Forms, guides and answers

Visiting is flexible and we do our best to fit around what residents and families need. Visiting starts at 8am and runs through until 8pm, and we are happy to extend that when it helps a resident, because your family becomes part of ours.

Yes. Each resident is entitled to 52 nights of leave across the calendar year, so trips home and time with family are always welcome.

Yes. You are welcome to ask your current doctor to keep caring for you once you have moved in. If they are not able to, we have doctors available who can take over your care, so a familiar face stays close.

Our Recreational Officer plans both individual and group activities for everyone. Favourites that come around regularly include bingo, music, high tea and church services.

Yes. We arrange outings to a variety of places through the year, so there is always something to look forward to.

Every meal is cooked fresh here at The Willows. Our seasonal menu is developed with a dietitian so the nutrition and the taste are both looked after, and our kitchen team has trained through the Maggie Beer Foundation.

This is guided by your assessed needs. Wherever a resident needs a hand, our staff are there to support them.

No, The Willows does the laundry for all residents. If you would prefer your laundry kept separate, we can arrange for it to be sent to a third party.

Yes. When you move in, a qualified physiotherapist assesses you and an individual care plan is put together around your needs, then carried out by our care staff.

Yes, a telephone can be arranged. Residents are billed directly by the phone provider and look after that account themselves.

Please have a chat with senior management before bringing any furniture in. Personal touches such as photo frames, favourite ornaments and paintings are very much encouraged, so your room feels like your own.

When a resident becomes unwell we contact the general practitioner first. If the doctor is not available, then depending on how serious things are, the resident may be transferred to hospital once the person responsible has been notified.

Fees are usually made up of a basic daily fee, set by the Australian Government for everyone in residential care; a means-tested fee, where a resident is assessed as being above the threshold; and a Refundable Accommodation Deposit or Daily Accommodation Payment, depending on the room. It helps to send your Assets Declaration Statement to Centrelink or DVA as soon as you have been assessed for a placement. Our fees and funding page sets it all out, and we will confirm your costs with you in person.

You can pay by Direct Debit, where the amount on your statement is withdrawn automatically from your bank account on the second Tuesday of the month, or by Direct Deposit, where you transfer the amount to our account. For a deposit we will give you our BSB, account number and account name, and it helps to put the resident’s name in the reference so we can match the payment to the right account.

For an internet payment you use the same details as a Direct Deposit. We will supply our BSB, account number, account name and a Direct Deposit Identification Number (DDIN). Please include the DDIN in the reference so we can see the payment relates to your account.

Yes. Fees are paid a month in advance. When you move in, you pay the equivalent of one month of the basic daily fee, at the rate current when the place is offered, to accept the offer of placement.

Invoices go out at the end of each month and cover the fees and charges for the month ahead, set by the Australian Government and Centrelink according to your circumstances. Other items such as pharmacy may also appear on the account alongside the daily care fee, accommodation payment and any means-tested fee.

An ACAT 3020 form is required to enter residential aged care, and for other government-funded services such as home care packages. It sets out a person’s needs and confirms the level of care they are eligible for. You can arrange one by contacting your local ACAT team for an appointment at home, or a social worker or doctor can organise it if you are in hospital. The approval needs to be in place before entering care and is current for 12 months.

The assets test is a form that helps work out your fee structure. It asks about all of your assets and, once complete, goes to Centrelink at the address on the back of the form. They write back within about three weeks to say whether you are assisted or non-assisted, and a copy of that letter comes to us. If it is done before entering care it is current for 12 months, and a printable version can be downloaded if you do not already have one.

Centrelink runs the income test to decide whether an income-tested fee applies. It can apply to pensioners and non-pensioners and looks at income outside the pension, such as rental properties or shares. There are no forms for you to fill in. Centrelink carry out the test and notify the department, which lets us know the fees that apply. For more, you can call Centrelink on 13 23 00 or visit servicesaustralia.gov.au, and you can ask to speak with a financial information officer.

In NSW it is a legal document that appoints one person, the attorney, to act for another, the principal, in their property and financial affairs. The attorney can do things like operate bank accounts or buy and sell property. It does not let anyone make medical or lifestyle decisions on your behalf. The attorney is someone you trust, usually a family member or close friend. You can make either an ordinary Power of Attorney, which stops if you lose the capacity to make financial decisions, or an enduring Power of Attorney, which continues after that point.

Anyone over 18 who wishes to and is capable of understanding the nature and effect of the document. Some adults living with a disability may be able to do this too. Where capacity is in doubt, an appropriate professional should assess the person’s understanding.

An ordinary Power of Attorney can be useful for a set time, for example if you are going overseas or interstate, are going into hospital, are physically unable to manage your affairs, or want something handled in another part of the country. Remember that it has no effect once you lose the capacity to manage your own affairs.

Because it keeps working even if you lose capacity, for example after a stroke or a serious injury. It lets you choose who looks after your financial affairs if you can no longer do so yourself, and it is a simpler and cheaper option than other forms of financial management.

Choose someone trustworthy and responsible enough to manage your finances, as your attorney generally has power to deal with your assets. Make sure they will do what you want, since they are legally bound to follow your written instructions and any other instructions you give while of sound mind. The courts can step in if an attorney acts dishonestly, but that can be costly and hard to prove, so choose carefully. You can appoint the Public Trustee or a trustee company, though charges apply, and you can appoint more than one attorney. A solicitor or chamber magistrate can help you decide whether they should act jointly or separately.

You are giving someone else the right to make financial decisions for you, and it takes effect as soon as it is signed and certified. You can tell your attorney not to use the power until you say so, or until you become unable to manage things yourself. If you keep the document in your possession it cannot be used against your wishes, and you can limit the power in any way you like, such as paying only certain bills or for a set time. See a solicitor if you want to put limits or conditions in place.