Ultimately, the decision is yours whether you go into an aged care home or not. If you are unable to manage by yourself at home or if you are particularly dependent on your family, there are a number of options in order get help – whether at home or in a nursing home or retirement home.

The first step is to get an assessment conducted by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). This is a completely free service, provided by the government, involving a doctor, nurse, social worker or other health care professional. They will visit you and simply talk to you about your day-to-day life and about your general health and needs. They will not force you do anything – they will only assess your eligibility for the different aged care services that are available to you.

Once you have been assessed by an ACAT, you can then determine what your options are in terms of receiving care. The government does recognise that most older Australians prefer to stay in their own homes. The Home and Community Care services may be able to assist you with this, if you do not need very complex care. If you do need more of a range of services or nursing care at home, there are Community Aged Care Packages (CACP) and the Extended Aged Care in the Home (EACH) which you may be eligible for.

Your ACAT assessment will help you determine what you have access to, but from there, the decision to receive care at home or to go to an aged care home is yours to make.