Aged care services in Australia are designed to provide care for the elderly for as long as they require them. This means that when these dedicated services are no longer required, permanent residents are discharged, or if they require short-term periods of leave, they’re entitled to do so without their place at the home being given away to someone else.
Residents are typically granted temporary leave for the following reasons:
- A hospital stay
- Family matters
- The need for either transition or respite care
An aged care resident may be asked to pay a home care subsidy to the care provider while they’re on temporary leave. Here’s how to make those arrangements.
Different Categories of Short-Term Leave Arrangements
- Pre-entry leave
This type of leave is made available to someone entering into residential aged care or those moving into a new one. This occurs before you enter an aged care home or the one you are currently in can no longer provide you with the care services you need, leaving you to find and secure a spot in one that does. Pre-entry leave of a week is typically granted so you can make preparations and secure your place at the new home.
- Social leave
Aged care residents are provided with a total of 52 days for social leave every financial year. Many residents choose social leave every week to spend weekends with loved ones. Social leave is defined by an overnight stay away from the home. While the government continues to pay any applicable subsidy, the resident is still responsible for any service fees and accommodation costs present.
- Hospital leave
There is an unlimited number of days allocated to hospital leave. If a resident requires hospital leave for 30 consecutive days or more, the resident may still be responsible for daily fees and accommodation costs at the home, while the income tested fee or means-tested care fee may be decreased during this time.
- Transition care leave
This leave is made available to those residents of Government-funded residential care homes who are in transition care. After 28 consecutive days of either hospital leave or transition care, the subsidy for aged care may be reduced.
Do you have more questions about short-term leave from an aged care home? Get in touch with us today.
