a sliding scale from basic to high care needs.

Residential care is there for people who are no longer able to live independently at home, either due to physical frailty or the need for increased support due to conditions such as dementia. Support and care is provided 24/7, including meals, assistance with daily living activities, and lifestyle and activity programs.

Finding the right age care service is really important. We created a podcast to help people do just that by providing information and advice from people both delivering and receiving quality age care.

In this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care, we discuss the benefits of residential respite care.

With the help of Lisa Brewer, who works in Admissions and Customer Service at Helping Hand, and Kerry Carlson who is Resident Liaison Coordinator for Helping Hand in North Adelaide, we discover:

• What is residential respite and what are the benefits for carers?
• Who is eligible to use it and how best to start the process.
• Typical reasons why carers may need respite and why not to fear it, it’s a great way to try out residential care!
• That no question is a silly question. Staff are focused on putting you at ease.
• The process of settling in and choosing what activities to participate in.
• How you might even become a ‘frequent flyer’ – respite can be life changing for both carer and recipient.
• And that taking a tour first is highly recommended.

This episode explores residential respite, however we also offer community respite for eligible home care clients in their own homes. Please speak to us on 1300 653 600 if you are interested in finding out more.

If you’re looking for a volunteering opportunity with real impact, this episode of our podcast Age Old Problem: New Aged Care is for you. Helping Hand’s volunteer Kaye is living proof of the joy and purpose volunteering in aged care can bring. You may even need a tissue…

She joins Rachel Carson, Lifestyle Coordinator at our residential care home at Golden Grove, in this episode of Age Old Problems: New Aged Care to discuss the ins and outs (and countless ups) of being a volunteer with host Kate Holland.

Helping Hand is lucky to have more than 150 volunteers across our residential care homes, a large portion of which help with lifestyle activities, providing residents with social interaction, exercise, mental stimulation, and enjoyment.

Listen in and find out how you might be able to help. As Rachel points out:

• Your availability is up to you.
• And there is no typical volunteer. It is for everyone.

Kaye’s advice: “Just give it a go! You’ll find that you will absolutely love it.”