What is long-term care?
People join us on a long-term basis when they can no longer live safely or independently at home and need ongoing nursing, personal care and support. Many people make this transition after a short-term respite care stay, where they experience the benefits of living in an aged care home, including nutritious meals, 24/7 care and opportunities to stay socially connected.
At Estia Health, our purpose is to enrich and celebrate life together. We feel privileged to support older Australians and their families during what is often a significant and emotional life transition. Deciding that you or a loved one needs care around the clock can be overwhelming, and we understand the emotions that can come with that decision.
Our experienced and compassionate teams are committed to helping every resident feel welcomed, safe and comfortable from the moment they arrive. Through personalised care, meaningful connections and a supportive environment, we aim to make each of our homes a place where residents can feel settled, valued and truly at home.
What care and services can I expect?
We embrace diversity and our team take great pride in getting to know every individual, looking at opportunities to understand your needs and preferences to make every moment special, whether it’s a special celebratory milestone, daily lifestyle activities or a small moment shared together.
Good food also plays an important role in daily life. Our nutritious food, freshly prepared and based on resident preferences, provides nutrition, comfort and the chance to socialise over a meal.
Continued safety and protection for everyone
Our strong governance frameworks include committees comprising senior clinicians and industry experts who oversee the quality, safety and effectiveness of care across our homes. Through robust clinical governance, quality monitoring and continuous improvement processes, we work to meet high standards of care while identifying, managing and reducing potential risks.
Maintaining a safe environment for residents, employees and visitors remains a key priority. We have comprehensive infection prevention and control measures in place across our homes, supported by dedicated Infection Prevention and Control Leads, specialist expertise, regular auditing and ongoing employee education and training. Our approach focuses on reducing the risk of infectious illnesses, including COVID-19, influenza, RSV and gastroenteritis, while ensuring we are well prepared to respond to emerging health risks and outbreaks when required.
We continue to follow relevant government guidance and public health advice to help protect our home communities and support the wellbeing, safety and quality of life of those in our care.
How to access long-term residential aged care?
The first step is to complete an assessment to access long term residential aged care services. To qualify for an assessment for eligibility, there are some needs-based and age requirements, including how much assistance is needed with everyday tasks and being 65 years or older (50 years or older for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people). There may be some cases outside of these requirements which means you or your family member still qualify for residential aged care services.
Either speak to your GP about accessing long-term residential aged care or visit My Aged Care a portal established by the Australian Government to help people find and access the right level of government-funded aged care services.
If you’re not eligible, or waiting for funded services to become available, you can access privately funded services at any time and pay the full costs yourself. Visit our getting started page for more information or call a member of our customer team today on 1300 682 833 and they can guide you through the process.
Hear from our residents and families about their experience of moving into long term care
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Both my parents have lived at Estia Health Epping for more than three and a half years. It has been their home. Not only their physical care but also all the other aspects of care that make life worth living were attended to with genuine respect and devotion. As a family we are more than happy to recommend Estia Health Epping.
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Since arriving at Estia Health I have been made very comfortable and I'm happy that I am here. The food is exceptionally good and the variety offered is excellent. The monthly meetings are really good as we have the opportunity to either request something we would like on the menu or maybe a game to be played in the afternoon.
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- Resident -
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It is so comforting to our family to see that this wonderful place is where mum needs to be right now. Our family is so grateful to the excellent team at Estia Health Kadina.
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- Family member -
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We absolutely love this place! Our room is really nice and the employees are all amazing. This is our home now and we are really happy here.
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- Resident couple
Frequently asked questions
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Do I have to move in on a long-term basis?
A number of our residents begin by staying with us for a short-term respite stay before making the decision to move in for long-term care. If you’re accessed as being eligible for respite care, you can access up to 63 days of subsidised care in a financial year. This includes both planned and emergency residential respite care.
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What paperwork needs to be completed?
Our customer relations team will be able to support you with all relevant paperwork, from guiding you through required government paperwork to our own moving in paperwork, including:
• Eligibility for long term care: this includes an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment to identify eligibility to access residential aged care and the means assessment to confirm if you’re eligible to have any of your care subsidised.• Preparing to move in: a resident agreement is a legal agreement between each resident and Estia Health which sets out the care and services we’ll provide and the costs as well as completing paperwork on payment details and transferring any medical notes.
• Moving in: includes completing our own paperwork, all focused on getting to know a resident and family, with a meeting with the clinical care team, chef and lifestyle teams.
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What can I expect when moving in?
Our team will work closely with you, your family and those important to you to make the move into our homes as smooth as possible, understanding that it can be a very unsettling and worrying time. In the first week, we will arrange a meeting with the clinical care team to discuss your unique care plan that details medication, pain management programs, other allied health care services such as physiotherapy, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry and dental and dietary requirements and broader background, all relevant to delivering care. Often when people come to live in our homes, they will have a number of different conditions, diseases or illnesses (called co-morbidities) which means we will be gathering your medical history.
The chef will then discuss these dietary requirements, ask about your background and any specific preferences you have to adapt any meals. A member of the lifestyle team will then chat to you to get a real understanding of your cultural background, hobbies and talk to you about activities you’d like to do while living in the home. This is an important step in the team getting to know a resident and their family, with open conversations, understanding expectations and wishes. As time goes on and a resident’s condition progresses, ongoing meetings will ensure any care plans are evaluated and adapted to work towards our purpose of enriching and celebrating our resident’s lives. -
Can my doctor visit me in my new home or do I need to change doctors?
Yes, we welcome each resident’s personal healthcare professionals to continue to provide care to their patient. However, we can also introduce residents to our visiting healthcare team, including doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dentists.
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Can I bring my pet?
Pets are welcome to visit, although we ask families to check with the home team in advance to ensure there are no current restriction or impacts around infection prevention.
Unfortunately, in most cases our homes can’t accept pets as residents to the home, but please speak to a member of the team if you’re struggling to find a home for your pet to see if they can support you.
A number of our homes do have their own pets as well as regular furry visitors who are always looking to give cuddles and comfort. -
What are the visiting hours?
Our homes don’t have visiting hours, we encourage family and friends to visit as much as they like. We also encourage you to continue to enjoy the activities you have in the past, including celebrating special birthdays and anniversaries and we even support you to pursue new activities and interests. A number of our homes has special rooms that can be booked for events and our teams would love to help you organise any upcoming events.
We welcome your families, friends and those who are important to you to share a meal at the home, just let the team know so the chef can include you in meal preparation and there may be a small cost included.
We also encourage you to go on outings, with a number of our homes close to local shopping centres and local attractions. Some homes also have cafes, which in itself can be a good option for a change of scene. If you’re planning a trip, we would advise you talk to the home’s care team to see if there’s any impacts on your care, medications and health.
There may be instances where our homes have restricted access to visitors due to the health-related risk of communicable diseases. We will follow the Department of Health and government direction and inform you of any visiting restrictions.
Let us help you with the next steps
What will it cost?
When moving into an aged care home the amount you pay will depend on the home and room you choose, your own circumstances and means to pay for the available care and services. Your accommodation and care costs may be partly or fully covered by the government, which will be determined by a means assessment.
Will it suit my needs?
We have 90+ homes in NSW, QLD, SA and VIC and all offer care for those requiring a short-term or longer stay, as well as helping people requiring urgent care. Our experienced and compassionate teams care for people with a range of complex conditions, including people living with dementia, as well as those requiring palliative and end-of-life-care
What are the next steps?
Moving home is a big decision, especially when it comes to aged care. Let us guide you through the process step-by-step with the right information at the right time. We will support you from your initial enquiry, answering your questions on the types of care we offer, the costs involved through to when you're ready to move into your new home.
