The new Aged Care Act puts the rights of older people first.
It aims to make sure you have the right support and information to make decisions about your life and care.
Under the new Act, there are three key changes to make it easier for you to:
- make your own choices,
- control your care,
- and get the information you need to do this.
Everyone has the right to make decisions about their life, including older people accessing aged care services.
A key change under the new Act is that you are empowered to make your own decisions, but if you want or need help making decisions, you can choose someone you trust to support you.
This person can be formally registered as your supporter in My Aged Care.
The registered supporter role promotes your right to be supported to make and communicate your own aged care decisions using the principles of supported decision-making.
It aims to help you remain in control of your life.
A registered supporter can be someone you trust, like a family member or a friend who can help you request, access and understand information and communicate your wishes.
Not every older person will want or need a registered supporter.
Having a registered supporter does not prevent you from doing something you can do yourself.
You can also keep receiving support from people in your life even if they aren't registered.
However, registering a person as your supporter lets people, like aged care providers and workers, know that you want to be supported by them.
Registering someone as a supporter does not give that person the authority to make decisions for you.
Where possible, aged care providers must continue to ask you to make your own decisions about your aged care services and needs, even when you have a registered supporter.
Your ability to make decisions and let others know what these are may change over time.
So it is important for people in the aged care system like aged care providers and workers to understand who your registered supporters are and the role they can perform.
If you're looking for an aged care home, Star Ratings can help you compare quality and safety across different homes.
Aged care homes receive an Overall Star Rating between one and five.
More stars means an aged care home is delivering higher quality care across the four key areas of measured performance:
- Residents' Experience,
- Compliance,
- Staffing and
- Quality Measures.
Star Ratings are updated regularly to help you make informed decisions about the aged care homes you might be considering.
The Residents' Experience rating is based on an aged care home's results in an annual survey that reflects the overall experience of their residents.
The Compliance rating is based on how providers are performing in relation to government regulations and standards about the safety and quality of care.
The way the Compliance rating is calculated will change to align with the new Aged Care Act, including the home's performance against the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.
The Staffing rating is based on whether the home meets or exceeds their care minutes targets.
Care minutes are the total amount of nursing and personal care time provided by a registered nurse, enrolled nurse, personal care worker or assistant in nursing.
Finally, the Quality Measures rating looks at quality of care provided across five crucial areas.
These are pressure injuries, restrictive practices, unplanned weight loss, falls and major injury and medication management.
The new Aged Care Act is helping older people to understand how providers use funding and operate.
It is about creating a sustainable sector, where aged care providers are accountable for how they manage their expenses, income and budget.
You can see how much providers are spending on care, food, staff and accommodation on the Find a Provider tool.
You can use this information to compare providers and help decide which one best suits your individual needs.
You can also prepare questions to ask providers if something isn't clear or if you would like to know more.
Making this information publicly available creates greater transparency and gives you peace of mind.
It's all designed to put you at the center of your aged care.
To find an aged care home’s Star Ratings and aged care home information, you can use the Find a Provider tool on the My Aged Care website.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission monitor and audit providers.
If they don't report their information correctly, they can face regulatory action.
For more information, visit MyAgedCare.gov.au.