| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| access approval | Approval for an older person to access aged care services. |
| accommodation agreement | Outlines details of an aged care resident’s room, costs and other accommodation conditions. It is in addition to the resident agreement but can be part of the same document. |
| accommodation contribution | If an aged care resident qualifies for low means status and is eligible for government support with their accommodation costs, they pay an accommodation contribution. |
| aged care advocate | An independent person who provides free, independent and confidential support, information and advocacy, which can include education about the rights of older people under the Statement of Rights. |
| aged care assessor | An appropriately trained person to conduct needs assessments for government-funded aged care services. |
| Aged Care Code of Conduct | Describes how registered providers, their responsible persons (such as board members and executive staff), and aged care workers (including volunteers) must behave and treat older people accessing aged care services. |
| Aged Care Complaints Commissioner | The person responsible for handling complaints or other feedback related to a registered provider, responsible person, or aged care worker of a registered provider and is assisted by the staff of the Commission. The Complaints Commissioner is a separate statutory appointment sitting within the Commission. |
| Aged Care Financial Report (ACFR) | An annual financial report all registered providers must submit, includes data such as income and expenses, salaries, balance sheet and cash flow. |
| aged care needs assessment | An assessment undertaken to works out an older person’s care needs and the types of care and services a person may be eligible for. |
| Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission | The national rights-based regulator of Australian Government-funded aged care services. |
| Aged Care Quality Standards | The standard for safety and quality of aged care in Australia, sets clear expectations for providers and workers in delivering services. |
| Aged Care Rules | Provides detail and instructions on how the Aged Care Act 2024 works. |
| Aged Care Volunteer Visitor | A volunteer who connects with older people accessing government-funded aged care services through the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme. |
| aged care worker | Workers who deliver aged care, including those in direct care roles such as nurses, personal care workers and allied health practitioners, and non-direct care roles such as gardeners, cleaners and transport drivers. |
| Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme | Includes items, equipment or products that help older people do things more easily or complete activities that can no longer be done independently. |
| associated provider | Works for a registered provider such as a third-party provider or subcontractor. |
| Australian Commission on Safety and Quality Health Care | Leads and coordinates key improvements in safety and quality in health care across Australia. |
| Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) | Funding model provides equitable funding to residential aged care providers. |
| banning order | Prohibits or restricts current and former registered providers, aged care workers and responsible persons from delivering (or being involved in delivering) funded aged care services. |
| basic daily fee | Fee for day-to-day services at an aged care home. |
| care finders | A free service to support vulnerable older people who need intensive support to access aged care and other local services. |
| care management | A service to support participants to access and understand their care. Activities include planning, monitoring, reviewing, evaluating, support and education. |
| care minute | A minute is a care minute if it is spent delivering direct care, rather than activities such as care planning or providing equipment. |
| care partner | An appropriately trained person, employed by an aged care provider. Their role is to help the older person to decide what services they want and how the services will be delivered. |
| Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) | Entry-level in-home aged care support that helps older people to live independently in their homes and communities. |
| contribution | Older people accessing aged care services will make a contribution towards the cost of their care based on their individual circumstances. |
| daily accommodation contribution (DAC) | For people eligible for assistance (low means), the government will pay some or all of their accommodation costs to the provider. The amount contributed is worked out by Services Australia based on income and assets. |
| daily accommodation payment (DAP) | If a person is not eligible for government assistance with accommodation costs (not low means), the agreed room price is paid as an accommodation payment. |
| End-of-Life Pathway | Supports older people who have 3 months or less to live and want to remain at home. |
| Financial and Prudential Standards | Minimum requirements for good financial and prudential management of registered providers. |
| flexible aged care | Programs such as Multi-Purpose Services Program, Transition Care Program and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program, these provide alternative services to more traditional community and residential aged care. |
| Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority | Provides advice to government on funding for public hospitals and residential aged care services. |
| Inspector-General of Aged Care | An independent statutory role to monitor the aged care system, including administration, regulations and funding. |
| Modified Monash Model | Defines whether a location is metropolitan, rural, remote or very remote. The model measures remoteness and population size on a scale of Modified Monash (MM) categories MM 1 to MM 7. MM 1 is a major city and MM 7 is very remote. |
| Multi-Purpose Service Program (MPSP) | Integrated health and aged care in rural and remote Australia, helping older people stay close to family and friends through flexible, community-based services tailored to local needs. |
| My Aged Care | My Aged Care is a website (myagedcare.gov.au), phone line (1800 200 422) and Aged Care Specialist Officers (ACSOs) located in the Services Australia offices. |
| My Aged Care organisational agent | An organisation agent relationship is created by the My Aged Care Contact Centre, an Aged Care Specialist Officer at Services Australia or an aged care assessor. The organisation agent can help older people apply for an assessment online. |
| National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program (NATSIFACP) | Providers funded to deliver culturally safe care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in an aged care home or in-home care, depending on the needs of the older person and the needs of the community. |
| quarterly budget | A Support at Home participant’s annual classification funding amount is divided in quarters, with added supplements (inclusive of care management, for ongoing classifications and the End-of-Life Pathway). |
| Quarterly Financial Report (QFR) | A financial report all registered providers must submit every quarter, includes data such as compliance, financial statements and labour costs. |
| refundable accommodation contribution (RAC) | Government support for an older person's the daily accommodation contribution (DAC) determined by Services Australia. |
| refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) | Paid by the resident, accommodation price is agreed with the provider. |
| registered provider | A person or organisation registered to deliver government-funded aged care services. |
| registered supporter | A person chosen by an older person to provide support to make decisions, communicate preferences, or to make requests and access and receive aged care information. Registered supporters must be registered on My Aged Care. |
| registration category | A registered provider is allocated a registration category based on types of services the provider delivers. |
| resident agreement | A legal agreement between an aged care resident and their provider. It sets out the care and services to be provided, and the cost to the resident. It is in addition to the accommodation agreement but can be part of the same document. |
| responsible person | A person or persons with responsibility for the provider organisation, such as a board member or executive staff member. |
| Restorative Care Pathway | A short-term pathway in the Support at Home program of intensive allied health and/or nursing services, aimed at maintaining or regaining function and reduce or prevent further decline. |
| restrictive practices substitute decision-maker (restrictive practices nominee) | A person who provides informed consent for the use of restrictive practices on behalf of an older person who lacks the capacity to consent themselves. |
| service agreement | A legal agreement between a provider and an aged care participant that clearly sets out the case and services to be delivered, in addition to costs and conditions. |
| Specialist Aged Care Program | Government-funded aged care programs designed to provide flexible and tailored services for people whose needs cannot be met by mainstream residential or in-home care services. |
| Statement of Principles | Guides how the aged care system should work. It guides decision-makers and people administering and regulating the Act to put the safety, health, wellbeing and quality of life of older people first. |
| Statement of Rights | The rights an older person is entitled to have upheld when accessing or seeking to access funded aged care services. |
| Support at Home classification | The classification levels include:
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| Support at Home program | In-home aged care that supports older people to stay independent for as long as possible. It can help with things like:
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| supported decision-making | Processes and approaches that enable older people to exercise their legal capacity, including making or communicating their decisions, will, and preferences, with the support they may want or need. |
| System Governor | Secretary, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. |
| Transition Care Program (TCP) | All or part of an older person's care is transferred between locations, organisations, providers or levels of care within the same location, or as the older person's condition and care needs change. |
| Veterans' Home Care | Department of Veterans' Affairs program that provides services including domestic assistance, personal care as well as gardening and home maintenance. |
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