Did you know that the Australian Government funds short term care to help seniors recover after a hospital stay?
Here’s everything you need to know about the Transition Care Programme:
The Transition Care Programme
The Transition Care Programme helps older people recover after being in hospital by providing short-term care for up to 12 weeks.
Care can be delivered in a person’s home, in a residential aged care facility (or a combination of both) and can include:
- Nursing care
- Personal care
- Allied health care services
- Assistance from social workers
Why would someone need transition care?
If you have been in hospital and wish to return home rather than enter permanent residential aged care, receiving up to 12 weeks of transition care can help you recover and rehabilitate with a view to living independently in your home again.
Transition care helps seniors:
- Recover physically, and mentally, after a hospital stay
- Maintain health and wellbeing during recovery
- Regain mobility and functionality
- Avoid or delay moving into residential aged care
It can also be used as “breathing space” while exploring and finalising ongoing care arrangements.
Who is eligible for transition care?
To receive care as part of the Transition Care Programme, an older person must be:
- Aged 65 years or older (50+ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)
- Be a patient in a public or private hospital (including Hospital in the Home programs)
- Be ready to be discharged from hospital
- Be assessed as likely to benefit from short term restorative care
How to apply for transition care
You can be assessed for transition care while you are in hospital. Hospital staff can arrange for an assessor to visit you, or you can organise your own assessment by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
If you are eligible, you can then connect with a transition care provider to organise the care you’ll need during recovery.
How soon can transition care start after a hospital stay?
Under the Transition Care Program, a patient must enter transitional care within:
- 24 hours if receiving care in a residential aged care facility
- 48 hours if receiving care at home
What if someone needs more than 12 weeks transitional care?
Recipients can request a one-time extension of up to 42 days (6 weeks) via the My Aged Care service and support portal. This must be requested during the first 12 weeks of transition care and requires another assessment.
If you go into hospital again – and need transition care again – you can apply again, even during the same year. If you are assessed as eligible there is no limit on the number of times you can receive transition care.
What does transitional care cost?
The government sets the maximum amount that you can be asked to pay your provider.
The maximum daily fees for the Transition Care Program are:
$61.96 per day for care received in a residential aged care facility
$12.75 per day for care received in your home.
What kind of care can I receive as part of the Transition Care Programme?
While the exact services you receive will depend on your unique needs, the program can deliver:
Therapy services, including:
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Podiatry
- Dietetics
- Speech Pathology
- Counselling services
- Social work, and lifestyle, cognitive, and physical exercise programs.
Nursing support from a Registered Nurse, including:
- Pain management
- Wound care
- Oxygen therapy
- Medication assistance
- Dementia support
- Catheter care
Personal care assistance including:
- Showering, personal hygiene and grooming
- Managing incontinence
- Help with eating and nutritional care
- Getting dressed and undressed
- Mobility assistance, using a wheelchair, and using mobility aids
For more information about the Transition Care Programme, visit: Transition care | My Aged Care
