Aged Care Glossary - Terms and abbreviations

The following terms and abbreviations are commonly used when arranging an aged care placement.

ACAS - Aged Care Assessment Services: ACAS are an integral part of the aged care system. They provide assessment, information, advice and assistance to older people who are becoming, or have become, frail and wish to remain at home or who are thinking about moving into an aged aged care facility. Younger people with a disability are also eligible for assessment services in some circumstances. ACAS are a linkage point for all aged, health, community and residential services within their ACAS catchment area.

ACAT - Aged Care Assessment Team: Aged Care Assessment Teams are usually linked to a hospital, geriatric centre or community health centre. An ACAT team in your area is likely to include a doctor, nurse, social worker, occupational therapist and physiotherapist. Upon request you can visit them or they will visit you in your home. Their purpose is to decide what level of care and support services are best for a person and whether this can best be provided in the home, in a hostel or a nursing home.

Accommodation Bond: Accommodation payments - bonds and charges - are a contribution to the cost of accommodation in a aged care facility. If a person's assets exceed a set amount when they enter low level (hostel) care, they may be asked to pay a bond. A person receiving care on an extra service basis may also be asked to pay a bond regardless of whether they need high or low level care. The amount of the bond will be negotiated with the service provider. The provider can only keep a certain amount from the bond annually. The balance of the bond will be repaid to the resident or beneficiaries when they leave.

Accreditation: A seal of approval given by the government to a nursing home. To become accredited, the community or provider must meet specific requirements set by the accreditation entity and is then generally required to undergo a thorough review process by a team of evaluators to ensure certain standards of quality.


Ageing in Place: A concept that allows a resident to choose to remain in his/her living environment regardless of the physical and or mental decline that may occur with the aging process of aging.

Alzheimer's: A progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterised by loss of function and death of nerve cells in several areas of the brain, leading to loss of mental functions such as memory and learning. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.

Ambulatory: The ability to walk freely & independently, not bedridden or hospitalised.

Assessment: An evaluation, usually performed by a doctor or nurse, of a person's mental, emotional, and social capabilities.

Assisted Living: a special combination of housing, personalised supportive services and health care designed to meet the needs -- both scheduled and unscheduled -- of those who need help with activities of daily living. Services provided in Assisted Living residences usually include: Three meals a day served in a common dining area Housekeeping services Transportation Assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting and walking Access to health and medical services 24-hour security and staff availability Emergency call systems for each resident'ss unit Health promotion and exercise programs Medication management Personal laundry services Social and recreational activities

Assisted Resident: An assisted resident is a person who can only afford to pay a small accommodation bond or charge because, among other things, the value of their assets is less than four times the basic age pension. Providers receive an additional supplement for assisted residents.

Basic Care Fee: Residents of residential aged care homes will be asked to pay a daily fee for the care they receive. This includes a basic daily care fee for residents and a daily income-tested fee for some residents, depending on their income.

Caregiver: The primary person in charge of caring for an individual, usually a family member or a designated health care professional.

Carelink: Commonwealth Carelink Centres are information centres for older people, people with disabilities and those who provide care and services. Centres provide free and confidential information on community aged care, disability and other support services available locally, intrastate or anywhere within Australia.

Carer: A Carer is someone who provides care and support for a parent, partner, child, relative or friend who has a disability, is frail aged, or who has a chronic mental or physical illness. Most people will either give or receive care at some time in their life. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS, 1998) estimates that there are 2.3 million Carers in Australia today, or one in every 5 households. Of these, about 500,000 are providing substantial or full-time care. Carers range in age from as young as nine to people well into their nineties but the majority (80%) are aged under 65. Two thirds of Carers are women and most Carers provide care for a parent, partner or child

Case management: A term used to describe formal services planned by care professionals.

CACPs - Community Aged Care Packages: CACP's are coordinated packages of community care services to help people with complex care needs continue living in their own home. Each CACP is designed for an individual person and is based on their particular needs.

Dementia: The loss of intellectual functions (such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning) of sufficient severity to interfere with a person's daily functioning. Dementia is not a disease itself but rather a group of symptoms that may accompany certain diseases or conditions. Symptoms may also include changes in personality, mood, and behavior. Dementia is irreversible when caused by disease or injury but may be reversible when caused by drugs, alcohol, hormone or vitamin imbalances, or depression.

Director of Nursing (DON): No, not the Godfather type of DON - A DON oversees all nursing staff in a nursing home, and is responsible for formulating nursing policies and monitoring the quality of care delivered, as well as the facilities compliance with government regulations relating to nursing care.

EACH - Extended Aged Care at Home: The EACH program is a very small, limited capacity program which enables frail aged people to remain in their homes, supported by high level care through an approved service provider.

HACC - Home and Community Care: The HACC Program is a cost-shared program between the Commonwealth and State and Territory governments. The program provides funding for a range of services which support people who are at risk of inappropriate admission to long term aged care. The Program also supports their carers. The type of services funded through the HACC Program include, but are not limited to: nursing care; allied health care; meals and other food services; domestic assistance; personal care; home modification and maintenance; transport; respite care; counselling, support, information and advocacy; and assessment.

High Level Care: High level care provides ongoing 24 hour nursing care, as well as meals, laundry, cleaning and personal care.

Low Level Care: In low level care residents can live independently, but get help with meals and laundry, and personal care like dressing and bathing.

Non-Ambulatory: Inability to walk independently, usually bedridden or hospitalized.

Not-for-Profit: Status of ownership and/or operation characterised by government by community-based boards of trustees who are all volunteers. Board members donate their time and talents to ensure that a not-for-profit organisation's approach to caring for older people responds to local needs. Not-for-profit homes and services turn any surplus profit back into improving or expanding services for their clients or residents. Many not-for-profit organisations are often associated with religious denominations or ethnic groups.

Power of Attorney: A power of attorney is a document by which a person appoints someone else, usually a trusted family member or friend, to act as their agent with authority to deal with and manage their property and other financial affairs.

aged care: aged care is provided to frail older people and people with a disability who cannot live independently at home and who have been assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) as needing this care.

Respite Care: Many Carers don't know what is meant by the term respite. Basically, it means "time out". Taking a break from your care-giving role, to allow you time to attend to other matters or have a well-earned rest. There are many different types of respite. These are determined by what best suits your needs and the needs of the person being cared for. Sometimes Respite can feel like more trouble than its worth. At first, taking a break can be difficult but if you persevere the benefits will usually outweigh the effort. Family Carers frequently claim that respite is the support they need most, but often reject respite when it is offered because of the initial disruption and strain it has on their routine.

Sanctions: Sanctions are penalties or actions against a aged care facility or proprietor for non-compliance with standards under the Aged Care Act 1997.