Aged Care Support
Aged Care Assessment Teams
Recent illness, disability, bereavement or simply the passing of the years may make it harder to manage at home without help.
Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) can help you decide which services you need. They can help you to get residential care or a Community Aged Care Package (CACP), refer you to community care services, or help you arrange respite care in a residential setting.
It is best to talk to your own doctor first to see if you need to be referred to an ACAT. The ACAT is usually based at a hospital or community centre and may include a doctor, nurse, social worker, physiotherapist or occupational therapist.
Once you have made an appointment, a member of your local ACAT team will visit you in your home or in hospital to make an assessment of your needs.
The ACAT will talk with you about what services you may need and what is available in your area.
They will discuss the result of their assessment with you, and arrange referrals to community care services or a place in residential care, if this is appropriate.
Your doctor or local hospital can refer you to an ACAT, or you can call the Commonwealth Carelink Centre on 1800 052 222 and ask for contact details for your local ACAT. There are also a number of other helpful information and referral lines:
- Aged and Community Care Information Line 1800 500 853
- The Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre - This service is based in Alstonville and it serves the communities from Woologoolga to the Tweed. Free call 1800 059 059
- The Home and Community Care Information Line for people from a Non English Speaking background
Free call 1800 800 340 - Seniors Information Service - 'Where real people answer the phone' 13 12 44