Dementia and cognition supplement for home care
This supplement helps home care providers with the cost of caring for people who have moderate to severe cognitive impairment. Find out about eligibility, using cognitive assessment tools to assess care recipients, how to apply, and what to do if circumstances change.
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Applies to
This supplement is for approved providers of Home Care Packages.
It automatically applies to the following types of flexible care:
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Multi-Purpose Services
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National Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Programme
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Transition Care Program
What is the supplement?
This supplement helps with the cost of caring for people with moderate to severe cognitive impairment from dementia or other conditions.
Supplement rate
View the current supplement rate in the Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements.
Eligibility
If your care recipient is:
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from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background, they must score 22 or lower using the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) to be eligible
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an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person living in a rural or remote area, they must score 33 or lower using the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA-Cog) to be eligible
All other care recipients must score 10 or higher on the Psychogeriatric Assessment Scales (PAS) to be eligible. You can use one of the following scales, depending on which is suitable for the care recipient:
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Cognitive Decline Scale — suitable if the care recipient is non-verbal, has reduced fine motor skills or is visually impaired
For how to do a PAS assessment using these scales, read the PAS User Guide.
Veterans
If your care recipient is eligible for both the veterans’ supplement and the dementia and cognition supplement, you will only receive the veterans’ supplement.
Who can do the assessments?
The PAS and RUDAS assessments can be done by:
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a registered nurse
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a clinical nurse consultant
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a nurse practitioner
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a clinical psychologist
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a medical practitioner
The KICA-Cog assessment can be done by:
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a registered nurse
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a clinical nurse consultant
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a nurse practitioner
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a medical practitioner
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another health practitioner trained in its use — to find one, contact the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency
How to apply
If you’re a home care provider:
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assess your care recipient
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record the results
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keep proof of eligibility with the care recipient’s records
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complete and submit the Application Form (AC014) to Services Australia by email or post (details are in the form)
If circumstances change
If a care recipient has been assessed as eligible for this supplement and their package level or provider changes, they do not need to be reassessed.
If your care recipient stops their services with you, you can still submit an application. Make sure:
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they were eligible up to the date they stopped
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you enter the end date on your form to avoid overpayment
Contact
Aged care subsidies and supplements contact
Email us if you have questions about aged care subsidies or supplements for approved providers.