What is My Aged Care?
My aged care is a government website providing the main access point to the aged care system in Australia.
My Aged Care is aimed at older people, their families and carers as well as service providers, and offers information on aged care as well as help in finding local providers such as aged care homes.
It also offers online services to help users find information about aged care service providers and assessors, plus online fee estimators to check the pricing of home care packages and residential care.
You may be referred to my aged care by a hospital or community-based health professional, such as your GP.
History
The website was launched on July 1 2013 and is made up of the My Aged Care website myagedcare.com.au and the My Aged Care contact centre (1800 200 422).
Since then, it has undergone a number of changes:
- From May 19 2014, all aged care homes have been required to begin publishing their maximum accommodation prices and information on my aged care as well as their own website and any materials they provided to potential residents and their families.
- In July 2014, the Department of Health also introduced an online Residential Care Fee Estimator and Home Care Fee Estimator to my aged care. These fee estimators allow people to work out what costs their service provider may potentially ask them to pay.
- On July 1 2015, my aged care was expanded to include a client record function that lets people share their information with their carers, assessors and service providers.
The Federal Government also launched the My Aged Care Regional Assessment Service (RAS). This carries out face-to-face assessments of people looking for entry-level support at home, which are provided under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP).
In addition, a single form for staff and assessors – called the National Screening and Assessment Form (NSAF) – was introduced to ensure the assessment process was consistent across the country.
The changes also allowed for service providers to manage their own information on the website and to list information about non-Commonwealth funded services, though these providers cannot receive referrals for service.
Contact Information
You can call my aged care on 1800 200 422 or visit the website at www.myagedcare.gov.au
The call centre is open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am-2pm Saturday. It is closed on Sundays and national public holidays.
*Call charges may apply from mobiles and payphones.
The information on my aged care can also be made available in languages other than English if you need an interpreter as well as other formats if you have a hearing or vision impairment.
