Transitioning to Aged Care

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Transitioning to aged care requires careful forethought and planning. In addition to finding the right aged care provider, it is important to make arrangements before the big move.

Advise people you are moving

Make a list of all the people who need to know you are moving. Your friends and family will want to stay in touch but you will also need to inform your doctor and other health professionals, and any professional home services you may employ such as a gardener.

If your move requires that you change doctors, you can ask to have your medical history sent to your new doctor.

Change of Address

It is important to update your address details to keep your affairs in order. You may need to update your details with your insurer or superannuation provider, government agencies such as Medicare and Centrelink, the Australian Electoral Commission and the Roads and Transport Authority.

The post office will need to have details of your new address and you may want to consider redirecting mail to make sure nothing has been overlooked.

Appoint a legal guardian or attorney

If you lose capacity, you want someone you can trust to be able to make decisions on your behalf. That person or people may need to access your bank to pay for aged care fees or make choices about your health care or living arrangements.

A power of attorney can be appointed to make decisions about your property and financial issues. A guardian is also able to make decisions about where you live and what services and health care you should receive.

Safeguard your belongings

Unfortunately, when you move to aged care you will need to decide what to do with the things you cannot take with you.

You may want to gift household items or investigate other options such as hiring a storage unit. Whatever you choose, it is important to clearly state what you would like done with your assets and belongings in the event of your passing by seeking professional advice about making a will.

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