Almost nobody moves into aged care by decision
They move after a fall with a fracture, after a night that ended in emergency, after the carer collapsed. It is nearly always an event, not a considered choice.
That changes how to think about it: if you want your mum to stay home longer, the job is not to "hold on," it is to prevent the event. And the event, in the great majority of cases, is a fall at night on the way to the toilet.
The changes, in order of effect
- Light on the route from bed to bathroom. Two or three motion-sensor night lights: the best value change there is.
- Remove the rugs and the cords. All of them, not "the dangerous ones."
- Grab rails screwed into the wall by the toilet and in the shower. *Not* suction-cup rails — they let go the moment weight goes on them.
- Bathroom: raised toilet seat, shower stool, non-slip mat, handheld shower rose. A low toilet is one of the commonest reasons someone can no longer get up unaided.
- Closed-back, non-slip shoes indoors too. Backless slippers cause falls; socks on tiles do as well.
- Bed height and a chair with armrests instead of a low, soft lounge.
- Steps and stairs: a handrail on *both* sides, contrast tape on the top and bottom steps — and check the back step to the garden, which is where it usually happens.
- Kitchen: everyday items at waist height, no step stool, electric kettle instead of the cooktop — and consider an automatic stove isolation device.
- Medications: a Webster pack from the pharmacy plus a phone alarm. Ask the GP about a Home Medicines Review — it is funded and rarely requested.
- Personal alarm: a pendant only works if she wears it. If she will not, automatic fall-detection devices call for help on their own.
What does not help
Buying equipment before an assessment. Assessment first: an occupational therapist says what helps *in her house*, not in a catalogue.
What is actually funded
- An aged care assessment through My Aged Care is the gateway to everything. Start with the Commonwealth Home Support Programme for basic help — cleaning, transport, minor home modifications, personal alarms — and a home care package for ongoing support at a higher level. Get assessed while things are still manageable: approval does not oblige you to use it, and the wait for a package at the approved level is often months.
- Home modifications and assistive technology are fundable through home support and packages — grab rails, ramps, shower modifications, and equipment.
- Carer Payment and Carer Allowance through Services Australia for the person doing the caring, and respite through My Aged Care before exhaustion, not after.
- Free support for dementia behaviours through Dementia Support Australia and the National Dementia Helpline.
The four signs home is no longer enough
- she goes outside at night or gets lost on familiar routes;
- night-time incontinence that nobody manages until morning;
- she does not eat unless someone is there to help her;
- the carer has not slept in weeks and has stopped their own appointments.
At that point continuing is not courage: it is postponing the event that will decide instead of you. Keep the residential assessment current in the meantime — being approved is not a commitment to move.
Curalune Care Help (A$109) puts together, usually within 24 business hours, a shortlist of 3 to 5 homes that fit — useful even just to know the options in advance.
*General information, not medical advice. Program names and funding change — confirm current details with My Aged Care and Services Australia.*